318ti.org forum - View Single Post - M50+manual swap bastard

Andy318 · 03-16-2024, 10:19 PM

Update - In the last week or so I removed the cluster and it was missing bulbs. I put in missing bulbs and reinstalled the cluster... still no CEL. At that point I decided to get another DME. In the meantime I removed most of the front end body work and rad assembly as I had a buyer for those parts.

Today I purchased a 413 red label from a 94 325is manual trans. I installed it in the car, connected the battery to the B+ and ground (as usual) hoping for life but still no CEL. The car cranked the same as before but nothing different on the cluster. I threw my hands up thinking the DME i bought was bad and moved on to stripping the rear.

As I had mentioned in my first post the battery had been relocated to the trunk and as I was removing the stock amp, trunk panel etc. it bothered me that both DME's behaved the same and then it crossed my mind that perhaps jumping the car from a battery directly to the B+ post wasn't providing power to everything in the car as it's supposed to.

So I reinstalled the battery in the trunk, adding another chassis ground, and went to try and start the car again and voila, the CEL came on when I turned the key! I then tried to start the car and it started and ran for 2-3 seconds then died. Now, I hadn't heard the car run since last fall when I went to see it the first time so to me this was fantastic!

I tried several other times, crank no start. I removed the jumper from the EWS2 module, same thing, i.e. crank no start. So now what?

I decided to reinstall the DME that came with the car. Well, CEL came on and car cranked the same but no start... so it wasn't the DME.

So, still have work to do but what I confirmed, and I wish I would've come across it in my several hours of searching online, is that you can't start an e36 (OBD1 for sure but probably all e36s) with just a battery connected to the B+ post in the engine bay.

I hope this helps someone else save time and frustration working on e36s.

If there are any other reasons why the car won't start, for example no rad or temperature switch connected, it would be great to know...

03-16-2024, 10:19 PM	#3
Andy318 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2023 Location: Hamilton, ON Canada Posts: 14 iTrader: (0) Photo Gallery	Update - In the last week or so I removed the cluster and it was missing bulbs. I put in missing bulbs and reinstalled the cluster... still no CEL. At that point I decided to get another DME. In the meantime I removed most of the front end body work and rad assembly as I had a buyer for those parts. Today I purchased a 413 red label from a 94 325is manual trans. I installed it in the car, connected the battery to the B+ and ground (as usual) hoping for life but still no CEL. The car cranked the same as before but nothing different on the cluster. I threw my hands up thinking the DME i bought was bad and moved on to stripping the rear. As I had mentioned in my first post the battery had been relocated to the trunk and as I was removing the stock amp, trunk panel etc. it bothered me that both DME's behaved the same and then it crossed my mind that perhaps jumping the car from a battery directly to the B+ post wasn't providing power to everything in the car as it's supposed to. So I reinstalled the battery in the trunk, adding another chassis ground, and went to try and start the car again and voila, the CEL came on when I turned the key! I then tried to start the car and it started and ran for 2-3 seconds then died. Now, I hadn't heard the car run since last fall when I went to see it the first time so to me this was fantastic! I tried several other times, crank no start. I removed the jumper from the EWS2 module, same thing, i.e. crank no start. So now what? I decided to reinstall the DME that came with the car. Well, CEL came on and car cranked the same but no start... so it wasn't the DME. So, still have work to do but what I confirmed, and I wish I would've come across it in my several hours of searching online, is that you can't start an e36 (OBD1 for sure but probably all e36s) with just a battery connected to the B+ post in the engine bay. I hope this helps someone else save time and frustration working on e36s. If there are any other reasons why the car won't start, for example no rad or temperature switch connected, it would be great to know...