[bobchuong58]

Originally Posted by korell

It's the one described and pictured in "Step 15 - Remove steering column lock connector" of this DIY. It's on the left side of the steering column and about halfway down. The author of this DIY mentioned that he accidentally broke it, but I would like to try not to break it.

Thanks!

Step 15 picture: The push in Tab is in the south side of the connector.
Take a look at Step 19 and 20 you can see the female side of this connector.

[korell]

Ok, I'll try again this weekend. I had pushed on every side, but I will try with the help of a small screwdriver this time (now that I know where to push).

Thanks!

[stewdog692003]

Hi, need help with the rubber steering column shaft boot reinstall
I preformed this DIY http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ght=wheel+lock
After I preformed the whole DIY and reinstalled all parts but the rubber steering column shaft boot for reference Step 10 - Remove the rubber steering column shaft boot. I cannot get it back in place it is rubbing and I can see the two plastic pieces one at the top and at the bottom of the boot. I assume the plastic rings go in the boot so it does not move with the steering wheel. Any help or advice of how to get it back on with pics or not would be helpful. Right now the boot moves around when I turn the steering wheel and it set of the traction control icon saying it is not working, because the boot is moving when I am turning the steering wheel and is getting stuck creating pressure. Thank you

[Clarky1334]

I'd just like to say a big thank you to the author of this post - my e87 has been stranded in my driveway for over a week and I managed to get it sorted at the weekend for the cost of nothing more than a few tins of lube!

Something I noted though - I struggled to get leverage to get the pinch bolt off through the hole in the bulkhead with my spanner. Instead I took the scuttle panel with the pollen filter off for better access. As my steering wheel was locked in the straight position I was able to get an 8mm socket on an extension down onto the pinch bolt. If your steering wheel is locked in a position such that the pinch bolt is at the top of the shaft then this is the easiest way on the e87. Not sure if the same applies to the e90.

[korell]

If you have completed this DIY (thanks yakev724) and still get that pesky yellow warning light, I found a way to clear it (credits to Micha from the German e60-forum.de). Apparently the ELV has an internal counter that causes the yellow (and red?) warning light to display. This counter can be reset using EDIABAS ToolSet32. The count is stored in the CAS and needs to be cleared in CAS and ELV. Load CAS.prg in ToolSet32 and run the commands "steuern_elvcounter_cas_loeschen" and "steuern_elvcounter_elv_loeschen".
This procedure may even unlock the locked steering column with red warning light, but I haven't had the red light since I performed the DIY. I'm assuming this because after my steering column was locked and I had towed my car to an indy shop, the mechanic was able to unlock it by "resetting" something.

BTW, this counter reset worked for me, but as with any advice you find on the Internet, you do this at your own risk. Bonjour ;-)

[catertek]

hi , new to the forum but thought i would share my experiences with this elv problem which ive had twice now!, first time was 0ctober last year , had the yellow symbol twice , then it went red and totally stopped use of the car, i stripped and cleaned the elv as per this guide but still had red symbol and a none working car , had to have the car recovered , then my local independent bmw specialist reset the cas module and all was good ( £175 for recovery and resetting of cas ) , worked out a hell of alot cheaper than buying a new column or going to bmw. All has been good untill about two weeks ago , I started to get the yellow symbol again and knew it would not be long before i was stuck again , fortunately after last time i brought a cable and software to clear and reset things but still decided to leave the car until i had solved the issue once and for all. I had read about these emulators which once the elv was removed and this little device plugged into the elv plug it fools the car into thinking it has locked / unlocked within the specified time. I could only find a website last year that would sell x 5 of these , which i did not require, so I did some more searching and found an italian company selling the same emulator in singles for 89 euros , along with express postage this cost me around £111 . So it arrived , I was a bit disappointed when i found the emulator didnt have the pins connected to it like in there picture, so i had to cut the pins from the elv I removed (i removed the spring loaded locking pin from the column and refitted the column) , i soldered the pins onto the emulator board and plugged into the car , the small led on the board flashes everytime the cas module is accessing it so i knew it was working , how ever I was still getting the orange symbol , i reset the cas errors with Inpa software and was still the same, It was then I found this thread again and seen others had had more problems, but the post above ^^^ helped me remove the orange light, so i have ELV fitted only the emulator , and all is working great with no worry of the car ever leaving me stranded again! Hope this is helpful , the link below is to the emulator that i purchased.

http://www.ecuvonix.com/steering-lock-p-646.html

thanks for the help in this thread as it has helped me sort the issue once and for all!!

