M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS

DISCUSSION => Engine management => Topic started by: chapellej on May 12, 2009, 05:35:41 PM

Title: chip problem
Post by: chapellej on May 12, 2009, 05:35:41 PM
well as the title states i installed a new chip in my dme and my car won't start. now i was just curios about the chip so i bought it off ebay( i know) but for 50 bucks what the hell. any how any suggestion as to why it won't start the guy sent me two chips and niether work. but my factory works just fine.
Title: chip problem
Post by: colin86325 on May 12, 2009, 06:10:42 PM
You sure it is installed facing the correct direction and is seated properly?
Title: Interesting
Post by: keflaman on May 13, 2009, 01:30:45 AM
Quote from: chapellej;71750
well as the title states i installed a new chip in my dme and my car won't start. now i was just curios about the chip so i bought it off ebay( i know) but for 50 bucks what the hell. any how any suggestion as to why it won't start the guy sent me two chips and niether work. but my factory works just fine.


I sort of have the same problem with my Eurospec car and here's what happened to me after I installed a US spec performance chip: It ran like crap, died and then wouldn't start. I unplugged the connector to the AFM potentiometer (see post #13 http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7757) and it started and ran, but DTCs for O2 sensor system popped up (which makes sense because I don't have the O2 sensor circuit or cat installed on my car). NOTE - I destroyed the stock euro chip when I removed it, so I have no idea if my car would return to normal with the stock chip.  

Out of curiosity I ordered and installed a US spec DME and the results were the same, i.e. won't run or idle with potentiometer connector  

Now I have ordered and received a eurospec chip and will try swapping it between my US and Euro ECU to see if it makes a difference...and I will be very careful this time not to fubar the chip connectors:o

If that doesn't work, then I'll try to find another eurospec DME locally, but that will have to wait until I get the car back because right now I am laid up with a broken foot and swapped cars with a friend for his automatic!
Title: chip problem
Post by: chapellej on May 13, 2009, 12:12:11 PM
yes chip is facing the right direction and seated properly, i am going to try and unplug the pentiometre and see if that makes a diference.
Title: chip problem
Post by: keflaman on May 13, 2009, 02:08:18 PM
Quote from: chapellej;71808
yes chip is facing the right direction and seated properly, i am going to try and unplug the pentiometre and see if that makes a diference.


Is your car eurospec?
Title: chip problem
Post by: tjts1 on May 13, 2009, 04:35:29 PM
Which eBay vendor did you get the bad chip from?
Title: chip problem
Post by: chapellej on May 15, 2009, 01:30:19 PM
i don't think its euro spec and the ebayer i got the chip from is xg motorsports. i haven't really had much time to work on the car as i run off with work but this weekend i will give it a go again.:confused:
Title: Try This Site
Post by: keflaman on May 15, 2009, 11:43:43 PM
You can verify what market your car was built for here: http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/
Title: chip problem
Post by: M42_Jester on May 17, 2009, 06:53:19 AM
i had a very similar problem with an eBay chip.
My problem was that my ECU has EWS, and the chip that was purchased didn't have the data for that. it would be like trying to start the car with a cut key, u'll get no where.

that could be ur problem. wat is ur ECU#?
Title: chip problem
Post by: chapellej on May 19, 2009, 01:59:38 PM
ecu ends in 990
Title: chip problem
Post by: M42_Jester on May 20, 2009, 10:54:17 PM
hmm...then that would just be the chip that is wrong. someone has ripped you off...try and get a refund, or report the seller to eBay. it's usually best going with someone who actually makes the chips, rather than someone who just sells them. that's what i've had to find out the hard way...
Title: chip problem
Post by: 1991 E30 M42 on May 21, 2009, 02:19:32 AM
keflaman, if your car is a real euro car, then it might not have an o2 sensor ans that could be why your us chip/ecu might not work
Title: It's A Real Deal Eurospec
Post by: keflaman on May 21, 2009, 07:14:16 AM
Quote from: 1991 E30 M42;72163
keflaman, if your car is a real euro car, then it might not have an o2 sensor ans that could be why your us chip/ecu might not work


VIN AD02012. No O2 sensor, cat or heater relay installed next to the fuel pump relay. Since all the US spec cars run like crap with "The Connector" disconnected I presumed (perhaps correctly/non-correctly) mine would automatically take the signal from the AFM potentiometer with "The Connector" connected.

The car runs just fine with "The Connector" disconnected, but seems a bit rich when up to operating temps. It throws codes for O2 sensor and O2 heater relay, but I don't have a check engine light so I wouldn't know unless I scan it.

Okay, now I see my problem. The US Spec eprom # is 1.267.356.378 and the Euro eprom # is 1.267.356.214.
Title: Let Me Un-FUBAR My Post
Post by: keflaman on June 02, 2009, 10:04:55 AM
Quote from: keflaman;72165
VIN AD02012. No O2 sensor, cat or heater relay installed next to the fuel pump relay. Since all the US spec cars run like crap with "The Connector" disconnected I presumed (non-correctly)  Since my car was euro-spec it would automatically take the signal from the AFM potentiometer with "The Connector" connected.

Okay, now I see my problem. The US Spec eprom # is 1.267.356.378 and the Euro eprom # is 1.267.356.214.[/QUOTE

If you have the US eprom ending in #378 "The Connector" will be disconnected. Euro-spec ECUs with eprom ending in #214 will have "The Connector" connected.
Title: Now...
Post by: keflaman on June 02, 2009, 11:43:05 AM
I picked up an Ebay "Europerformance chip 89-92 BMW E30 318i/ic/is" from a seller named "sapporo10" for about $45 total. I connected "The Connector", installed the chip and read out the ECU information on my scanner. The eprom was the correct euro-spec (#1.267.356.214) and she fired right up!! Nice and sweet, no codes.

It'll be a day or two before I can road test everything, so I'll have my impressions for you later in the week.

Crap! I just realized the OP mentioned ECU 990...you have an E36 M42?
Title: chip problem
Post by: chapellej on June 02, 2009, 02:37:30 PM
yes e36 m42 and the chip has still not worked i have tried multiple things and no starty, not really gonna worry about it i am gonna put some money together and super charge it at the end of the summer so i have something to work on through the winter.