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Thread: E36 ECU/DME failures

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    4
    My Cars
    99 E36 328is

    E36 ECU/DME failures

    Hey guys, first post!

    I recently got a lot of work done to my 99 e36 328is, some of which pertaining to the check engine light I’ve been battling for the past year or so. The shop said the light was no longer on but when I turned the key for the first time *gasp* it was.

    They said, after taking the car back in, it was a new error code relating to the transmission and more than likely it was an automatic transmission ECU in the car. So I tuck my tail between my legs and go home to figure out how to find the ecu and they were right. In pink marker on the ecu it says 98 323 auto. So I buy a 328is 5 speed ecu on eBay and eagerly await its arrival and when I do the swap the car won’t turn on. I do some more research and figure out about the EWS. No problem I figure, just swap the old ecu back in and take it to the dealership and swap the new ecu in the parking lot and have them do a EWS delete. Except the car won’t start with the 323 ecu any more.

    All I get is clicking noises and lights on the dash when I try and start up. Any advice?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Houston, TX
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    36 Cylinders
    Your battery is likely dead or dying.

    Also, you can sync ews yourself pretty easily at home.

    Also also, the software on an auto and the software on a manual ecu is exactly the same, there is a very minor difference in one setting that depends on the data fed to the ecu from the ews module. Clearing adaptations if the ews is programmed for manual will make the ecu take on manual settings.
    -Abel

    - E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
    - 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
    - 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
    - 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
    - 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
    - 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
    - 2016 Mini Cooper S

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    2,082
    My Cars
    1998 e36
    you can't use other ECU do to anti theft coding on it. Most likely battery is drained.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    4
    My Cars
    99 E36 328is
    So the battery is less than 3 months old but I haven’t started the car in about two weeks. I hooked it up to my truck last night just in case and still couldn’t get it to start.

    I also installed a new EWSII module and have the chip taped to my key. I no longer get the clicking sound when I turn over the ignition however. I can’t decide if this is progress or not unfortunately.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    2,082
    My Cars
    1998 e36
    you shouldn't be working on your car then

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    4
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    99 E36 328is
    Quote Originally Posted by hakentt View Post
    you shouldn't be working on your car then
    Thanks for the bump I guess? I thought people posted here to learn or help others.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
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    Houston, TX
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    Hakentt is like that. Don't take it personally.

    If the car doesn't even attempt to crank (spin the starter), this can be an issue between the key transponder and the ews module, the ews module itself, or most commonly, a low power event.

    Ideally, the car would need a diagnostic test of the ews module and the dme to see what their complaint is.

    An "INPA K-DCAN" cable with the "BMW 20-pin adapter" with a Windows laptop running the INPA software pack below can help.

    https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...xperimentation
    -Abel

    - E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
    - 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
    - 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
    - 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
    - 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
    - 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
    - 2016 Mini Cooper S

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    4
    My Cars
    99 E36 328is
    Quote Originally Posted by 328 Power 04 View Post
    Hakentt is like that. Don't take it personally.

    If the car doesn't even attempt to crank (spin the starter), this can be an issue between the key transponder and the ews module, the ews module itself, or most commonly, a low power event.

    Ideally, the car would need a diagnostic test of the ews module and the dme to see what their complaint is.

    An "INPA K-DCAN" cable with the "BMW 20-pin adapter" with a Windows laptop running the INPA software pack below can help.

    https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...xperimentation
    Noted! Thank you I’ll have to look into that this weekend and set up my PC in the garage.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    12,462
    My Cars
    36 Cylinders
    Also, although coincidental, your starter can be dying.
    -Abel

    - E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
    - 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
    - 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
    - 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
    - 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
    - 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
    - 2016 Mini Cooper S

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    New England
    Posts
    25,402
    My Cars
    F90 M5; E36 M3 Turbo
    If you have the proper cable and a laptop, you can easily align your car EWS to a new ECU. I did this in about 15 minutes including the research and downloading. I already had the cable.

    https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...0-vagcom-cable

    I would probably not have put a new EWS module in the car. Leave the old one in place and change just the ECU. The EWS is more than just a module. There is a coder ring of some kind in the steering column and maybe a chip in the key. I would keep the changes as simple as possible.

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