Catertek UK

[yakev724]

Originally Posted by korell

If you have completed this DIY (thanks yakev724) and still get that pesky yellow warning light, I found a way to clear it (credits to Micha from the German e60-forum.de). Apparently the ELV has an internal counter that causes the yellow (and red?) warning light to display. This counter can be reset using EDIABAS ToolSet32. The count is stored in the CAS and needs to be cleared in CAS and ELV. Load CAS.prg in ToolSet32 and run the commands "steuern_elvcounter_cas_loeschen" and "steuern_elvcounter_elv_loeschen".
This procedure may even unlock the locked steering column with red warning light, but I haven't had the red light since I performed the DIY. I'm assuming this because after my steering column was locked and I had towed my car to an indy shop, the mechanic was able to unlock it by "resetting" something.

BTW, this counter reset worked for me, but as with any advice you find on the Internet, you do this at your own risk. Bonjour ;-)

I actually had a local coder use those same commands to reset a counter for something else on my car, so it makes perfect sense.

Originally Posted by catertek

hi , new to the forum but thought i would share my experiences with this elv problem which ive had twice now!, first time was 0ctober last year , had the yellow symbol twice , then it went red and totally stopped use of the car, i stripped and cleaned the elv as per this guide but still had red symbol and a none working car , had to have the car recovered , then my local independent bmw specialist reset the cas module and all was good ( £175 for recovery and resetting of cas ) , worked out a hell of alot cheaper than buying a new column or going to bmw. All has been good untill about two weeks ago , I started to get the yellow symbol again and knew it would not be long before i was stuck again , fortunately after last time i brought a cable and software to clear and reset things but still decided to leave the car until i had solved the issue once and for all. I had read about these emulators which once the elv was removed and this little device plugged into the elv plug it fools the car into thinking it has locked / unlocked within the specified time. I could only find a website last year that would sell x 5 of these , which i did not require, so I did some more searching and found an italian company selling the same emulator in singles for 89 euros , along with express postage this cost me around £111 . So it arrived , I was a bit disappointed when i found the emulator didnt have the pins connected to it like in there picture, so i had to cut the pins from the elv I removed (i removed the spring loaded locking pin from the column and refitted the column) , i soldered the pins onto the emulator board and plugged into the car , the small led on the board flashes everytime the cas module is accessing it so i knew it was working , how ever I was still getting the orange symbol , i reset the cas errors with Inpa software and was still the same, It was then I found this thread again and seen others had had more problems, but the post above ^^^ helped me remove the orange light, so i have ELV fitted only the emulator , and all is working great with no worry of the car ever leaving me stranded again! Hope this is helpful , the link below is to the emulator that i purchased.

http://www.ecuvonix.com/steering-lock-p-646.html

thanks for the help in this thread as it has helped me sort the issue once and for all!!

Catertek UK

I thought of emulating it when I first took it apart but didn't see how I'd be able to do it on my own. That circuit looks extremely simple and probably something someone could make for a few $ on their own. Someone should make a guide.

Also, how did you remove the lock? IIRC it's pretty well secured in the column?

[Casca]

Sent, I assume the manufacturer of that ELV emulator a question on ebay asking for pricing on just one ELV emulator. They want $200US, I assume shipping not included. That Italian site listed is least expensive I could...well....only other one that has it, but they want a Taxpayer ID #?

Hopefully a US -reseller will buy enough of these to resell at an affordable price to individuals.

[yakev724]

Originally Posted by Casca

Sent, I assume the manufacturer of that ELV emulator a question on ebay asking for pricing on just one ELV emulator. They want $200US, I assume shipping not included. That Italian site listed is least expensive I could...well....only other one that has it, but they want a Taxpayer ID #?

Hopefully a US -reseller will buy enough of these to resell at an affordable price to individuals.

it's only a matter of time before someone with some electrical knowledge gets their hands on one and publishes the circuit online.

$10 to make with components, just need to know the circuit and resistor/cap values.

[Gavin]

Catertek,
How are you finding the ELV Emulator? Did it come with instructions?
I think I will go the same route as you but have a few questions: Can I turn my cars ignition on, so that the steering lock is open i.e. unlocked, then disconnet the power to the ELV, and then connect the Emulator? The lock should remain in that position, and from then on the Emulator will fool the ECU into thinking that the ELV is functioning normally. Is it really necessary to physically remove the locking mechanism? Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Cheers,
Gavin

[catertek]

no problems so far, getting the elv off is easy as in the guide at the beginning of this thread, the emulator i got from italy had no connecting pins so i had to remove the elv to chop off the pins to solder on, so the whole thing got removed, you could do it the way you say gavin after clearing errors to get it to function again , but you would still need some kind of pins to solder to emulator board to plug it to the loom? its annoying as in the pictures it had pins on , but couldnt let that stand in my way so chopped and soldered. let me know how you get on , if i get chance i will take a pic of it to show you all , not just as simple as a few resistors as theres quite alot of components on such a small circuit board!

