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E36 Analogue Clock to 18 Button OBC Retrofit

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computer obc retrofit
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96K views 124 replies 28 participants last post by  seanarnold89  
3
#1 · (Edited)
After doing some research on retrofitting obc's, i decided to install one in my 318iS. I read a number of diy's before i started the retrofit, and to be honest a lot of them either contradicted each other or just didnt go into enough detail..

So here is a diy that actually works!!:D Firstly, i have to state that my car does not have a Check Control Module and that i still need to source a BMW Pin for the CODE function to work. In total, it took me about 6 hours to complete and i went over each connection about 4 times just to be sure:)

As i wanted to use most of the features, i decided to purchase a kit off another bmw forum. The kit included:

1. 18 Button OBC with black and white harnesses
2. OBC Stalk
3. External Temperature Sensor
4. Gong/Chime
5. An extra black harness also came with the kit. This allowed me to extract the pins from the harness and connect them to the blue and white plugs located behind the instrument cluster. I also purchased pins from Maplin but they were too small for the job. If you dont want to solder anything, i suggest go to a breakers and cut the white and blue plugs off the donar car and extract pins from them.

The Kit:
Image


Tools required for the job:

1. 25-30m of assorted equipment wire
2. In-line connectors both small and medium sizes (other diy's use block connectors but the inline's are less bulky)
3. 1* Ring Connector (for temp sensor)
3. Crimp tool
4. Pliers
5. Various torx heads
6. Philips & flathead screwdrivers
7. Soldering Iron & Solder (if required)
8. Cable Ties
9. Insulation Tape
10.Pins (either from an electrical store or from bmw plugs as explained above)

Tools:

Image




Some terms that are used:

a) X1070 (Black Harness supplied with OBC)
b) X1071 (White Harness supplied with OBC)
c) X16 (White Plug behind Instrument Cluster)
d) X17 (Blue Plug Behind Instrument Cluster)

Getting Started

1. Disconnect Battery
2. Remove glovebox and panel underneath.
3. Remove analogue clock (use a small screwdriver and it just clips out)
4. Remove airbag, steering wheel, panel underneath, and steering column trim.
Note, if you have an adjustable steering wheel, you don't need to remove airbag or wheel-just adjust it to its lowest position.
5. Remove instrument cluster (use a torx head) and disconnect the black, blue and white plugs from behind the cluster.

This is what awaits you :eek:

Image


Image


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As some wires are missing from X16 & X17, it is necessary to remove the body of the plugs. This is achieved by pulling on the tab highlighted in the pic below:

Image


body removed

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I also removed the covers on the black and white harnesses to ensure that connections were correct.

Next comes the checklist as follows:

Black Harness (X1070):

Pin 1: Not Relevant
Pin 2: Not Relevant
Pin 3: Not Relevant
Pin 4: Not Relevant
Pin 5: Not Relevant
Pin 6: (blue/brown/yellow) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 26 of X17
Pin 7: Not Relevant
Pin 8: Not Relevant
Pin 9: (green/blue) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 4 of X17
Pin 10: (blue/white) Goes to ----------------------> Gong (blue/white)
Pin 11: (red/white) Goes to ----------------------> Gong (red/white)
Pin 12: (brown/grey) Goes to ----------------------> Temp Sensor
Pin 13: (black/white) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 2 of X17
Pin 14: (violet/white) Goes to ----------------------> violet white wire under steering wheel (pic included later)
Pin 15: (blue/violet/white) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 24 of X17
Pin 16: (grey/red) Goes to ----------------------> Old clock (also grey/red)
Pin 17: (brown) Goes to ----------------------> Old Clock (also brown)
Pin 18: (red/yellow) Goes to ----------------------> Old Clock (also red/yellow)

White Harness (X1071):

