From digest.v6.n566 Tue Apr 22 10:23:25 1997
From: Bob Stommel <Bob_at_trader.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 08:24:53 -0500
Subject: <E36 M3> DME removal procedure

Steve Hyon wrote:

>I need some help getting the DME numbers from my car. I own a 95 M3
>(E36). I know that the unit is located behind the glove box but I tried
>to remove it yesterday and couldn't get all the screws to come out. I
>called the BMW dealer but was treated very RUDELY by the service advisor.
>I should've tried the digest first. TIA.
>
>Steve Hyon
>95 M3

Steve:

Put your glovebox back together. Open the hood (okay, okay, it's the BONNET for those of you across the pond). Look at the firewall on the passenger side, just below the top edge of the wall. You will see a thick rubber pad held in place by three round, flat plastic fasteners. Using a small screwdriver, pull the center pin out of each fastener and then remove the fasteners. Remove the rubber pad and you will find a black plastic cover held to the firewall by four Phillips-head screws (three on the top; one on the right side). Loosen the screws -- they will stay in the cover. (See, the BMW engineers just knew that boneheads like me would lose one or two of them if they designed them to come out completely. Why doesn't every screw on the car do this?) Pull the black plastic cover off and you will see the DME box hiding in its own little compartment. The wiring harness attaches to the DME box with a connector that has a thin metal latch. Pull the latch toward you and the connector will loosen and come offm -- you have to tilt it a little to detach it. Remove the two Phillips-head screws at the edges of the DME and slide out the small metal brackets -- make sure you remember how the brackets are positioned for reinstallation. Slide the DME box out and look at the stickers on the top to find the DME part number. Reinstallation is in reverse of above (don't all the manuals say that?). Don't forget to close the bonnet (okay, okay, it's the HOOD).

BTW, if you happen to be doing this in order to get your chip reprogrammed (as opposed to, say, removing the DME to find out what the part number is just in case someone ever asked you for it or because you ran out of other things to take apart on a Saturday afternoon), find out whether your car has the EWS coded driveaway protection system. Most 95 M3's do. If so, you will need to send the entire DME box to your favorite chip reprogrammer so that the EWS code for your car can be added to the new chip.

Hope this helps.

Bob Stommel
Indianapolis, IN
95 M3
88 M3
78 320 (Chip? What chip?)