[M80DCX]

Hi,

Any advice on this would be awesome as im at head scratching stage now

THE CAR:-

2008 e92 330i m sport - N53 engine

Had the usual age related issues that ive sorted myself such as Starter Motor, Water Pump & Thermostat, Battery etc and she was running better than ever! Then had the dreaded 'BLACK OUT' on main road in rush hour which prompted a recovery to BMW for the Positive Cable Recall (The connection behind the fuse box in back of glove box was destroyed basically but BMW apparently were very aware of this so was done under recall)
Since collecting car back same day, i drove her home, no issues, went to her the very next morning and no start!

All system are kicking in such as fuel pump and electrical checks are being completed fine but its throwing up the following fault code:

A3B2 INSTRUMENT CLUSTER - CAR ACCESS SYSTEM

Is this something i can sort using the ISTA / INPA Software? on research it sounds like its gone into some sort of 'Anti-Theft' mode and i desperately need to resolve is as its my only transport at the moment and am self employed so losing money by the day - BMW have been no help what so ever and simply tell me to get the car recovered to them and they'll charge me the earth to tell me what i already know.... can anyone advise please on whether i can use my ISTA to resolve this?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice

Vix

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by M80DCX

... 2008 e92 330i m sport - N53 engine...
a recovery to BMW for the Positive Cable Recall (The connection behind the fuse box in back of glove box was destroyed basically but BMW apparently were very aware of this so was done under recall) Since collecting car back same day, i drove her home, no issues, went to her the very next morning and no start! [Please DEFINE "NO START"]... Code...A3B2 [that code indicates a lack of signal from CAS; see below]
Is this something i can sort using the ISTA / INPA Software?

I'll show you screens you can use in EITHER ISTA (English) or INPA (German -- but I've done the translation ;-) to determine "Status" of "Terminals" in the CAS Module (1) with Ignition ON, & (2) When press START with foot on Brake/Clutch.

First some questions:
0) When you Press START Button with Brake/Clutch pressed, (a) does the Starter NOT Crank/ turn the engine, or (b) does the Starter Crank engine as usual but Engine does NOT fire/ run?
0a) Does Car have AT or MT?
1) When you put Remote Key in Insert Compartment, does Radio come on?
2) When you press START, WITHOUT pressing Clutch or Brake, does Instrument Panel Light up and does Climate Control Panel also light & blower function?
3) When you then Press Brake or Clutch and press START button, does Starter Solenoid "click" either once or repeatedly?
4) If AT (Automatic Transmission), (a) do Brake Lights come on when you press Brake Pedal with Ignition ON, & (b) do Gear Indicator Light beside Shift Lever, and Gear Selected display on lower Instrument Cluster BOTH show "P" (you DO have it in "Park" don't you ;-)?
5) If MT, when you put Gear Shift in R, with Ignition ON, does Passenger Mirror DIP?

With Answers to those questions, I can suggest other screens you can use to identify the issue, but here are example Screens from ISTA & INPA to determine Status of "Terminals" (Relays). If you don't understand the significance of Terminal R, Terminal 15, Terminal 30g, Terminal 50, or Terminal 87, don't worry. Just Answer the questions and see if you can access either the ISTA or INPA screen below. I will explain after receiving your answers.

Attached "Terminal Status" Screens, with Menu/Tab Sequence:

1) ISTA: Vehicle Information > Control Unit List > CAS Module > Call Up ECU Functions Tab > Diagnosis Scan Tab > Terminals > Select ALL and press "Read State" Tab

2) INPA: CAS (Body/Karosserie > Car Access System) > F5 > F2 > F1 Diagnose Terminals (Diagnose Klemmen); the first attached screen shows Ignition ON, and the 2nd attached screen shows Terminal 50 Voltage & Amps (current/Strom) during Starter Cranking. Voltage = Spannung.

George

[M80DCX]

Thanks so much for your response - To answer your questions:

1. All usual electricals kick in but no crank at all, as though the signal is cut off before reaching the fuel rail

She's manual transmission

1) When key is first inserted, ALL electrics work, radio initialises, interior lights on, seatbelt handlers engage, instrument cluster lights up correctly, pre drive checks all kick in also

2) When i press START, WITHOUT pressing Clutch or Brake,
Yes Instrument Panel Light up and does Climate Control Panel also light & blower function?

