[njdangelo]

Originally Posted by pshovest

Key hash....now I understand the issue. ISTA-P is difficult to setup, which is why there are so few DIY's on it. ISTA+ will give you all the diagnostic tools you need, including the ability to run test plans for the various codes. Let us know how the HD works out. I may have to buy one.

I believe OP will still need ISTA-P to do the coding required when replacing certain components but I could be wrong. its why ISTA-P is like 200gb now and ista+ is far less.

OP I feel your pain. My old laptop with ISTA crashed about 6 months ago. it took WEEKS and a one month subscription to mega-downloader to finally get a version that worked again. I too was hesitant to go the HDD route. That being said, could you run the HDD as an external to avoid any win10 issues?

[QueenCityLurker]

Originally Posted by njdangelo

I believe OP will still need ISTA-P to do the coding required when replacing certain components but I could be wrong. its why ISTA-P is like 200gb now and ista+ is far less.

OP I feel your pain. My old laptop with ISTA crashed about 6 months ago. it took WEEKS and a one month subscription to mega-downloader to finally get a version that worked again. I too was hesitant to go the HDD route. That being said, could you run the HDD as an external to avoid any win10 issues?

Short answer: yes you could. It would probably run fairly slowly compared to the speeds you would see using an internal SSD or M.2 drive in your laptop.

Long answer: Yes, the vendor selling the drive would have to be the one to set it up to be a bootable device since Win10 would need to configure it as a bootable device. This process wipes the drive first, so obviously you wouldn't be able to set it up as an external bootable device because you'd lose all the contents of the drive in the process. Once that is done you can then boot off the drive using a Windows device.

For me it was just easier to upgrade my laptop to a 1TB internal SSD which should provide enough space for both the BMW software and my personal files as well.

[WDE82]

There is a virtual machine file out there you can download that is an entire PC with all the BMW computer tools installed. Way easier than trying to get it to work yourself.

[QueenCityLurker]

Originally Posted by WDE82

There is a virtual machine file out there you can download that is an entire PC with all the BMW computer tools installed. Way easier than trying to get it to work yourself.

No kidding.
But I wonder if it can pass USB enumeration and network traffic between the local machine and virtual machine?
If you have any more info on how to obtain this virtual machine, please feel free to PM me.
Thanks!

[F30lolz]

Pulling for you OP on this quest.

[WDE82]

Originally Posted by QueenCityLurker

No kidding.
But I wonder if it can pass USB enumeration and network traffic between the local machine and virtual machine?
If you have any more info on how to obtain this virtual machine, please feel free to PM me.
Thanks!

Yes that's how it works. It's totally transparent. I got my copy years ago tbh. Can't remember where from maybe ************** or something. It was a forum you had to sign up for and get a manual admin approval to post/join.

[QueenCityLurker]

Originally Posted by F30lolz

Pulling for you OP on this quest.

Gracias senor

[QueenCityLurker]

Originally Posted by WDE82

Yes that's how it works. It's totally transparent. I got my copy years ago tbh. Can't remember where from maybe ************** or something. It was a forum you had to sign up for and get a manual admin approval to post/join.

Ah looks like the forum stripped the name out.
If you remember the name or find out what it is please PM me. Maybe it'll go through there. Thanks bud!

[pshovest]

Originally Posted by njdangelo

.........I believe OP will still need ISTA-P to do the coding required when replacing certain components but I could be wrong........

I agree he needs ISTA-P to program/code the REM. I was only suggesting ISTA-D to get the car drivable quickly. The car was running before he disassembled the front end.

[QueenCityLurker]

Originally Posted by pshovest

I agree he needs ISTA-P to program/code the REM. I was only suggesting ISTA-D to get the car drivable quickly. The car was running before he disassembled the front end.

Yes, I would like to find ISTA-D and ISTA-P so I can diagnose the car to get it back to running state, then hopefully use ISTA-P to see if I could code the new FEM module I got from the BMW dealership.

[Tichx]

My old BMW E90 once went into Transport mode after coding, pretty sure the F30 will have a similar mode, maybe it's gone into that and failing to start now.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...-TRANPORT-MODE

Try getting some BMW coding software such as "esys" or Rheingold to remove this mode if its enabled.

[QueenCityLurker]

Originally Posted by Tichx

My old BMW E90 once went into Transport mode after coding, pretty sure the F30 will have a similar mode, maybe it's gone into that and failing to start now.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...-TRANPORT-MODE

Try getting some BMW coding software such as "esys" or Rheingold to remove this mode if its enabled.

Transport mode. I had not even thought about that. Great tip. I will research that. I'm waiting on my E-net cable to arrive and focusing on obtaining Rheingold / ISTA in the mean time so I can diagnose this old girl and get her running again.

Thanks brother!

[pshovest]

Transport mode does not prevent the car from starting. If it did you couldn't drive it off the ship or trailer.

[Tichx]

Originally Posted by pshovest

Transport mode does not prevent the car from starting. If it did you couldn't drive it off the ship or trailer.

My E90 would not start in transport mode, would not turn over.

Once out of transport mode all was good, this is from experience.

[pshovest]

Originally Posted by Tichx

My E90 would not start in transport mode, would not turn over.

Once out of transport mode all was good, this is from experience.

Interesting. I hear you, but I remain skeptical. It also isn't mentioned in the thread you linked.
Did you personally get your E90 out of transport mode or did a shop do it?
Requiring a technician to connect to the vehicle in order to move it off the ship or transport trailer makes no sense whatsoever. On the other hand, disabling certain features that could run down the battery, as the link suggests, makes sense.