[Gavin]

Thanks Catertek for the info. So you removed the ELV and the metal spring loaded locking "plate" that slots into the steering column as well? I guess it is spring loaded to lock position? I had the horrible RED icon appear, and have had the reset done, so my ELV is working for the moment. Pictures would be most welcomed, and thanks to all on this forum for the excellent advice.

[Gavin]

Any one else used the ECUVONIX steering lock emulator?

[grimery]

Going on 5 months since cleaning/lubrication of the ELV.

Have not had any faults, but can hear the mechanism starting to struggle/get slightly stuck.

The talk about the ELV emulator looks promising. I ordered one from the Italian site listed (~$130 shipped) and am going to attempt connecting it as Gavin suggested (after the existing lock is placed into the "open" position) before resorting to pulling the column/ELV out.

Anyone else had success with the ELV emulator?

[Gavin]

I took my car to have the very latest software installed, as I was told by a BMW techie that this would most likely solve the ELV problem. And it has!

It's been four weeks now and so far no warning lights. If it does fail again, I will do the emulator installation and bypass the steering lock.

[a2p]

Had the yellow steering lock after changing the battery and car won't start but radio works .. so I unlocked the car, removed the negative cable and waited for few minutes and then connect the negative cable and the sign is gone and car is starting now.

[grimery]

Does your steering lock still function (audible clunking) after the latest software update that resolved your issue Gavin?

It would be convenient if the update opens the ELV and leaves it that way.

Here is what I received, minus the quarter:

[Gavin]

After the software update, the steering lock still functions.....I listen to it each time. From what I was told, the later software allows a longer time window for the ELV to lock / unlock before triggering a fault. This I think is correct. So far so good....no more issues with my car.
Thanks for posting the photo. My wife and daughter both drive E90's and at least I know I can go the emulator route if they give trouble.

[Gavin]

Grimery, Did you receive any instructions with the unit? I wonder why they have not soldered the connector on? It could go on two ways!

[grimery]

No instructions included. I'm waiting until I receive a coding cable before venturing forward with the install just in case it throws a code. One of the contacts on the emulator has a number '1' next to it. I have no idea what the proper orientation is going to be as far as hooking the cable from the car up to it yet.

[grimery]

My cable showed up so I gave this a go.

I did the following and achieved success after soldering the pin header to the emulator. I soldered the shortest pins into the emulator itself, leaving the longest pins to attach to the harness from the car.

Vehicle: 2007 335i w/comfort access. 59k miles

1. Insert key fob into ignition, ELV should unlock. I confirmed the ELV went to the unlocked state with INPA.

2. Open trunk.

3. Remove negative terminal from battery.

4. Remove steering column shroud per step 7 of the OP DIY. I did not remove airbag or steering wheel.

5. Remove three screws from lower kick panel and pull down and out of the way.

6. Locate steering lock connector and unplug (Step 15 of OP DIY). I did this by feeling for the connector and being sure to press down on the underside of the connector as i removed it with as even pressure as possible. Tight area to reach into.

7. Black steering lock connector has numbers 1-4 printed onto it. Match wire 1 to the number "1" pin printed on the emulator for proper orientation and attach. The pin header that was included with mine fit very snug. I then wrapped the emulator in a small ESD bag and tucked it away. I will likely purchase a small enclosure for the unit at some point from somewhere like polycase.com.

8. Reattach battery. Remove and reinsert key. I then verified ELV status changing from Locked/Unlocked in INPA as well as a red flash from the emulator when it was being accessed.

9. Started vehicle. The only error code I received was for Active Steering. I turned the steering wheel both directions as far as it would go, then shut down and restarted the car. No codes and everything is working properly. I then put the kick panel and shroud back together.


It's very relieving to not hear the struggling of the ELV anymore. The car works perfect again and in my case, a cable/coding software was not required but was worth it for the peace of mind before the install in case an issue did arise.

[catertek]

hi , sorry for delay in replying to messages , i dont come on here that much! , for some reason i never got the pins with my emulator hence the reason for having the chop the old ones off and solder on, ive not had any probs what so ever and have checked with software and no errors in cas module since doing the mod so all is good, the only reason i removed the old lock mechanism was i just thought that if for any reason (hitting a huge pot hole for example) what if the plastic in the old lock was to fail and the metal locking pin was to spring back into lock the steering , i no the chance would be a million to one but i thought if i eliminated the chance of this being able to happen then it never would happen... lol

glad to hear others have had a go , deffo worth doing if your having this issue!!

Gaz