3) When you then Press Brake or Clutch and press START button, does Starter Solenoid "click" either once or repeatedly? YES from what i can hear - Starter is less than 4weeks old

4) If AT (Automatic Transmission), (a) do Brake Lights come on when you press Brake Pedal with Ignition ON, & (b) do Gear Indicator Light beside Shift Lever, and Gear Selected display on lower Instrument Cluster BOTH show "P" (you DO have it in "Park" don't you ;-)?
N/A

5) If MT, when you put Gear Shift in R, with Ignition ON, does Passenger Mirror DIP? YES it dips

I'm genuinely starting to think its been thrown into anti theft mode possibly???

Engine and CAS module need realigning maybe?

your thoughts on this would be much appreciated

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by M80DCX

... All usual electricals kick in but no crank at all, as though the signal is cut off before reaching the fuel rail [Signal that is supposed to occur when you press START with Clutch pedal depressed is 12V+ signal from "Terminal 50" in the CAS Module to the Starter Solenoid, as described in detail below]... 3) When you then Press Brake or Clutch and press START button, does Starter Solenoid "click" either once or repeatedly? YES from what i can hear - Starter is less than 4weeks old...

If the Starter is new, and you had NO issues with Starter Cranking between the time the New Starter was installed, and the Dealer did the JB Cable recall repair, the MOST LIKELY scenario is that the Dealer did SOMETHING that caused the issue.

Did you start the vehicle, either AT the Dealership, OR at any stop on your way home?
Did Dealer have car running when you got in to drive home?
How many minutes was the drive home, and were your headlights on?
Do you have a Multimeter, and what is the Battery Voltage, measured at the Jumpstart Terminals under the Hood?

If you don't have a multimeter, INPA or ISTA will read Battery Voltage in the two Screens I attached ScreenPrints of earlier. For Instance on the INPA Screen, "Diagnose Terminals/ Klemmen", Rows 1, 4 & 6 ALL show 12.34 V at the time the ScreenPrint was made, with Ignition ON, Engine OFF. That's Terminal 30 (Battery Voltage), Terminal R (Radio) & Terminal 30g (Accessory, such as Climate Control Panel).

Since we want to FULLY Diagnose CAS function in the Startup Process, I would suggest using INPA and the CAS Screen described & attached earlier, with Menu Selection Sequence:
CAS > F5 Status > F2 Analog > F1 Diagnose Terminals

If your Battery Voltage is less than 12.0 Voltage on Rows 1, 4 & 6 on that screen, with Ignition ON, then either your Alternator was NOT charging on the way home, OR you have some parasitic draw which drained the battery overnight. If your Battery Voltage on one or more of those rows is > 12.0V, WATCH the KL50 Rows #7 & 8 while you press START with Clutch depressed. If you do NOT get 10V to 12V on KL50 with START pressed, there is an issue with CAS Activation of the Starter Solenoid. Repeat the Test Pressing START, and note AMPS/Current/Strom of KL50, shown in bottom-right bar graph. Save/Post ScreenPrint if you're NOT sure what it shows.

If you do NOT get any KL50 Voltage when you press START with Clutch depressed, then need to use ONE MORE INPA Screen, which will show if Clutch Switch is operating properly and its signal is being received by CAS to enable Terminal 50 Activation. The INPA Screen to do that is attached below. It is a "Digital screen" where circles fill or darken to denote a switch momentarily ACTIVE, so the circle to the right of "Clutch"/ Kupplung should darken when Clutch Pedal is pressed, if Clutch Switch (S805a) is working correctly. That Screen is CAS > F5 Status > F1 Digital > F2 Terminal Control.

Here is the TIS wiring diagram for the CAS Module in your 2008 330i:
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...system/uXuCNh9

While you are connected to the CAS Module, Check to see if there is any Fault Code Saved in CAS Fault Memory: CAS > F4 > F1 Read Fault Memory (Fehlerspeicher lesen). I would suggest saving ALL pertinent INPA or ISTA Screens (1) so you have a record of what was viewed, and (2) so you can attach a jpg of the ScreenPrint on the Forum, so we can all learn something.

Just press the <PrtSc> button to save one screen to Windows working memory, then open "Paint" (Windows accessory Photo Editor app) and Paste (Ctrl+V) the screenprint to Paint. SaveAs a jpg file in folder of your choice. When you are going to attach such a jpg file to a post on this forum, RESIZE copy to "50%", maintaining aspect ratio (so as NOT to destroy margins).