[QueenCityLurker]

Quick update.
I purchased BMW diagnostic software on Ebay and had a great experience. It was cheap too. $38USD+ the usual taxes from Ebay, etc. (Seller is 'ancardi if you are looking for it).
It wound up being the full ISTA-D/ISTA-P suite with a few other software bits thrown in that I will have to play with to figure out their purpose (EasyConnect, IToolRadar, D-CAN).
Now i'm just waiting on my E-Net cable to arrive. It's currently on a slow boat from California and USPS (liars) estimate a delivery date of this coming Tuesday at 6/14.
Cable can't come fast enough. From there I will have to play with the ISTA software to figure my way around it. I've never used it before, but being in the technology world hopefully I can pick it up pretty quickly.

[QueenCityLurker]

Weekend update:
Scanned the car with ISTA-D.
There are a lot of faults and it would be easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of faults, however I think many of them are tied together due to the current state of the FEM and DME (more on that later). Meaning, I believe once the FEM is replaced and coded a lot of the faults will go away and much of the interior functionality will be restored.

Interestingly enough, ISTA is basically insinuating that the DME is not responding in the control unit tree display (neat and very useful feature of ISTA). The control unit tree displays the communication and fault status of the different modules in the car, whether they have faults and how they tie in with each other.
I have attached a PDF print out of the existing faults in case anyone is bored, interested or wants to geek out.

The control unit tree is indicating there is no communication with the DME, which would explain the no start condition.
After researching further, the DME gets its power and power regulation from the Integrated Supply Module(ISM), which on B58 powered cars is packaged neatly next to the DME.
I figured a good place to start troubleshooting was to see what does/does not have power.

On this car, I traced the power supply line from the ISM on the drivers side, near strut tower back to it's power source on the passenger side, near strut tower and fuse panel block.
Broke out the multimeter and measured 12.2V steady at the ISM connection on the passenger side.
Traced it back over to the actual ISM on the driver's side and noted 12.2V at the connection that plugs in to the ISM itself.
OK GOOD.
We have power at the ISM plug. But that doesn't mean we have power at the ISM itself.
Next we check resistance in Ohms at the ISM.
According to this video the resistance in Ohms should be approximately 230.
When I measure the resistance in Ohms, there is nothing registering at all. Indicating that while the ISM has a confirmed 12V power source, there is no measured resistance under 12V power.
For now, signs point to a bad ISM, which provides power to the DME. If no power at the DME, that would explain why ISTA cannot communicate with it.
BMW ISMs have internal fuses, which is an incredibly stupid design. Part of the reason for having a fused connection is so that it is easy, by design to replace a fuse and restore your electrical connection.
But hiding your fuses internally inside the ISM that requires a heatgun, razor knife and pry tool to open is inexcusable.
Do better BMW. Fuse it externally so it can be more easily diagnosed

I've ordered a used, but confirmed working ISM off the good old Ebay and will test it and install it to see if that fixes the problem.
If it doesn't, then there is a chance the DME somehow is bad, which is even more strange since the car was running/driving in my driveway.

[WaarrEagle]

I watched this video on YouTube earlier and this thread made me think of it. You might learn something from it about water damaged BMW’s:

[QueenCityLurker]

Originally Posted by WaarrEagle

I watched this video on YouTube earlier and this thread made me think of it. You might learn something from it about water damaged BMW’s:

That was in my YT feed earlier today. Crazy how the algorithm works LOL.
Thanks for posting brother. Will watch in the morning.
I have a feeling that everything that everyone posts is a bread crumb trail that helps me figure this thing out.
I know I'm taking on a big task but man it'll be good to come out the other side with a win and hopefully the F series community can benefit from it. That'd be nice.
Thanks!

[QueenCityLurker]

Quick update.
Replaced the Integrated Power Supply with a known working one and car still won't start.
A look at the control unit tree in ISTA shows the DME is offline.
I checked the DME fuses but they do not look blown.

While scanning the car and looking through the fault codes in ISTA, the lights on the dash started to flicker and I could hear the fuel pump cycling on/off in cadence with the lights on the dash.
I'm starting to wonder if this is a grounding issue. I checked the ground strap that runs from negative terminal on battery to chassis. Removed, cleaned it with a wire brush on it's contact point and then reinstalled. Made no difference.
I'm going to see if I can get under the car and check the earth straps.
Replacing a earth strap seemed to help this guy get his F20 running again.
His dash behavior is nearly identical to mine when you try to start it, in that the RPM needle will swing up READY but won't fire the car. That is exactly what mine is doing. Maybe I can get under the car tonight to check the ground straps. I may even go ahead and replace them even if they aren't 100% bad just for peace of mind.
Here are the YT videos of someone fixing a no start condition on the F20.
Very excellent videos.

[weehe126]

How is the battery at this point? That last update sounds like a normal low battery issue. If the DME is not registering you should check the actual connections to it.

[QueenCityLurker]

Originally Posted by weehe126

How is the battery at this point? That last update sounds like a normal low battery issue. If the DME is not registering you should check the actual connections to it.

Great point.
I had thought the same, so when I replaced the Integrated power supply, I also unplugged and replugged in all DME connections to make sure there was good contact between pins/connectors.
As far as I can tell, the DME has good connection.
Unfortunately we've had thunderstorms on/off throughout the day, so I didn't have a chance to jack up the car and check earth straps. Looks like we're going to have crappy weather for a few days this week.
Bummer. Might not have an update until the weekend.