Fire under glovebox

[Sailorbaz]

Hey guys,

New to the Z3/M Roadster scene but not BMW. Have had 2 E36 M3's previously and currently own an E46 M3 CSL and an E90 M3.

My Dad bought an 1998 Z3M Roadster in Estoril Blue back in 2000 that had suffered a fire under the glovebox. It has since sat in storage and I'm keen to dig it out and get it on the road for the summer.

I'm currently offshore at the moment, but trying to get as much information and knowledge together as possible to help me when it comes to digging the girl out. As I said, it suffered a fire under the glovebox and was wondering if anyone could shed some light on what is under there. If it's the same as E36/E46/E90 3 series stuff, then it's most likely ECU and other important wiring stuff... Fuse box?

Until I get the dashboard out, I won't know how deep the damage is but any help, photos of cars with gloveboxes, dashboards out, would be greatly appreciated.

I've used the search function since I'm familiar with forums with having the M3's and the problems that come with them and all things BMW really.

Thanks in advance,
Barry

[bertiejaffa]

There's not much under the centre console, just a small CPU tyoe unit.... Take the trim off and you will/xee

[Deano1712]

The engine ECU is not in there - its in the engine bay. You have the immobiliser in there and i think the airbag module. Maybe another too. If the immobiliser is gone its either ££ to replace or i think there are ways to remove EWS. Internet search pulls lots of info on that.

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk

[Southernboy]

Obviously not too many have looked under the "glovebox"... There's heaps of stuff back there! If you remove the G/box completely, you will find several electronics "boxes" housed behind there...and piles of wiring....it is essentially located directly below the main fusebox in the engine bay, so that is the area where all the wiring loom goes through the bulkhead. If, as I suspect, the fire was caused by an electrical fault, you may be looking for a new wiring harness, plus any other damaged items such as the airbag, etc. Wiring harness may be available from a breaker or even eBay. But until you establish the extent of the damage it's all speculation.

[Jonco]

... There's heaps of stuff back there! If you remove the G/box completely, you will find several electronics "boxes" housed behind there...and piles of wiring....it is essentially located directly below the main fusebox in the engine bay, so that is the area where all the wiring loom goes through the bulkhead.........

Agreed - this a photo of a '98 1.9 with glovebox removed to give you an idea of what's in there. The M will be different and no doubt more complicated but for info the box on the left is the ABS control the one at the top is the EWS.

[pingu]

I think that all the boxes under the glovebox are replaceable from salvage. Judging by your garage you are not short of a bob or two, but any of those boxes direct from BMW will be >£1000. Salvage will be circa £100.

The immobiliser box from a salvage will need to be recoded to the key. This is a DIY with a paperclip.

How you want to repair the wiring is determined by how professional you want to be. Ideally, you would use a new section of loom, but this will probably involve a major strip down as electrics are one of the first things to be fitted at the factory.

We really need pictures of the damage to help you further, but I can assure you that the help is here .

[gookah]

Under the glovebox you will find the ZKE unit which does central locking, windows, alarm (if not in a separate module) and crash sensor outputs.
The main wiring busbar from underneath the fuses box
Window wiper module
Cruise control module (if fitted)
Separate alarm module (if not built into ZKE unit).

the EWS immobiliser unit is on the right hand side of the car under and to the left of the light switch.
Airbag module is under the centre console


Well thats if the M-roadster is the same as all non m models I have worked on

[BladeRunner919]

The immobiliser box from a salvage will need to be recoded to the key. This is a DIY with a paperclip.

I didn't know that. I always thought EWS had to be realigned with the ECU electronically. What's the procedure?

[pingu]

The immobiliser box from a salvage will need to be recoded to the key. This is a DIY with a paperclip.

I didn't know that. I always thought EWS had to be realigned with the ECU electronically. What's the procedure?

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... key#p39093

[Sailorbaz]

Bloody hell, fantastic response guys, thank you very much.

I look forward to getting her out and taking more photos to see where we're actually at.

Regarding the fire, I believe that first owner had a 'Mickey mouse' alarm fitted, incorrectly which resulted in the fire. I'm fully prepared to strip it right back to multiplugs etc since not overly keen on splicing but will see.

Will keep you all posted and of course, take loads of photos.

[janijoeli]

Here's another photo (from my 1998 Z3M):


The silver box on the left is the ABS unit. Behind that, the black rounded rectangle is where the wiring comes through the firewall from the fusebox. On the right, you see some black air ducts. Under the end of the carpet, between carpet and firewall, is a VERY thick bunch of wires.

Luckily many parts are shared with lesser Z3s or other BMWs of the era. If there is a reasonable amount of damage, IMHO it would be worth buying a donor Z3 for most parts, and either replace the damaged bits of the harness with good bits from donor car (a lot of soldering and might require some colour mapping if they don't match), or buy a complete Z3M harness. If only little damage, ebay is your friend. E.g. ABS, alarm and cruise control modules are used on many BMWs, not just Z3s.

Now thinking about it, you can probably get a Z3 for less than a grand, or even way less. Take the parts you need and sell the rest of the car in parts, and you'll probably make more money than you paid for the whole car in the first place.

Good luck, and remember - photos of the progress are mandatory!

[Southernboy]

...and being an M car...I might suggest you have a look on eBay ...there's an M coupe currently being broken...search "bmw z3 M coupe complete interioir"..you'll find the seller...he may sell you the complete harness...

[BladeRunner919]

The immobiliser box from a salvage will need to be recoded to the key. This is a DIY with a paperclip.

I didn't know that. I always thought EWS had to be realigned with the ECU electronically. What's the procedure?

http://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopi ... key#p39093

Ah, that's for the alarm. I thought you meant the immobiliser.

[Sailorbaz]

Thanks again for all the replies.

Have messaged that guy with the M Coupe about his harness and possibly the modules but not going to pull the trigger until I've got the car home and stripped. I'd love to buy a doner car but I have a couple of issues, one being I don't have anywhere to keep it really. I could leave it on the wife's family farm but that would mean an 8 mile round trip everytime inwanted to compare anything.

Will see what comes back. Can't wait to get my teeth stuck in now, will keep you posted.

Cheers,
Barry

[Southernboy]

Good luck with the project, and look forward to seeing it back on the road sooner than later...