Pin 1: (black/green) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 15 of EWS Unit
Pin 2: (purple/green) Not Relevant
Pin 3: (black/blue) Not Relevant
Pin 4: (brown/red) Goes to ----------------------> OBC Stalk (yellow/red wire)
Pin 5: (white/violet) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 12 of X16
Pin 6: (white/black) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 21 of X16
Pin 7: (white/yellow) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 11 of X16
Pin 8: (red/yellow) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 18 of X1070
Pin 9: (white/grey) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 10 of X17
Pin 10: Not Relevant
Pin 11: Not Relevant
Pin 12: Not Relevant
Pin 13: (brown) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 17 of X1070
Pin 14: Not Relevant
Pin 15: Not Relevant
Pin 16: Not Relevant
Pin 17: Not Relevant
Pin 18: Not Relevant
 
3
#2 · (Edited)
OBC Retrofit Contd

OBC Stalk Installation:

The old stalk just unclips from the steering wheel as outlined below:

Image


When installing the new obc stalk, splice the red/yellow wire on the stalk connector (this goes to pin 4 on X1071).

External Temp Sensor Installation & EWS CODE function:

With the glovebox removed, you can now access the EWS unit and locate the rubber grommet that will allow you to feed the wire from the OBC to the Temp Sensor. The EWS connector is purple and you will need to locate pin 15 on it for the CODE function to work.

Image


Image


Access to the engine compartment is located behind the blue connector. I used a hanger to feed the wire through. The temp sensor is located on the passenger side brake duct (for RHD cars) and it uses 2 wires- one that goes back to the OBC and an earth that connects to one of the ground connections in the engine compartment. I used a ground located just beside the headlamp. A ring connector was used to connect it as outlined below.

Image


X1070 Pin 14

There has been some confusion regarding this pin- the white/violet wire connects to a thicker white/violet wire under the steering column. This wire comes from a distribution box as shown below:

Image


Gong/Chime

There are 5 wires on the gong.
1.(blue/white wire) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 10 of X1070
2.(red/white wire) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 11 of X1070
3.(black/red wire) Goes to ----------------------> Pin 9 of X17
4.(brown wire) Goes to ----------------------> any earth wire under steering column
5.(Red/yellow wire) Goes to ----------------------> red/yellow wire from analogue clock

Image


X16 plug completed

Image


Image


And job completed :D :D

However, if your car doesnt have a Check Control Module, you will get this error message on startup and when you switch the car off...

Image


Image


So this is what you do:

press 1000 and 10 and at the TEST prompt enter 19 .. press SET/RES.. you should see LOCK:ON...
press the DATE key..(today you would see 10.25 ( Oct 25th)) and add the 2 numbers together (date 25 + Month 10 =35)

Now enter the number you've just calculated (35) and press SET/RES... you should now have unlocked the secret functions...

So now you do the following:

1) Hold down 1000 and 10 to get access to the hidden menus. [TEST --]
2) Enter 11, and press Set/Reset. [EINHEIT 1: xx] (xx will be a number)
3) Change the EINHEIT 1 value to 75, using the 10 and 1 buttons. Press Set/Reset. [EINHEIT 1: 75]
4) Press 1000/100 to switch between EINHEIT 1 and EINHEIT 2. [EINHEIT 2: xx] (xx will be a number)
5) EINHEIT 2 needs to be FF. Change using 10/1 buttons and press Set/Reset when done. [EINHEIT 2: FF]

And now, when you press check, this will happen:

Image


Some functions:

Image


Image


Image


Thanks for looking and i hope this guide is beneficial! :) Feel free to ask any Q's...

Shane
 
2
#64 ·
Hey Shane.. Decided to finally get this OBC done in my car so printed out your guide this evening and labeled up all my cables.. Just have to purchase some connectors this weekend..

Few Questions:
The Gong i have doesnt have any connectors/harness with it.. Never copped it when buying.. Can these be got from BMW?

318 IS Cosmos said:
When installing the new obc stalk, splice the red/yellow wire on the stalk connector (this goes to pin 4 on X1071).
Click to expand...
When you say splice for this do you mean cut and run from stalk to OBC or run from connector block to OBC.. Or make a 3 way junction type connection..? Get me?

Reading over the DIY this evening and pretty confident ill get this done without problems!!
 
