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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Discuss problems you have had or are having with your Z4
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rogward
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by rogward » Tue Apr 17, 2018 11:53 am

Hi. I have a Z4 E85 Z4 2.5i auto, with an airbag fault. Tried several things from info on here. Fitted a new battery (old one went flat, and was over 7 years old, and showing 12.04V cold). Cleaned connectors at battery and under passenger seat. Tried a passenger seat bypass module, but that didn't work. I can reset the airbag light but it comes back, sometimes straight away, and sometimes next day. The C110 code reader I have is showing a code of 9867 Control Unit Fault. Crashdata.co.uk reckon it's likely a replacement unit is required.

Anyone know of an independent that could fix this for me in the East/West Sussex area? Many thanks.

Monkeydonkeyratmagic
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by Monkeydonkeyratmagic » Tue Apr 17, 2018 3:01 pm

Control unit iirc is under the handbrake. Take a looksy. A cable may have just come loose or you have had water ingress.
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jamie_z4
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by jamie_z4 » Tue Apr 17, 2018 4:16 pm

mine got water in it last week when i left the roof down, youll need a new module from a breaker or an eyewatering £630 from BMW. take yours out and see if you can find one with the same part number, then it'll need coding to the car
18 Z4s owned to date.

Current: 2.5i Titan silver

Daily driver: 480bhp M140i Shadow edition.

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kis
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by kis » Tue Apr 17, 2018 4:19 pm

Had the same issue. Be interesting to know if you bought it with that problem or if it materialised?

As said the module is between the rear compartment and the handbrake in the centre console.

I whipped mine off. I say whipped but it probably took an hour or so going carefully as I didn’t know what I was doing and didn’t want to break anything. Then you can get access to the module. If you use the same process as an airbag, disconnect the module and leave it sit for 20mins or so. Disconnect the module then refit ensuring it’s fully clipped up maybe that will sort it for you.

Otherwise you’ve got the part number on the module, BMW if you need it right away. Otherwise look for a second hand module. This will need programming to suit the new VIN etc that your car has.

I’m about to get mine coded so can update you later this month if all goes well.

Kis
My E85 Z4 3.0i SMG

BMW Family History (past and present):
1 Series - E87
3 Series - E46 Coupe, E46 M3, E90 (x3)
4 Series - F36, F82 M4
5 Series - E34 (x2), E39
7 Series - E32
X5 - E53, E70
X6 - E71

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rogward
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by rogward » Tue Apr 17, 2018 5:06 pm

Thanks all. It does look like 'whipping it off and having a looksy' is fairly involved, if https://tinyurl.com/z4console is anything to go by.

I've had the car for about five years, and it has been pretty good, although it did overheat a couple of years ago and needed a new rad. Electrics went bonkers then, with dash lights coming on and off randomly, but came right when it was running at the proper temperature.

It feels like a bad connection thing, as once I've cleared it the light stays off for varying times, and numbers of restarts, so I might have a go at removing/cleaning/reseating it.

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paddy wright
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by paddy wright » Tue Apr 17, 2018 7:54 pm

I had this issue with my wife’s beetle convertible and had the module reprrammed by these guys- https://www.crashdata.co.uk/bmw-airbag- ... s/1843.htm
Fast and efficient and best of all cheap!
Z4 2.2 sterling grey,Msport seats,retrofit cupholders,cruise,footwell lights,sound gen and mfsw,18"ellipsoids,xenons+light washers,ZHPknob,folding mirrors,3"stubby,update wheel caps,gateway300 ipod, wind deflector to keep the wife happy!

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kis
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by kis » Tue Apr 17, 2018 8:17 pm

Try uninstalling then reinstalling. Hopefully this sorts it for you. Mine (with the new module) would reset just fine but when the engine was powered down it would come back on the next cycle. So if yours is varying like you say maybe it’ll be a quick fix. I think Jamie took his out and dried it because it got wet. Maybe WD it and then leave it to completely dry before installing again. Best of luck mate :thumbsup:
My E85 Z4 3.0i SMG

BMW Family History (past and present):
1 Series - E87
3 Series - E46 Coupe, E46 M3, E90 (x3)
4 Series - F36, F82 M4
5 Series - E34 (x2), E39
7 Series - E32
X5 - E53, E70
X6 - E71

jamie_z4
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by jamie_z4 » Tue Apr 17, 2018 8:18 pm

oh yea, as above, take the connector off and spray some wd in it - worked a treat for me !! 8)
18 Z4s owned to date.

Current: 2.5i Titan silver

Daily driver: 480bhp M140i Shadow edition.

Rosco01
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by Rosco01 » Thu Apr 19, 2018 7:33 pm

Where abouts do you spray the WD?

I've removed my module and all previous electrical gremlins are gone, as soon as I reconnect the module, they're back. No sign of any water or rust or damage?

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kis
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by kis » Thu Apr 19, 2018 9:00 pm

I’m sure that’s what Jamie had. WD and leave to dry...

I’m sure I opened mine up, it’s got some screws of some sort on the back? Otherwise just spray in the connection port area... the metal case is just that, a housing for the ECU. But maybe worth inspecting the internals for signs or damage or burned components?
My E85 Z4 3.0i SMG

BMW Family History (past and present):
1 Series - E87
3 Series - E46 Coupe, E46 M3, E90 (x3)
4 Series - F36, F82 M4
5 Series - E34 (x2), E39
7 Series - E32
X5 - E53, E70
X6 - E71

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rogward
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by rogward » Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:45 pm

Update. I had bought a passenger seat airbag bypass module as stated above, and that didn't work, so I took it off and reinstated the original connector. Problem still present. I took that off again and liberally soaked both male and female bits with contact cleaner, left it for a bit, and re-assembled. Turned the warning light off with the C110 unit, with ignition on, but not the engine running, and it stayed off for the rest of that day. And the next. And the next, and hasn't come back since. It seems that the contact resistance of that particular unit is critical, as lots of posts refer to jiggling it about to see if it fixes the problem.

MOT today, and it passed. Very pleased, obviously. Many thanks to all on here for help and advice, and hopefully this will help someone else in the future. :-)

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kis
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by kis » Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:52 pm

Nice one! Glad it was a relatively easy fix! :)
My E85 Z4 3.0i SMG

BMW Family History (past and present):
1 Series - E87
3 Series - E46 Coupe, E46 M3, E90 (x3)
4 Series - F36, F82 M4
5 Series - E34 (x2), E39
7 Series - E32
X5 - E53, E70
X6 - E71

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maxman
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by maxman » Wed Apr 25, 2018 9:53 pm

Good result :thumbsup:

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kis
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by kis » Thu Apr 26, 2018 1:45 pm

Just for future reference the old thread I was using has been updated: see here. This concludes my issues with my Airbag Control Unit / Module / ECU.
My E85 Z4 3.0i SMG

BMW Family History (past and present):
1 Series - E87
3 Series - E46 Coupe, E46 M3, E90 (x3)
4 Series - F36, F82 M4
5 Series - E34 (x2), E39
7 Series - E32
X5 - E53, E70
X6 - E71

Unclepip
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Need an airbag control unit replaced

Post by Unclepip » Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:04 pm

I had the same problem with water damage, managed to get a perfect serial number match of a spare unit. The replacement unit will need recoding to the car, as has been said in this thread and diagnostics reports it as different chassis number. - Any ideas/ instructions on how to do this please?

Cheers

Phil.

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