Servotronic on a 335i

[AzNdevil]

still need to hook up the pwm board to the car and test...its just pieces lying around as is..
i need something to hold it and not fly around... i used electrical tape wrapped around the steering column...

btw let me know if you need help coding in the servotronic... i can do it for you through teamviewer but im on gmt +8 so we will need to arrange a time.....

 

[doublespaces]

still need to hook up the pwm board to the car and test...its just pieces lying around as is..
i need something to hold it and not fly around... i used electrical tape wrapped around the steering column...

btw let me know if you need help coding in the servotronic... i can do it for you through teamviewer but im on gmt +8 so we will need to arrange a time.....

Yeah that sounds good, once I go back in to do the wiring I'll hit you up. Right now I'm tracking down a hardtop not locked" error that prevents me from driving the car it seems.

 

[AzNdevil]

Yeah that sounds good, once I go back in to do the wiring I'll hit you up. Right now I'm tracking down a hardtop not locked" error that prevents me from driving the car it seems.

get rheingold and check the roof status...

 

[doublespaces]

get rheingold and check the roof status...

Okay, I'm downloading it now. The moment I start moving, it will chime and show the iDrive warning. The hard top button is flashing red as well. The limp mode is actually because of my tune, boost control is off so that @CKI@Motiv can make sure things are plumbed/working correctly before he goes in and changes stuff. Should get a new file tonight.

Back to the M3 rack...Man, I really didn't think it would be that nice(I've never driven an M3) but it really gives a racecar/arcade feel. The wheel is not even that stiff without the servotronic and I can see how some people can get used to it. Basically just a little over one turn from center and you're at lock, so its definitely a tighter feeling. Not real big on suspension/handling upgrades generally, but this definitely gives the car a whole new feel.

 

[AzNdevil]

Okay, I'm downloading it now. The moment I start moving, it will chime and show the iDrive warning. The hard top button is flashing red as well. The limp mode is actually because of my tune, boost control is off so that @CKI@Motiv can make sure things are plumbed/working correctly before he goes in and changes stuff. Should get a new file tonight.

Back to the M3 rack...Man, I really didn't think it would be that nice(I've never driven an M3) but it really gives a racecar/arcade feel. The wheel is not even that stiff without the servotronic and I can see how some people can get used to it. Basically just a little over one turn from center and you're at lock, so its definitely a tighter feeling. Not real big on suspension/handling upgrades generally, but this definitely gives the car a whole new feel.

probably one of the roof sensors isnt working properly... but anyways

the rack is stiff if you have wide front tires (255 and up) and increased caster but my gf managed to turn the wheel with some effort... after she drove my car she was sweating lol

 

[doublespaces]

probably one of the roof sensors isnt working properly... but anyways

the rack is stiff if you have wide front tires (255 and up) and increased caster but my gf managed to turn the wheel with some effort... after she drove my car she was sweating lol

Rheingold managed to help me track down the problem(A disconnected plug from doing my backup cam), even though it was missing the information you get when you click on the diagram IDs.

The rack still isn't aligned, and its causing me some DSC and steering angle issues. I should be able to get it in to align by the end of next week by someone I trust.

 

[AzNdevil]

good to know its just an unplugged sensor lol...

i still havent got an alignment myself... need new tires first but not in the position to shell out 1-2k so i may as well destroy the ones i have now

too busy recently to work on my servotronic controller... i am trying to make it smaller without too much work

 

[doublespaces]

I think its about time to work on this... Once I get my LSD installed I'm going to tear into the glove box again and finish installing the HDMI module for my iDrive, install my performance wheel wiring and also wire in these servotronic pins. I hope to the LSD put in within the next couple days.

 

[AzNdevil]

well.... my girlfriend managed to drive my car without the assist so...this project will be stashed

one thing though, my steering rack makes a big clunk if i turn the wheel while static
dont know if its the rack itself thats at fault or i am just putting too much pressure on it with wide front tires and shit
the stock rack/tie rods dont like being turned with wide tires either but doesnt clunk as loud so i am not surprised but it does sound like the car is broken

 

[doublespaces]

well.... my girlfriend managed to drive my car without the assist so...this project will be stashed

one thing though, my steering rack makes a big clunk if i turn the wheel while static
dont know if its the rack itself thats at fault or i am just putting too much pressure on it with wide front tires and shit
the stock rack/tie rods dont like being turned with wide tires either but doesnt clunk as loud so i am not surprised but it does sound like the car is broken

I try to avoid turning the wheel without moving so I don't leave black marks on my concrete driveway. But I've not heard any noises from my rack(Once the system had enough fluid). In fact, for $199 shipped to my house, I think I got an amazing deal.

