DME Replacement Woes and Victory
I was called out to program a DME on this BMW. I went through the process of programming and coding. DME was brand new purchased from BMW. After completing, I am left with messages on dash and trouble codes. 1F2108 DME Incorrect Data Record, 101408 Throttle Valve Adaptation not learned, 101410 Throttle Valve Lower Limit not learned. After doing some research I found that the 1F2108 code usually is due to the operating hours in the DME not matching the vehicle hours. This most often happens when a second hand part is used. The DME did not have a VIN until I went through the programming and coding session. It was unlikely that the DME had ever been installed.
To do the coding and programming, I was using the Autohex II which is a very capable tool. I also have the HEXPROG license. In HEXPROG there is an option to reset the hours on a used DME. I was able to remove the electrical connections on the DME and connect the HEXPROG to the DME. I made sure the ISN and VIN were correct, then reset the hours to zero. The recorded hours on DME showed 1 hour. This would be correct with it being new. After this process the result was the same.
There were some strange things about this install. One is that before coding and programming the DME, the vehicle started. That seems very odd to me. Another was that after the vehicle was started and shut off, I was unable to successfully complete the throttle learning process. Hence the 101408 and 101410 codes. When sitting in vehicle with ignition off, the dash would randomly light up for no reason.
I theorized that the bus was not going to sleep. This would explain the above symptoms. I decided that there was a gateway issue and suspected the throttle body was defective. My next step was to program the gateway. I started the programming session and just a few minutes into it, it froze. The Gateway was now dead. I made the walk of shame and went to the front counter to explain what happened. In hindsight, I should have spoken to the service advisor before attempting. I let them know what happened and that the ZGW module would need to be ordered and replaced. I bricked it. So I told them that I would cover the cost if needed.
I was called back once the part was replaced and installed. I still needed to program the ZGW. I was super nervous due to the last experience. I went ahead and programmed the module. Now the throttle was back and after clearing codes, there are no more codes in the DME. I went back to the advisor and plead my case that in fact the ZGW was faulty and it needed to be replaced. He told me that he had already sold the customer on the part. Whew, I dodged a bullet.
So what was the root issue here? My assessment of the issue is that the ZGW was not allowing the bus to go to sleep. The CAS had already authorized start. This is why before coding and programming the vehicle started. After coding, there was still a 1F2108. I suspect to reset it, a complete shutdown is needed. This is evident in the code going away after the ZGW was installed and programmed. The dash was lighting up randomly. Again due to ZGW not shutting down. The throttle would not relearn. The process to relearn involves holding pedal at WOT, then shutting off ign for two minutes. Without the BUS going to sleep, it would never reset. Programming failed likely due to the ZGW not getting into a state where it could be programmed. It never finished getting into bootloader mode and therefore hung in limbo.
I am not a BMW tech and don't claim to be an authority on them. I could be off on this but it is hard to argue with results. The vehicle now runs properly with the new DME and ZGW.
I am not familiar with HEXPROG, but had you been programming with ISTA it likely would have failed programming once it got to the Gateway and you would have had the same result. I had a similar situation on a Mini Cooper with DME programming that ended up also needing a Gateway.
Michael, what were the initial codes or symptoms the the DME replacement was trying to solve?
Keith Alexander, I am not sure what all the codes were previous. I was called in as the programmer. This often makes me a default diagnostician when it does not go well. The symptom was the same as I experienced, the throttle would not respond. The vehicle was in limp mode.
Programing with Factory ISTA would have resulted in a different outcome I would suspect
Hey Mike, Glad you finally got this resolved, even after the hiccup. It's interesting how the vehicle started and ran without any programing/coding. I've not seen or experienced that before, but yet again I have never tried to start one without programing procedure being performed. Kinda just “mind boggled” since always we were told the need for and importance of the programing and “bla bla…
Sadel Martinez, Not sure on the source of files. They always seem to be up to date. So they are either buying files from BMW or getting them some other way.
BMW does not sell files so depends what version of files they “borrowed” some are bad and get updated fast
Going in to program a module that was replaced on someone else's diag should mean any and all further replacements and programming events are on whoever did the original diag. I always start with an explanation of that and a thorough discussion of why a DME replacement was called in the first place. That said, ZGW failures on these cars are common and their symptoms are all over the place.
