'99 M3 airbag codes 3 and 6?

[jelliott4]

Does anyone have the secret decoder ring to tell me what's wrong with my SRS based on these single-digit fault codes that I'm getting from the Schwaben tool?
IMG_6374.jpg
For what it's worth, attempting to clear them eliminates the 3, but not the 6.

Thanks,
Joe Elliott
'99 M3

[bluptgm3]

Did you get a decoder chart w/Schwaben tool?
From ECS Tuning?


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[jelliott4]

Nope! But I bought the tool from Turner; would ECS have included a chart?

[bluptgm3]

Nope! But I bought the tool from Turner; would ECS have included a chart?

Tuner did not include a matrix?


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[bluptgm3]

Not sure which tool you have however this pdf is from ECS Tuning scanner product page for a scanner . Choose the correct scanner and look at the bottom of the ECS product page.


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[shogun]

I do not know which codes the Schwaben tool gives and if there is a list or how to get the explanation for it, but here is says:
SRS 1 (1988-91)
SEAT BELT TENSIONER SUPPLY WIRE - POWER SUPPLY DEFECT - Check the sensor wire for breaks or shorts. Check the connectors for corrosion and breakage.

SRS 3 (1993-98)
6-7 SRS CONTROL UNIT INTERNAL DEFECT (See fault code 76-77.)
76-77 SRS CONTROL UNIT INTERNAL DEFECT - DEALER REPLACEMENT
ONLY - Delete fault stored in memory. Operate vehicle for 5 minutes. If the fault re-occurs, the SRS Control Unit will need replacement. This code is also associated with low battery voltage.

Baumtools bmwcodes http://www.e38.org/e32/bmw%20code%20defaut.pdf

[jelliott4]

Not sure which tool you have however this pdf is from ECS Tuning scanner product page for a scanner . Choose the correct scanner and look at the bottom of the ECS product page.

Yep, that's the tool I have, but the documents provided by ECS look like the same ones that I got from Turner; a BMW compatibility list, and a generic (non-BMW-specific) manual for basic operation of the tool.

SRS 3 (1993-98)
6-7 SRS CONTROL UNIT INTERNAL DEFECT (See fault code 76-77.)
76-77 SRS CONTROL UNIT INTERNAL DEFECT - DEALER REPLACEMENT
ONLY - Delete fault stored in memory. Operate vehicle for 5 minutes. If the fault re-occurs, the SRS Control Unit will need replacement. This code is also associated with low battery voltage.

Baumtools bmwcodes http://www.e38.org/e32/bmw%20code%20defaut.pdf

Thanks! Looks like I need a new control unit. (The tool was successful in clearing the code 3, but not the code 6.) How confident can we be that this "SRS 3 (1993-98)" list is applicable to '99 E36? I haven't looked up the cost of a new control unit yet, but I'm guessing it's not something I want to buy on a hunch.

[shogun]

Maybe you check in the ETK if there was a change of the control unit 1998 >1999. Find the module part number in the ETK with your VIN and then go back to the start of the ETK and do a search by part number.
Or find a cheap used module with the same p/n and the presently installed one and swap it and see what happens.
Without a VIN: ETK mentions for a US 1999 M3 Coupe no change in airbag module from 09/1993 - http://bmwfans.info/parts-catalog/E3...rbag#8374821_7
new one cost > $500, used ones below $100

[bluptgm3]

How confident can we be that this "SRS 3 (1993-98)" list is applicable to '99 E36?

I think you will find wide misunderstanding of the model break years and overlap with E46.
Generally, ‘stuff’ that is designated for (1996M3 thru) 1998M3 is good for 1999M3....but check the model years and definitely check your VIN in www.realoem.com....E36 is in the ‘Classic’ catalog, but you will be using the VIN for your car.


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[shogun]

I do not know the Schwaben tool, but if there is no printed booklet coming with the tool like for example with the Peake R5/FCX, where one gets a code and has to check in the printed code book for the explanations, there should be in the Schwaben tool a system which explains the fault? Otherwise a code w/o details is useless. Maybe you have to push a button to get those fault code details? Check the user manual of the Schwaben tool.

[jelliott4]

I think you will find wide misunderstanding of the model break years and overlap with E46.
Generally, ‘stuff’ that is designated for (1996M3 thru) 1998M3 is good for 1999M3....but check the model years and definite check your VIN in www.realoem.com....E36 is in the ‘Classic’ catalog, but you will be using the VIN for your car.

It took a while to figure out that the airbag electronics are under "Audio, Navigation, Electronic Systems" rather than the more logical "Restraint System and Accessories," but I eventually found it; 65778374799 for cars with side airbags.

I do not know the Schwaben tool, but if there is no printed booklet coming with the tool like for example with the Peake R5/FCX, where one gets a code and has to check in the printed code book for the explanations, there should be in the Schwaben tool a system which explains the fault? Otherwise a code w/o details is useless. Maybe you have to push a button to get those fault code details? Check the user manual of the Schwaben tool.

Yes, pretty useless, especially considering how aggressively this tool was marketed to BMW owners by both ECS Tuning and Turner when it was introduced a few years ago. I actually first bought the tool and pulled these codes >2 yr ago, but was so disgusted by its uselessness that I just decided to ignore the airbag warning light until now. It's hard to believe they would invest in a relatively high-resolution full-color display, PC-connected datalogging, etc., and advertise all kinds of other advanced features, yet produce such a fundamentally useless product. (Adding insult to injury, it also has a menu item to reset the oil service light, which I've tried multiple times and simply does not work--every oil change I give this tool another chance, but end up jumpering pins manually to reset the light!)

[jelliott4]

Update: I bought a used airbag/SRS/MRS/ZAE ECU 65778374799, making a point to seek out a unit pulled from another '99 M3 coupe in the same production block as mine and, unsurprisingly, when I clear the other codes stored in the used ECU, it still produces error code 6, presumably because it really does need to be coded specifically to my VIN. And, of course the Schwaben tool doesn't provide any means of doing this, despite saying in its manual that "NT510 allows for coding an programming of a replacement control module or changing previously stored incorrect coding." Like the rest of the manual, it's seemingly referring to the basic capabilities of the underlying Foxwell system, with seemingly zero effort having been made to tailor the documentation to what is/isn't actually implemented in ECS' BMW-specific Schwaben-branded version.

So, can anyone recommend a tool that actually will allow me to re-code a used airbag ECU? (Or tell me if that's not possible, and I guess I'm prepared to spend ~$500 on a new one--in which case how do I code a new one to my VIN?)

[shogun]

was a good move to also ask in the software forum https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ZAE-ECU-E36-M3

[jelliott4]

Happy ending: It turns out that, on a '99 M3, SRS code 6 is actually the passenger side seatbelt pyro-tensioner, and cleaning all the connections fixed it. (Thankfully, I didn't end up having to take it to a professional, or a buy a Windows laptop, but Turner/ECS/Schwaben can still go to hell for their dishonest marketing of the half-functional scan tool.)