Bmw 318i m52b28 swap crank no start

[RinoRiot]

I am currently in the middle of swapping a m52b28 into my 1998 318i. I have had the 318i for a couple years and ended up blowing up the 4 cylinder that was in the car. While it was down I purchased a 1998 328i auto from a family member. I got into an accident when it was snowing and totalled the car. The engine still ran afterwards. I decided to make two cars into one. So I pulled the blown 4 cylinder out and put the 6 cylinder in. The 6 cylinder had an auto trans behind it and the 4 cylinder had a manual, I took the manual and put it onto the back of the 6 cylinder and dropped it in. Got everything hooked up and went to start, I have crank but no spark or fuel. The 6 cylinder literally ran when I pulled it into the garage I started it to use the power steering to help push it in. The engine harness is the 6 cylinder harness, the dme is 6 cylinder. I put a new crank sensor in thinking maybe it could've been hit in the process of swapping the engine but still no spark or fuel. DME is turning on I can communicate with it with my scanner, but the scanner is not reading rpm. I am hooking the scanner to the 16pin connector not the 20pin. I checked power and ground to the crank sensor and it has 12v and good ground, I also back probed sense wire for the crank sensor in the dme connector, then turned the engine over by hand. It goes from 4.98v to about 2.41v, which means the pcm is getting a crank signal from the sensor. The only codes I have is for the air pump that I deleted and the cam sensor. If anyone could help it would be greatly apriciatted because I have searched and searched and everyone is saying crank sensor, but I put a new one in and it's sending a signal to the dme so I am stumped as to why I still have no spark or fuel, the fuel pump does come on and I have pressure at the rail but no injector pulse.

[328 Power 04]

I assume you took care of EWS issues first.

If the DME cannot see rpm signal, then that is an issue. If the sensor is fine, then maybe the signal isn't reaching the DME anymore somehow?

This is unusual, since it seems you covered all the bases.

[RinoRiot]

I did bypass the ews and I made sure my bypass was good I did the jump a wire between two pins and if the wire isn't there it doesn't crank at all when it's bypassed it cranks but no fire and the crank signal is reaching to the dme because I can backprobe the dme and see the signal changing when turning the engine by hand so it's gotta see crank signal.

[328 Power 04]

I did bypass the ews and I made sure my bypass was good I did the jump a wire between two pins and if the wire isn't there it doesn't crank at all when it's bypassed it cranks but no fire and the crank signal is reaching to the dme because I can backprobe the dme and see the signal changing when turning the engine by hand so it's gotta see crank signal.

Bypassing EWS also requires DME reprogramming. The EWS module simply stops the starter actuation, and DME immobilizer is responsible for spark and fuel injector impulse.


For what it's worth, it's super easy to link the DME to the car's current EWS and avoid hacking and cutting.

[bmwdirtracer]

[RinoRiot]

Thanks for the insight I thought if you did the wire bypass it would be good. Could I just swap the ews module and key chip and just keep the ews?

[328 Power 04]

Thanks for the insight I thought if you did the wire bypass it would be good. Could I just swap the ews module and key chip and just keep the ews?

Yes, that is an OK alternative option, but you should code the 328i EWS to manual and then clear adaptations in the DME to convert it to manual maps.
At the moment it will think it is still an automatic DME.

[RinoRiot]

Yes but it should still start and run for the moment, I plan on getting it tuned anyhow but people do manual swaps all the time without reprogramming the DME to be manual. Donut media has a video on it on YouTube so it should start and run for now. I'll send an update when I get around to the car again itll probably be tomorrow.

[bmwdirtracer]

Donut media has a video on it on YouTube

Sigh.

[328 Power 04]

Yes but it should still start and run for the moment, I plan on getting it tuned anyhow but people do manual swaps all the time without reprogramming the DME to be manual. Donut media has a video on it on YouTube so it should start and run for now. I'll send an update when I get around to the car again itll probably be tomorrow.

Yes, like I said, it will work and it will start.
There's some disconnect with the other part.