Michael, I am glad this had a happy ending. Bmws are very delicate flowers. They don’t like to be programmed; they don’t like to have even their batteries disconnected to do some routine work. As far as I know from what I have been told from my dealer and from personal experience all parts from the bmw dealer including keys come programmed for the specific car and the car starts without…
“I don’t program any module that comes from the bmw dealer” i don't even understand how this is possible Mihail ?
We program BMW modules often. (Knock on wood) I've only had one FRM brick on me. We've done new DME's, and a handful of other ECU's, as well as a lot of software updates. ISTA-P and Autel are what we use. I've seen the revive option before but never tried it. I've also gotten frustrated with ISTA many times and tried my luck with Autel instead. It's speed is brutal and it likes to decline…
Hello Shane, thanks for sharing your experience with bmws. Autel is my first choice for programming them too. I avoid programming with ISTA and mostly use it for diagnostics. I was intrigued by the revive option because it is an interesting concept. I have seen how modules turn silent and stop responding after a routine battery replacement for example. I‘ve had FRM modules do that on two…
Mihail, There are tools/software that can repair FRM modules quite successfully (NOT ISTA) and not through the OBD2 port but as a bench job… I dont know of any other common BMW modules that software repair fixes communication issues.
Bill, thanks for responding. I refer to the situations when a module stops communicating. When we have reached out to companies that do module repairs like Module Master and BBA reman in the past ( I was sorry to see BBA had to close their business in MA - they did a lot of good work repairing ABS modules for us) one of the questions we were asked was if we can communicate with the module with a…
Hi Bill, I used to program them but stopped because they come pre-programmed with the latest software from the dealer for the specific car. This is what I have been told by my dealer and I don’t program new bmw modules - just code them. I may program bmw modules if there is a TSB suggesting that they be reprogrammed to the latest software to solve a known issue but that is rare. I have…
I used to program them but stopped because they come pre-programmed with the latest software from the dealer for the specific car. That is absolutely NOT the case. Gateways (ZGW) come completely uncoded and programmed with only the most basic calibration. DME come with the latest calibrations for the basic model, but none of the secondary calibrations or coding for the specific car. The CAS…
Dear Jeff, what you write may very well be true. Your point is well taken. I have been assured otherwise by our dealer, but I acknowledge you make good points and I don’t believe our dealer knows everything. The modules we mostly deal with on bmws are CAS and FRM. They are the ones we see to fail most often - especially CAS. The CAS is installed on cars built after 2004. Most of the cars we…
Mihail, In this case I am certain the DME would need coding and programming. The software number was not recognized for this application and there was not VIN coded.
Michael, thanks for sharing the nerve racking experience with the beemer. Honestly, I have never installed a new DME on a beemer. I have good reasons to believe the new modules I get from our bmw dealer come pre-programmed and only need coding. I don’t consider this to be a rigid rule and certainly a DME may need both programming and coding. I was interested in what you thought about the…
Mihail, As Bill Kennel has mentioned, some modules can be revived if it is a data corruption in part of the memory. Normally this is done on the bench and with the module open. FRM can easily be fixed with a tools like HEXPROG. In our class in the California Bay area, we copied data from one CAS module and moved to another. The once dead Bimmer was again alive. I have tried the revive option in…
Michael, thanks for responding. I suspected some sort of data corruption had played a role in the demise of the last tpms module I worked on. Thanks for confirming there are tools like HexProg that can be used to repair data corruption. I would love to come to one of your classes. May be one day if there is one closer to home. Happy and healthy new year to you and all hard working DN…
Michael just as Jordan said i suspect if the ZGW had previous issues it could have failed during the programming sequence using ISTA to. But I do wonder did the ZGW communicate normally before the programming attempt? We're faults stored in the ZGW before programming? And of course why was the DME being replaced?? Your ability to work around the usual methods is always interesting &…
Bill, The gateway did communicate. I don't recall any codes in it. There was just the strange behavior. DME was being replaced due to car going into limp mode from what I understand. I am not convinced that it was a culprit.
--1F2108 DME Incorrect Data Record In my experience that comes from incorrect power class. Since you got new DME from dealer and programmed it as per autohex, then it is likely that the CAS was replaced from a different car with different power class. IIRC there is 0, 1, and 2. Power class to my understanding is engine power, modules are classified by power class at the initial program and are…