Model/Vehicle specific installation guide for model
MSPNPP-E369395 for a 1993-1995 BMW 325i, 328i, and M3.
Please read all documentation before
installing your MSPNP EMS and verify that you've followed all steps
before starting your engine for the first time.
All you'll need for a
successful installation are some basic hand tools. No cutting or
drilling of the original sheet metal or bracketry is required.
For a thorough and professional installation, you will need the following items:
-
Disconnect the negative battery cable.
-
The stock ECU is
located behind a cover inside the passenger's side firewall,
accessible from within the engine bay. The cover is hidden
behind a piece of rubber insulation that is secured by three push
locks and two plastic nuts.
-
To remove the
insulation, use a 10mm socket to remove the nuts. Then, use a
small slotted screwdriver to pop out the center locks of each of the
three clips.
-
Pull the insulation
away to expose the ECU cover. Care should be used as this
insulation may be dry-rotted and/or brittle from heat and age.
-
The ECU cover is
secured by 4 Phillips head screws. Remove these screws and
pull the cover away.
-
On
2-door hard top models, both windshield wiper arms must be removed.
To remove the wiper arms, begin by carefully prying off the dress cover
from the pivot nut. Place a mark across the post and arm
so that it can be properly realigned during reassembly. Remove
the 13mm nut and pull the wiper arm away from its post. Both
arms are removed in the same fashion.
-
On
2-door hard top models,
remove the cowl cover by removing the four plastic retaining screws.
The entire cover can then be removed.
-
On
4-door and
convertible models,
remove the upper center cowl cover by squeezing each of the 3
retainer clips towards the windshield, one at a time, while
simultaneously pulling up on the cover. Once the three clips
are freed, lift and remove the upper cowl cover along with its
associated rubber weather strip.
-
A wiring harness
conduit is secured to the lower cowl with two 7mm screws.
Remove these screws.
-
The lower cowl cover
is secured by 4 Phillips head screws. Remove the 4 screws and pull
the lower cowl cover upward and away from the firewall noting that it may be secured in some
places with adhesive. The wiring conduit will rest on top of
the engine.
-
Remove the oil cap and
cover the port with a protective covering such as tape to prevent
screws and/or tools from falling into the engine.
-
Two plastic engine
covers will need to be removed from the engine. These are
secured in place by two screws that are concealed behind plastic
caps. To begin removal, gently pry the plastic caps away with
a small slotted screwdriver. Remove each of the 10mm
nuts that secure the covers, then pull the covers away from the
engine.
-
Disconnect the engine
harness from the OEM ECU by first pulling the silver locking tab
toward you and rotating it toward the driver's side of the car.
Once the locking tab is fully extended, pull it to unseat the main
connector from the ECU. Finally, pull the connector and
harness away from the ECU.
-
The OEM ECU is held
into its carrier with a pair of clips secured by a Philips head screw
in each. Remove these screws and pull the ECU straight out of its
carrier.
-
A divider plate exists
between the ECU compartment and the main cowl area. It is secured
in place by three squeeze pins. Release these three pins by
squeezing them with a pair of needle nose pliers and simultaneously
pushing toward the centerline of the car. Remove the divider through the main cowl opening.
Note that articulation will be required to move it around and over
the air conditioning lines (if present).
-
The ECU carrier is
secured by a clip held in place by two 10mm nuts. Completely
remove these two nuts and the small bracket that secures the
carrier.
-
NOTE: Removal of the
carrier is the most difficult step in this installation and patience
must be exercised as to not damage the air conditioning lines or
blower ducting. Furthermore, two variants of the ECU carrier
were used by BMW, one being about a half inch taller than the other.
Both can be removed in the same fashion, but the taller variant is a
much tighter fit. It may be easier to slightly compress the
carrier into a trapezoidal form to reduce its height or slightly
bend the passenger's side edge of the firewall outward.
-
With the carrier
free to move in the cowl, carefully work it over the air
conditioner lines and partially into the main cowl opening.