The ISTA Definition of "A3B2" is "No Message (terminal status), receiver instrument panel, transmitter CAS". BMW Fault Code Lookup provides the SAME Definition, and I presume you found that Code in KOMBI/ Instrument Cluster. Any signal from the CAS Module to the KOMBI/ Instrument Cluster would be via the K-CAN Bus, routed through the JBE (Junction Box Electronics) Module. Here is the KOMBI wiring diagram, showing its connection to the JBE.
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...luster/jPWkjxB

George

[gbalthrop]

I failed to cover the basics in using INPA or ISTA in my previous posts, and also did NOT properly answer your question about "solving fault code A3B2 with ISTA". I assumed you had used ISTA to read that fault code and it was the ONLY fault code read by ISTA. Since that is NOT clear, I would suggest starting over, and I will NOW provide information as if you had NEVER used ISTA at all since installing it on your laptop.

The Definition of A3B2 provided by ISTA is that the KOMBI Module is NOT receiving a signal from the CAS Module. That signal is sent from CAS Module to KOMBI Module via the K-CAN "Bus". That Bus wiring goes "through" the JBE "Gateway" on its way from CAS to KOMBI, so if the K-CAN wiring or connections had an issue, there would be "No Message" received by the KOMBI Module.

However, that same fault, AND the failure of the CAS Module to Activate the Starter Solenoid when START button is pressed can ALSO be due to lack of power supply to the CAS Module. Here is the TIS wiring diagram for your CAS Module again. Note the TWO fuses in the upper-left corner of the schematic:
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...system/uXuCNh9

The CAS Module is powered by TWO fuses: F36 (40-Amp) which is the Main Power supply or "Load". Terminal 30L voltage is shown as Terminal 30L (KL30L) on the INPA Screen, or ISTA screen, I attached earlier.

The second fuse shown in the diagram is F55 (5-Amp) which is the Power Supply for the "Electronics" of the CAS Module. If that fuse were blown and no power supplied to the CAS Module from the Red/Blue wire "30<55", the CAS Module cannot function electronically at all, and the CAS Module would NOT be found on the ISTA "Control Unit Tree". It would be shown in RED. If there were a fault saved in CAS Module Memory, it could NOT be read by either INPA or ISTA, and NEITHER software could "Connect" to that module. If you CAN connect to the CAS Module using INPA, and the "Diagnose Terminals/ Klemmen" screen shows 12V+ for KL30E on the top-right bar graph, then fuse F55 is intact.

So IF you have used ISTA before, and at least know how to "Read Out Vehicle Data", I would suggest doing what one would do to BEGIN most any fault diagnosis where the cause is totally unknown:

1) Connect Laptop to OBD II Socket and Open ISTA. At the ISTA opening screen;

2) Click on "Operations" Tab on Top-Left of Menu buttons;

3) Click on "Read Out Vehicle Data" Tab in center of 3rd row;

4) Click on "Complete Identification" button at bottom-right of screen;

5) After brief delay, a "Control Unit Tree" screen will appear, which will show ALL the Control Units/ Modules in the Vehicle (~ 20), and the "Bus" line to which each Module is connected. Save a ScreenPrint of that Control Unit Tree screen and attach it here. If the CAS is Green, it has NO Fault Code saved in Memory and is communicating. If the CAS is Yellow, it has one or more Fault Codes, but is communicating via the Bus system. If the CAS is RED, it is NOT communicating, and fuse F55 should be checked as first step.

6) NOTE the number of Fault Codes found in Lower-Left corner of screen. Press "Display Fault Memory" button in Lower-Right corner of screen;

7) A LIST of ALL Modules with Fault Codes saved in Fault Memory appears; select/ click on ANY Fault code that mentions CAS Module (such as A3B2) and click "Calculate Test Plan" button in Lower-Right of screen;

8) ISTA SHOULD provide a "Flow Chart" type of series of things to TEST. I have NOT used ISTA much, as I usually use INPA to simply read data and do my own Tests based upon my understanding (or lack of it ;-) of the system in question, depending upon TIS wiring diagrams. ISTA should, at least in many cases, help someone who does NOT fully understand the system to know what to TEST. Think of it as "Directed Diagnostics" or a Flow Chart approach for Shop Techs, created by Engineers who understood the system.

Please save a lot of ScreenPrints for your own future reference in use of ISTA (or INPA if you choose to use that), and attach jpg files of those screens here so we can all "Play along at Home".

George