I have a rear PDC retrofit harness coming in the mail in about a week, once that is here, I'll attempt to install the PDC, Performance Steering wheel and the servotronic all at the same time. You may want to keep an eye out on ebay or something for a used jbbf2/3.

 

[doublespaces]

well.... my girlfriend managed to drive my car without the assist so...this project will be stashed

one thing though, my steering rack makes a big clunk if i turn the wheel while static
dont know if its the rack itself thats at fault or i am just putting too much pressure on it with wide front tires and shit
the stock rack/tie rods dont like being turned with wide tires either but doesnt clunk as loud so i am not surprised but it does sound like the car is broken

I seem to have noticed something you mentioned a little. When I do a left hand u turn I get a clunk. Wonder what that is? Haven't tried right turns yet.

 

[doublespaces]

Okay, I finally got back to working on the wiring. Once you've torn out your glovebox, the JBE will come out with just a couple screws. You can see here, I have the JBBE IIIR, so according to the chart @AzNdevil provided earlier, I should be good to go:

Disconnect the cable on back that we are interested in by pulling on the weird shaped handle. The connector will slide up and out:

Now remove the connector from this sliding latch by pulling out the tabs on the end of the connector and sliding it out:

Now using the harness and socket pin wires you purchased, splice them together:

If the socket pins come with a rubber boot, you will probably need to rip the boot out and crimp the metal down so it will fit into the connector. Now stick the black/brown wire into PIN 5(illustrated on the connector itself) and the black/white wire into PIN 6:

Now I need to route the wires to the servotronic solenoid, Thanks to @AzNdevil and @Levanime for the tips.

 

[doublespaces]

For LHD cars, there is a rubber grommet behind the fusebox that leads to the ECU compartment. You may not need to pull the fusebox to access it, but you can probably feel it with your fingers. This is what it looks like:


Start by pulling the ECU box out of the ECU compartment:


On the left, you can see a rubber stub sticking out. This is not occupied on my car, so I used scissors and cut it off:


Next I lubed up the white connector and shoved it through:


Connect this to the harness on the other side and then pull back so the white connector plugs the hole for at least some kind of seal:



Next I used another harness inline and ran it behind the grommet leading toward the driver side of the car:


Put the ECU box back in, and then you'll have a plug sticking out that can be ran along the firewall to the driver side, then down toward the servotronic solenoid. I have yet to do this, then I'll have it coded:

 

[aus335iguy]

Did you end up finishing this?

 

[doublespaces]

Not yet. I just need to run the wire down from the top of the engine bay to the solenoid and code. I plan on doing this when I do my m3 cowl. I'll be doing that after I get my new chargepipe installed, which should be coming in the mail today.

 

[aus335iguy]

After talking to a few people im interested in doing this myself but the m3 rack is an expensive piece when your a RHD...

 

[doublespaces]

Oh yeah, that I'm not so sure. The good news, is that the wiring from the ecu box down to the servotronic solenoid is slightly easier since its already on the right side. How much do they run? I paid $200 shipped, and that was already a good deal here.

 

[aus335iguy]

For $200USD I thinks its a reasonable proposition. In Aus - Im scared to even look but I'm told its in the vicinity of $800-$1000 for a used item IF you can even find one.

 

[doublespaces]

For $200USD I thinks its a reasonable proposition. In Aus - Im scared to even look but I'm told its in the vicinity of $800-$1000 for a used item IF you can even find one.

I went outside and took a look at the solenoid connector, I really wish I could see how the wire is ran on an M3. It points basically straight down toward the subframe, not a lot of space there. And there is no nearby loom to hitch onto, just the steering column and heater hose bits. I'm really not sure how I'm going to run this wire up to the firewall. the last thing I need is it getting caught in the steering assembly or melting on a heater line. I may need to run it through some larger, rubber hose or make some sort of wire loom to get it safely over to the firewall. I don't really like the idea of a wire dangling around near the steering parts or the motor mounts.

 

[doublespaces]

Okay, I found part of my answer, these pictures were off an M3 doing motor mounts. Now to figure out the part number for this as well as where the wire goes from here.