Trifecta??

[jdogg9981]

So back to the Z4 from hell. Current situation is that I have ABS, DSC, Parking, and Brake warning indicators on the dash. Running a fault scan reveals the following errors

EMF (parking brake control unit)
6032 Control Unit: Supply Line
6570 Interface DSC

DSC
5F55 Internal, Car Access System
5EFC No vehicle-type data, clear fault memory
60AE Run Flat indicator; initialization implausable

For context the EMF was recently replaced after the last unit failed to enable/disable the parking brake via the parking brake button. It HAS NOT yet been coded to the car. The new EMF unit does indeed engage/disengage the parking brake.

Thinking that this issue was a bad DSC/ABS module, I purchased a used one from ebay which claimed to be working (it was oh so very clean on arrival). This is the unit that is currently in the car and presenting these errors. NOTE - These errors where all still firing when the old EMF and DSC units where in the car so the replacement had no effect on the warning/fault lights and codes.

My next thought is that my wheel speed sensors are bad, however prior to replacing the DSC unit I took the car out and read the datastream which indicated all four wheels returning valid speed values. NOTE - I do have a Tire pressure warning indicating a flat/low pressure on the rear drivers side tire.

I also back-probed pin 7 of the EMF unit and am reading 6 volts. I have an oscilloscope on the way to validate the FM signal that the DSC SUPPOSEDLY sends to the EMF indicating the average speed of the rear wheels. I don't have much faith that this is going to reveal too much however although my thought was that this would be a 2.5V signal (but I think that's just for digital Flex CAN signals).

So there's my situation and issue. I am kinda in a pickle as everything seems to be on the up and up, but I am left with these fault codes. Blech.

One more thing - I DO have one of the brake lights out currently (rear passenger side). I don't know why that would trigger the issues, but reading into the ABS system, the Brake Light switch does indeed play a roll in the EMF and DSC operations... could it be all caused from a single bad bulb not completing the circuit?!

 

[Smartbear]

How old is your battery? These cars are very sensitive to under voltage situations & can turn nasty
Rob

 

[jdogg9981]

battery seems to be ok, but then again I've been debugging it without much of a charge in between. I just put it on the trickle and will leave it there until it registers 100% again (was saying 55% just now, but is showing 12.01V).

 

[javis20]

That's a really low voltage. Should be between 12.4 to around 12.7V. Lets see if it get better when it's fully charged.

Also, have you used INPA to clear the error codes? My sons car had the trifecta last year. Turned out to be a poor connection at the ABS module. I just unplugged the big connector from the ABS module and plugged it back in. However, trifecta lights remained until I cleared them using INPA.

 

[jdogg9981]

Update yall!

So it looks like the issue was software based. I hooked up with @MyBimmerBrain (instagram) and he re-programmed my DME and CAS (along with coding my EMF and ensuring that the DSC had the right values). Voila! My trifecta lights are gone and the car is running at its full potential now. Just a heads up to anyone also dealing with a similar issue. Here is a list of things that IT WAS NOT:

Brake Rig Mode - Car can show all three warning lights if it is stuck in brake rig mode for when replacement rotors require a bedding procedure
ABS/DSC - I replaced this, but I am pretty sure that my old one was just fine (FYI it's for sale if anyone wants/needs one).
Bad Grounding
EMF/DSC communication - This was an additional error I had that I think was just from the faulty DME coding.

If there is one note I can make it is to ensure that you follow the BMW ISTA-P diagnosis procedure based in the order that it is presented. The software seems to be smart enough to prioritize the issues in the correct sequence. I had not earlier realized that and tried to draw my own conclusions from the wiring diagrams and faults being thrown.

 

[fotodadi]

Update yall!

