Stranger12

Hi All,

As you may have seen my previous thread, i have a massive issue with starting my e60 .

https://5series.net/forums/e60-discu...idling-141418/

I thought I create a new post with fresh investigations and hope someone can help.

in nutshell, the car does not start . it cranks over but no start.

tonight after hours and hours of playing with it , i think it may be dde or ecu itself that is f*cked.

here is why :

car did not start after engine was warm after a long drive .
transmission and dsc error comes up.
plug the dis and inpa and transmission module said

1.5140 message from dme/dde is missing
2.can not connect to dde to check errors or anything . it seems as if it is dead
3.bunch of errors on dis on CAN . number of modules reporting no message from engine management .
4.fuel control unit lets the pump run indefintly and when checked it says can signal timed out ( pointing to ecu i think)

5. it only happens after the car is hot and 20 mins drive . the car can drive for 20 hours non stop but as soon as it is switched off , it is not switching back on. if it is ecu then wouln't it switch off all together even when the engine is running ?
here is a screen shot







please please help if you can or share ideas

seanjordan20

First is this the ECU in the engine compartment? What were the errors previously? Did you have a low voltage error on the ECU? It looks like it has over heated and not responding. Can you not start the car at all? Check to see if the cooling fan is working or the car will turn on with the ECU compartment open. It might have been overheating for a while and it just gave out.

The car will not switch off all together because it is in drive. Turning off will be a safety hazard so it waits until the car safely stops.

I didn't read through all the previous post because you wanted to start new need to know what the first errors were.

Stranger12

You are right no start and mo response from ecu.

Previous errors were related to all sorted and sometimes it was linked to power managmenet etc

What is weired is the car does not start for 20 mins at times and then starts suggesting something is getting hot and needs to cool down

I am changing the voltage regulator brushes but dont think my regulator is faulty

If ecu is overheaying can it be due to high voltage and what else?

Worth opening the ecu and check inside?

seanjordan20

No need to open the ecu. There is a fan inside the compartment at the bottom. I would test the voltage or change it out and see if that corrects your issue. It will still be working with low or high voltage but the fan might be going out. I had that issue a few months back but I never had it act like yours is. My car gave me an error not enough for the check engine light but it would have about 15 counts a day on the fan. The ECU was Hot as hell so I just changed it out and no more problems.

If your car does not start at all then your ECU is done. I would buy another ECU from the junk yard and reprogram it to the car.

Stranger12

haven't seen the fan, are you saying it is inside teh compartment and not ecu ?

I have checked the ecu and no visible damage.

I have got a quote and most places want £300 to repair it if faulty . would you do that or get a second hand one and re program ? what do you have to reprogram apart from fuel injection value and ews ?

when i was trying to open the ecu, it has a hard silicon that I didn't know and forcefully seperated the board from the lid which had silicon rather than warming it up.

can I use hair dryer to warm it up ? I can't take the board off the other half as if it is glued

the silicon

Stranger12

i think that is a thermal paste and not glue or silicon , right ? I can re apply some more when put back in.

A new device is £200 where as rebuild is £300 so shall i just get a new unit and re initialise it with ews?

Anything else needed?

seanjordan20

Where is the ECU located that you are troubleshooting. If it is in the engine compartment passenger side firewall then the fan sits at the bottom of the compartment.


If it can be repaired I would repair it because getting a new one or second hand you have to program it to your car and that can be a headache or pay the dealer to do it. If it can be successfully repaired I would repair it as long as no information would be lost.


I can not see the picture you uploaded. The unit failed for a reason that is unknown and I would get a new fan also to be proactive.

Stranger12

hmm , i have not seen any fans there.

it is located in the bonnet under pollen filter on the passenger side ( uk ) so right as you stand and face forward of the car.

It is the yellowish or cream box but no fan there unless I am blind .

re coding , is it simply going to inpa and align it with ews , if so I can do it as have the software (inpa and dis).

the fan is not even on realoem

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...34&hg=12&fg=35

seanjordan20

Yes it is a black small fan that sits at the bottom of the compartment. It should be right under the ECU

seanjordan20

It looks like this E-Box Fan:


BMW E60 530i M54 3.0L Engine Electrical ECU - 12901438062 - E-Box Blower Motor - ES#31990