3
#6 ·
Cheers Jason...its not as bad as it looks. I did it in the space of 2 days (worked out circa 7 hours in total) and a lot of it was prep work which i did in the house and not in a freezing cold car:) Its a good idea to label every wire too as it makes life much easier when splicing etc!
 
3
#8 ·
If im being honest- that was my first experience involving rewiring/splicing etc so it can be done :) I doubt your next one will have one as standard- it was a very expensive option back in the day! Yeah the range function is pretty good although i have only managed to drive the car around the block since doing the job, hence the 10 mpg :D :D
 
R
#12 ·
Hero

Great work mate,
I'm about to approach my local auto-electrician to see if he wants to take on the job as I think it's a little over my head.

I've got a 99 Reg 323i with the analogue clock. Can I just check a few things with you before I begin?

Do all 18 of your buttons now work/everything in full order?
What is the 'code' for?
What does the stalk control and is it essential?

And... for a pretty competent guy - done a lot of good work in the past - any idea how long this should take him (I will be printing your guide and wiring diagram obviously!!!)

Thanks V Much

Reyn, Wolves, UK
 
3
#13 ·
Cheers! All the buttons are functional bar the code function as i still havent sourced the pin from bmw:eek: Regarding the 'code' function- its basically an additional security feature...press code button then input a 4 digit code..lock car! Next time you try to start the car with the key, the car will not start unless the correct code is entered! its easily bypassed though..disconnect battery for 5 mins..reconnect and it will allow you 15 mins to start the car without entering the code..

The stalk control allows you to scroll through all the functions instead of pressing the buttons on the OBC! Pretty handy when driving but is not essential!

I would say 4-5 hours max!
 
3
#15 ·
Well you have to have an immobiliser for the code function to work! i liked the clock but prefer the obc! But then again i do like gadgets :D well only pitfalls could be blowing the arse out of modules if you splice the wrong wires etc :eek: Basically the same functions as what you have on the e46
 
3
#17 ·
It has 2;)Also, average speed, outside temp, estimated time of arrival, fuel range, time and date and a load of different test functions (how many litres you consume per hour, voltage readings, how many litres you have left in your tank etc etc etc):) currently getting 35 mpg over the last 300 miles:)
 
#27 ·
Has anyone found anyone who would be willing to do this for a few quid?

I'd love one in my 323i Coupe but I couldnt even consider trying to do it myself.
 
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V
#51 ·
Hay guys I plan to do this fit next week just geting all my reaserch done. What is the yellow thing. Is it the temp sensore? Its on the far left hand side ov the 1st pic. Cheers guys. And also iv seend this guide and http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f3/e36-analogue-clock-to-18-button-obc-retrofit-t40098/ that one. I think this guide is better but the wireing. Is sligthly diffrent? Why is that? Also dose every thing work but check control? Cheers guys! Sorry for bad spelling am dislexic and my spell check is being wired
 
#52 ·
the yellow box is the temp sensor go with the guide on the site its 100% accuarate i used it myself only a few weeks ago and changed from the clock to 18 button obc everything works except the check control but i have it disabled so you dont even get the check control error on start up
 
V
#53 ·
Thanks a lot pal! I'll use this one. Erm on the temp sensor bit. How come he uses a ring terminal then? Can u ether use the yellow one or a a ring teminal. As I dident get a sensore from my retro fit kit.(But I know I can buy them from ebay if I need it/or more accurate) Just hope the obc works and I was not riped off on ebay. Lol :-s. But yer thanks for your reply. Dident think I'd get one most forms are usless! But yer much aprisiated
Thanks
Also love your vaders! You lucky man! Haha
 
V
#55 ·
hi guys iv installed the obc.. but my battery has dided lissing to music whit out engin on (school boy error)
anyways it lights up on ignisson but sould the led screen turn on? or is that only active when the engine has started...
also the clock is not working on ignission....
am pritty shure thats not normal? as am suer some pepole wana know the time when thay are just sat in ther car.. like my anlogclock lol.. thanks.. hope iv not just got a fuked up obc :-(
 
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