The maps for auto and manual are both on the same flash on this DME. There's no "programming" of the DME... but the EWS still has to be coded correctly and the DME switched to manual mode or else it will drive like crap. You will have revhang and incorrect settings since it's running it on the automatic maps.

I've been tuning these and more for 10 years, and have done hundreds of manual swaps from E36 to F chassis.

[bmwdirtracer]

AND, Rinoriot, allow me to tell you that Abel (328Power04) is absolutely the best of the best; he has done absolutely miraculous things for me, my shop, MANY people on this forum, and dozens of racers. You need to pay attention to what he's telling you, and stop looking to YouTube.

You've already been greatly misled by your sources - that's why your engine swap wouldn't start. If you'd have picked up on when Abel told you that " it's super easy to link the DME to the car's current EWS and avoid hacking and cutting", your engine would likely already running - correctly, and the EWS coded to manual.

OR, you can just keep listening to Donuts on YouTube.

[RinoRiot]

Ok, I posted here because I realized I was mislead. Anywho I finally got the time to swap over the ews module and swapped the chip into the key. The car still does not start. With the correct ews module plugged in, it does not crank. It has to be something to do with the ews system, do you have to swap over the antenna that goes onto the key cylinder, I would assume not but you guys know more than I do. Or would it be easier to program the DME to just ignore the ews. If I were to go that route would it be cheaper to send it off to have is flashed or to buy a cable and whatever software to flash it myself. Thanks for the help, I really do apriciate it. I was just looking at all the sources I could find and the youtube video was one of them.

[bmwdirtracer]

I'm hoping maybe Abel will come back to aid you in the ews questions, but please help him know whether this is now, actually, the issue. Please check for spark: Remove one spark plug and one coil, put the plug in the coil, ground the plug threads, and have someone crank the starter while you look to see if the spark plug is firing.

[328 Power 04]

Sorry, I'm out of town for a conference. If there is no starter actuation, then the key and ews module doesn't match. Can you make sure the key chip is the one for that ews?

Also, when the clutch switch isn't wired correctly especially in auto to manual conversions, you can get a similar condition. So I would run a diagnosis on the ews module, or at least to see neutral release/clutch movement. No amount of programming of the DME will fix that.

[bmwdirtracer]

Sorry, I missed that the car doesn't even crank now!

Sigh; there have been so many mixed steps, I can't even tell what's where anymore.

How's Shadow doing on the trip Abel?

[dworthy]

Plenty of good advice has been given, what I will add is in the future when you have a key go bad, or a lock bust, you are going to run into problems getting a replacement from the dealership. It took me less time to align my EWS-DME on my old E-36 then it did to set-up the system to do so. I was in the boat of having a car that had 7 previous owners and only 1 key which went bad after a couple of months. My fix was to replace all the locks and keys for there was no more to be had for the original EWS.

So the moral of the story is you can use the 328i DME with EWS, just take the ring off the ignition switch and put that key inside of there.

The second issue I am seeing is the DME is looking for the P/N from the TCU to release the starter, so get the DME coded to manual as you do have a clutch switch.

Lastly I wonder what harness you are using, for there are differences in the wiring harness plugs between years and such.

[RinoRiot]

I did end up getting it figured out and it was the ews system, I don't know why the swapping of the modules didn't work but I ended up buying the tuning software to delete the ews system and the car started right up and runs great I am using a 1998 328i auto engine harness in my 1998 318i manual car.

[Avil]

Bypassing EWS also requires DME reprogramming. The EWS module simply stops the starter actuation, and DME immobilizer is responsible for spark and fuel injector impulse.


For what it's worth, it's super easy to link the DME to the car's current EWS and avoid hacking and cutting.

I have similar problem, where i can reprogram DME or EWS del?

[bmwdirtracer]

Avil, especially for issues of this nature, you really need to start your own thread...or, at the very least, provide all the details of your car, your situation. I highly doubt that you've done a 318 to 328 conversion, with an auto-to-manual swap involved too. You haven't even given us the year of the car... There are many great people here that will help, but you need to outline what's going on.