-
Slightly compress
the blower inlet ducting to allow passage of the ECU carrier.
-
Continue to gently
work the carrier through the cowl opening and over top of the
engine's oil fill port until it can be completely removed.
-
Disconnect the small
hose from the PCV valve that is located on the forward side of the rocker cover.
Install a rubber cap on the PCV valve.
-
Route the supplied
vacuum hose as depicted below.
-
Cut a small slot in
the wiring conduit bellows close to where the wires exit into the
ECU compartment. Insert the vacuum hose into the hole that was
just made and pull about 18" of hose through.
-
OPTIONAL STEP:
If desired, a hole may be drilled into the ECU cowl compartment to
allow passage of the tuning cable into the passenger compartment.
This procedure will be left to the user to determine as it is (1)
optional, and (2) may require removal of the dashboard, HVAC
ducting, and/or airbag. AMPEFI and DIYAutoTune recommend
handling and removal of airbag modules be left to professional
services.
-
Loosely assemble the
supplied retaining brackets to the MSPNP flanges with the provided
nuts.
-
Attach the end of the
vacuum hose that was previously routed through the conduit to the
barbed nipple at the back of the MSPNP. Additionally, connect
the supplied serial cable and secure the thumb screws. If
wiring is to be connected to the options connector, install
this wiring and insert the connector into the MSPNP at this time.
-
Insert the MSPNP into
the ECU compartment so that the rear wiring and hose just come into
contact with the back wall of the compartment. Engage its mounting flanges with the cleats
in the bottom of the compartment. Tighten the four nuts and ensure that the MSPNP is securely seated.
-
Reinstall the divider
plate. Only the two forward clips will be used as the third
clip was secured by the carrier that was previously removed.
-
Reinstall the large
engine cover and secure with 10mm nuts. Replace the caps that
hide the nuts.
-
Reinstall the small
engine cover and secure with 10mm nuts. Replace the caps that
hide the nuts.
-
Reinstall the oil cap.
-
Reinstall the lower
cowl cover ensuring that bottom edge properly engages the channel on
the firewall. Secure with the 4 screws removed previously.
-
Reinstall the harness
conduit and secure with the two screws that were removed previously.
-
Reinstall the upper
cowl cover and windshield wiper (if necessary).
-
Connect the engine
harness connector to the ECU by first inserting the connector's tab
on the passenger's side. Swing the connector in place so that
it meshes with the MSPNP's connector's pins. The engagement
should be clean and smooth. If any binding occurs, reset the
engagement and try again.
-
Once the pins are
engaged to the connector, apply a small amount of force to the back
of the connector housing and swing the metal locking tab into place
to secure the connector. It should click into place if done
properly.
-
At the PCV valve, pull
any undesirable slack out of the previously routed vacuum hose and
trim to length. Install the supplied coupling barb and
connect the previously disconnected vacuum hose to the new vacuum
hose. Secure the vacuum hose with zip ties.
-
Reconnect the negative
battery cable.
-
At this point, power
up, testing, and tuning of the MSPNP can begin. Once tuning is
complete, tuck the serial cable into the ECU compartment and
reinstall the ECU compartment cover and its screws as well as
the cover's insulation and its clips and nuts.
If you need to recalibrate your
temperature sensors, such as after loading firmware, here are the values
to use for the stock sensors. The bias resistor value is 2490.
A configuration jumper is located on the
lower, black circuit board inside the MSPNP. It is accessible by
removing the top cover and is indicated as depicted below:
The MSPNP has a built in MAP sensor, but you have the option of using
either the original, external OEM sensor that is under the hood or add a
sensor of your own that is wired to the rear option connector.
Depending on your selection, JP2 should be configured to match.
Furthermore, if an external sensor is used, ensure that the scaling
is properly set in TunerStudio (Tools -> Calibrate MAP/Baro).
An auxilliary connector and harness is provided to allow you to add
functionality to your car. Below is the pinout of the rear
connector as viewed from the rear of the enclosure.