So it looks like the issue was software based. I hooked up with @MyBimmerBrain (instagram) and he re-programmed my DME and CAS (along with coding my EMF and ensuring that the DSC had the right values). Voila! My trifecta lights are gone and the car is running at its full potential now. Just a heads up to anyone also dealing with a similar issue. Here is a list of things that IT WAS NOT:

Seems this is exactly where I am. Tried getting through to @MyBimmerBrain with out any joy... do you have any idea how to make contact with him?

 

[fotodadi]

Update yall!

So it looks like the issue was software based. I hooked up with @MyBimmerBrain (instagram) and he re-programmed my DME and CAS (along with coding my EMF and ensuring that the DSC had the right values). Voila! My trifecta lights are gone and the car is running at its full potential now. Just a heads up to anyone also dealing with a similar issue. Here is a list of things that IT WAS NOT:

Seems this is exactly where I am. Tried getting through to @MyBimmerBrain with out any joy... do you have any idea how to make contact with him?

So after all said and done, I reached the end of my DIY and went to the BMW dealer in Lagos. in less than 48 hours, I got a call saying my car was ready. No parts needed just a software update.

Picked up my car and all is like new. Ran a scan with my PROTOOL and was shocked to find that the update installed in my EMF was as recent as a few days old!!! (have a look at the pic below)

Seems new bugs come up that need new solutions from BMW. So if you are in the same place, I was, a trip to the dealer will sort it out, for sure.

 

[B21]

Glad you got your issues sorted.

I doubt very much that BMW has done ANY software development on the E89 since 2016.

I suspect the date shown is when the copy was moved from its server rather than when it was created.

 

[R.E92]

Glad you got your issues sorted.

I doubt very much that BMW has done ANY software development on the E89 since 2016.

I suspect the date shown is when the copy was moved from its server rather than when it was created.

Correct, I just had a look in case there had been some updated but that ZB "6862244" was released 16.05.2013

 

[B21]

Glad you got your issues sorted.

I doubt very much that BMW has done ANY software development on the E89 since 2016.

I suspect the date shown is when the copy was moved from its server rather than when it was created.

Correct, I just had a look in case there had been some updated but that ZB "6862244" was released 16.05.2013

So to put it another way, any car made after about June 2013, or updated by BMW at a service on the EMF module post that date has the last and final revision of the EMF firmware..?

 

[R.E92]

Glad you got your issues sorted.

I doubt very much that BMW has done ANY software development on the E89 since 2016.

I suspect the date shown is when the copy was moved from its server rather than when it was created.

Correct, I just had a look in case there had been some updated but that ZB "6862244" was released 16.05.2013

So to put it another way, any car made after about June 2013, or updated by BMW at a service on the EMF module post that date has the last and final revision of the EMF firmware..?

That's when the software was produced, it could take a couple of months for it to reach the BMW programming software. As a guess I'd think that cars built from July onwards would be OK.

There's only 2 versions of the EMF software that I can see. The other was written 08.05.2007 so you're either on the old software with the bug or the new fixed one, no inbetween. There's not going to be a lot of logic in the EMF, I think the fix was just related to how the module responds to low voltages, usually they are programmed to go offline at a certain threshold to conserve power and whoever designed it originally didn't anticipate old batteries.

 

[B21]

Correct, I just had a look in case there had been some updated but that ZB "6862244" was released 16.05.2013

So to put it another way, any car made after about June 2013, or updated by BMW at a service on the EMF module post that date has the last and final revision of the EMF firmware..?

That's when the software was produced, it could take a couple of months for it to reach the BMW programming software. As a guess I'd think that cars built from July onwards would be OK.

There's only 2 versions of the EMF software that I can see. The other was written 08.05.2007 so you're either on the old software with the bug or the new fixed one, no inbetween. There's not going to be a lot of logic in the EMF, I think the fix was just related to how the module responds to low voltages, usually they are programmed to go offline at a certain threshold to conserve power and whoever designed it originally didn't anticipate old batteries.

OK thnx, very useful, looks like I need to be mindful of flat batteries..or learn how to code the EMF!