E46 M3 will not start please help

[DugiHowser]

Has the car had any water damage to the DME, or water entry into DME box somehow?
Having fixed a few BMWs with dme issues from water entry lately, I am currently fixated on that. I do have an extra MSS54HP that I can send you if needed, I can do the ews delete if you need.

I hate to keep this going and annoying people.. and honestly its getting pricey. I had the car taken to multiple specialists and finally one that seems to have found the problem. It appears my DME is bad. There are no signs of water and based on the techs diagnosis he says the DME may have a bad circuit board or something with there being a bad circuit in it.
The tech says the only way I can fix this is by going through dealership as they have to install and program a new DME. Is this true? If not, do you 328 Power 04 have that spare DME still? Is there anyone in the CT area that can help program it? Please let me know. Again, any help is always appreciated!

[328 Power 04]

Can you find out if the outer cover of your DME has MSS54 or MSS54HP written on it?

I sold my MSS54HP to a good friend who needed it just 4 weeks ago, but I can get others. I can program it too if needed.


How did they arrive at the conclusion that the DME is bad?

[DugiHowser]

Can you find out if the outer cover of your DME has MSS54 or MSS54HP written on it?

I sold my MSS54HP to a good friend who needed it just 4 weeks ago, but I can get others. I can program it too if needed.


How did they arrive at the conclusion that the DME is bad?

That would be great!! I am not sure but I will call the shop in the morning on Monday to verify for you which one it is.
At first he thought is was the carb canister that was building up and that was causing the stalling however, after he replaced it, it kept stalling. So the tech went back in and his data showed null on all sensors just before the car was stalling out. O2 sensors bank 1, bank 2, 3, then 4. EGT, and others just read null right before stalling. He determined that there could be a bad circuit or possibly the board it self that shorts and cause all sensors to fail and thus stalling the car. He said its rare for DMEs to go like this but after the recent diagnostics he's pretty certain its the DME. Have you ever encountered or heard anything like this?

- - - Updated - - -

Can you find out if the outer cover of your DME has MSS54 or MSS54HP written on it?

I sold my MSS54HP to a good friend who needed it just 4 weeks ago, but I can get others. I can program it too if needed.


How did they arrive at the conclusion that the DME is bad?

How much would you charge for a programed DME?

[DugiHowser]

Can you find out if the outer cover of your DME has MSS54 or MSS54HP written on it?

I sold my MSS54HP to a good friend who needed it just 4 weeks ago, but I can get others. I can program it too if needed.


How did they arrive at the conclusion that the DME is bad?

Tech has not pulled it out again to confirm type of DME. Would you know which type it is if I gave you the vin#?

[bmwdirtracer]

Dugi, allow me to say that Abel's the very best BMW computer guy I know. He's got (another) Mini computer from my shop, right this moment. But....as he suggested above...there's a good possibility that the DME's NOT the issue.

This is ESPECIALLY true, if "all the sensors dropped out at the same time, just before the car stalled". IF I saw this, I would immediately begin looking for a bad ground, or bad power supply. I'd clean the DME plug. both sides, with Wurth Electrical Contact Cleaner Oil; I'd clean and tighten the DME ground and main grounds and hots....and I'd at least open up the DME to see whether the insides look green. (not likely)..

It's just that DME's don't really die all that frequently....but electrical connections DO. AND, when a DME has a problem, it very rarely kills everything at once...and intermittently, especially!

Not very happy that the tech said "Bank 1,2,3, and 4"....since there are only 2 banks. I'd wonder how much time has been spent studying the wiring diagrams? Sorry, I'm a natural born skeptic.

All that said, maybe it's best, at this point, for you to just get Abel to fix you up with a DME, to at least get that ruled out. It's pretty much always the very last thing I'd bet on, though.

[328 Power 04]

You're too kind.


I can't be sure of what is installed in your car, even from the VIN, as it was around then that the M3 was transitioned from MSS54 to MSS54HP (others will know more exactly when).

If you/I can find a used DME like it for a fair price, we can remotely make it work with your car (clone or ews delete, whichever you want) for cheap. You'd need a windows laptop and one of those ever-so-common INPA K+DCAN cable.

