E70 BMW X5M NO DME Communication

YASSA · 11-01-2020, 11:34 PM

G’day I recently purchased a E70 2011/12 BMW X5M 4.4L TT,

The engine was just pulled and rebuild by a reputable specialist in Brisbane, QLD. After 2 months and over $18K the car was ready, so I thought… 950KMS after collection I experience an issue with the TCM where the car displayed DSC and ESC lights prior to stalling out. The gearbox was still engaged in gear so the ECU inevitaby prohibited me from cranking over. I was unable to engage/disengage the handbrake or put the gearbox into P or N. I scanned the car with a snap-on scanner where I noticed that there was no communication to the DME or TCU. I manually placed the gearbox into N via the bottom of the trans housing and manually released the electronic parking brake - to have the vehicle towed back to the shop.

The diagnostic from the shop was “a short which blew the gear selector fuse”. After a fuse replacement we had communication with the TCU and all transmission related computers however, nothing from the ECU/engine electronics.

We have power to the ECU, but the car just won’t fire/crank whatsoever, as if there was no ECU to begin with. Before biting the bullet and sourcing a new ECU I thought I’d try my lucky on the forums. I’d hate to spend thousands on an ECU + coding only to find that the issue was related to a ground/another contributing factor.

There doesn’t seem to be any precedents/similar issues on forums, so here we are. Has anyone experienced anything similar or know anyone who has? I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible, however may have missed some bits and bobs. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Cheers.

E70 X5M DME NO COMMUNICATION - TCM/ECU FAILURE?

TwinSnailz · 11-01-2020, 11:58 PM

Try IstaD for troubleshooting this complicated bmw machine. It will walk you through some steps and give you some code that people may have come across that could help you.
Snap on is a universal code reader that isn’t much detail for bmw specific when there’s a problem. Plus its way out of our hobby cost 😆

YASSA · 11-02-2020, 12:26 AM

Hey mate, I've tried a few scan tools - most BMW specific. We're not really after any code, more concerned by the fact that I can't speak to the DME altogether.

11-01-2020, 11:34 PM	#1
YASSA New Member 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2011 E70 X5M Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Brisbane, Australia iTrader: (0)	E70 BMW X5M NO DME Communication - TCU/ECU Failure? G’day I recently purchased a E70 2011/12 BMW X5M 4.4L TT, The engine was just pulled and rebuild by a reputable specialist in Brisbane, QLD. After 2 months and over $18K the car was ready, so I thought… 950KMS after collection I experience an issue with the TCM where the car displayed DSC and ESC lights prior to stalling out. The gearbox was still engaged in gear so the ECU inevitaby prohibited me from cranking over. I was unable to engage/disengage the handbrake or put the gearbox into P or N. I scanned the car with a snap-on scanner where I noticed that there was no communication to the DME or TCU. I manually placed the gearbox into N via the bottom of the trans housing and manually released the electronic parking brake - to have the vehicle towed back to the shop. The diagnostic from the shop was “a short which blew the gear selector fuse”. After a fuse replacement we had communication with the TCU and all transmission related computers however, nothing from the ECU/engine electronics. We have power to the ECU, but the car just won’t fire/crank whatsoever, as if there was no ECU to begin with. Before biting the bullet and sourcing a new ECU I thought I’d try my lucky on the forums. I’d hate to spend thousands on an ECU + coding only to find that the issue was related to a ground/another contributing factor. There doesn’t seem to be any precedents/similar issues on forums, so here we are. Has anyone experienced anything similar or know anyone who has? I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible, however may have missed some bits and bobs. Any help is greatly appreciated! Cheers. E70 X5M DME NO COMMUNICATION - TCM/ECU FAILURE?
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11-01-2020, 11:58 PM	#2
TwinSnailz First Lieutenant 75 Rep 357 Posts Drives: 2011 X5//M Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: IL iTrader: (0)	Try IstaD for troubleshooting this complicated bmw machine. It will walk you through some steps and give you some code that people may have come across that could help you. Snap on is a universal code reader that isn’t much detail for bmw specific when there’s a problem. Plus its way out of our hobby cost 😆
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11-02-2020, 12:26 AM	#3
YASSA New Member 0 Rep 6 Posts Drives: 2011 E70 X5M Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Brisbane, Australia iTrader: (0)	Hey mate, I've tried a few scan tools - most BMW specific. We're not really after any code, more concerned by the fact that I can't speak to the DME altogether.
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