[bmwdirtracer]

You know how it is, my friend:

Today, I got an '05 Saab, had been to another shop, which had diagnosed a bad heater blower. But you know, there's also a blower controller (aka final stage resistor), so I tested. I wanted to be the hero, and send the customer home with no replacement parts, when I found the grossly corroded plug between the two items. Alas, it was not to be: The resistor was bad, and so was the blower. PROVEN, though. Water ruined both.

Then there was the Audi A4, ~2001ish, also TODAY.. No communications with any module, couldn't pass inspection, ran like crap too. Another shop had said it needed a DME, or whatever it's called on an Audi. Smoke test revealed rat-caused leaks, fixed cheaply, plus a chewed through primary O2 sensor wire, by rats. (I spliced all that, owner has no $)..... Wiring diagrams and continuity tests revealed no continuity between ABS and OBD plug, so I tested radio (last in line) to OBD plug, and had continuity. Unplugged radio (STOCK), and I now had communications with all other modules, one code in DME....for the O2 sensor..

It was a good day: Also had '08 Mercedes E350 4matic wagon for PPI. Carfax said no wrecks. Might be true, but car had been repainted, VERY WELL. Too much rust and corrosion, too. Potential buyer tipped me twenty bucks, after I showed him all the evidence. The service writer/secretary gets SO pissed off, when I get tipped, because she's always just finished announcing what an ass the guy is! (The guy was very nice, very smart, Swedish; knew cars very well.)

I'm not going to mention the '08 535 the boss owns, which tormented me the rest of the day.

[DugiHowser]

Dugi, allow me to say that Abel's the very best BMW computer guy I know. He's got (another) Mini computer from my shop, right this moment. But....as he suggested above...there's a good possibility that the DME's NOT the issue.

This is ESPECIALLY true, if "all the sensors dropped out at the same time, just before the car stalled". IF I saw this, I would immediately begin looking for a bad ground, or bad power supply. I'd clean the DME plug. both sides, with Wurth Electrical Contact Cleaner Oil; I'd clean and tighten the DME ground and main grounds and hots....and I'd at least open up the DME to see whether the insides look green. (not likely)..

It's just that DME's don't really die all that frequently....but electrical connections DO. AND, when a DME has a problem, it very rarely kills everything at once...and intermittently, especially!

Not very happy that the tech said "Bank 1,2,3, and 4"....since there are only 2 banks. I'd wonder how much time has been spent studying the wiring diagrams? Sorry, I'm a natural born skeptic.

All that said, maybe it's best, at this point, for you to just get Abel to fix you up with a DME, to at least get that ruled out. It's pretty much always the very last thing I'd bet on, though.

I completely understand and he did mention that it is very rare for DMEs to fail but said he tried just about everything he thinks he can. I am going to try to get the freeze frame data for you guys, maybe it will help share more light. Ill try to get that info for you Abel as soon as possible regarding DME type.

There is another shop that specializes in electrical in my area, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to bring it there for another opinion? And if its a bad ground I am hopeful these guys would find it.

Wish you guys were near by, I bring it to you in a heart beat!

P.S. I did not mean to discredit the tech by saying Bank 1-4. Those were my words not his. Just simply trying to make a point.

[Breeze1]

IF I saw this, I would immediately begin looking for a bad ground, or bad power supply. I'd clean the DME plug. both sides, with Wurth Electrical Contact Cleaner Oil; I'd clean and tighten the DME ground and main grounds and hots....and I'd at least open up the DME to see whether the insides look green. (not likely)..

It's just that DME's don't really die all that frequently....but electrical connections DO. AND, when a DME has a problem, it very rarely kills everything at once...and intermittently, especially!

Not very happy that the tech said "Bank 1,2,3, and 4"....since there are 2 banks

I would start with that if I were you. Sorry to hear that you're still having issues with the car. Mine has been having issues as well lately, a rough idle being one of them (and that stupid steering pump which I replaced 3 or 4 times already being another one, to name just 2 of them )

[DugiHowser]

Can you find out if the outer cover of your DME has MSS54 or MSS54HP written on it?

I sold my MSS54HP to a good friend who needed it just 4 weeks ago, but I can get others. I can program it too if needed.


How did they arrive at the conclusion that the DME is bad?

Sorry for the hold up, the DME is a MSS54HP. Please let me know how much you would charge for the unit and programmed.

The tech did put in more time looking into the car checking the grounds and for possible bad connections. So far nothing out of the ordinary. I know hunting for a bad connection can get really expensive so I think I'd rather rule out the questionable DME before I have him go deeper into the car.