E30 Zone

on the m30 loom what are the white 4 pin plug and the black 2 pin plug under the dash near ecu for?

ive pugged the loom in got power but nothing happens when i turn the key and i assume one of or both of these plugs are the cause.

theres a double block coming from near the speaker on the shell is this anything to do with them?

really want to hear the car running this weekend

black and white plugs on m30 loom


double plug from near speaker

I don't think they do anything you need to get working. On the e34 the ECU is in the engine bay and there are lots of other electrical bits which connect in. I didn't use these connections and had no problem starting

My best advice would be to follow the wiki guide which is the starting trouble shooting.

Worth checking the obvious bits first

battery connected? Earth straps connected and a good earth path from block to -ve terminal. Then check for voltage with a bulb at the coil terminals. Check the DME relay? can you turn the engine over on the diagnosis socket?

Does the ICV buzz with the ignition on?

Is the starter motor wired up right

Do you have the right cables on the +ve terminal and -ve strap from the engine loom and connection to the fuse box and body side distribution block?

thanks jim

battery connected and earth its got a good earth, starter motor is connected properly, icv is buzzing when ignition on.

i took the engine out of an already converted e30 and it fired up 1st time every time. the starter motors new but i think im not getting power to it.

ill try my coil from the 320i

Do i have to do anything to the body loom to get it running as i haven't touched it

also your leads are on they're way

also it says on wiki there is a power distribution block on the E32/34 loom, near the ECU, that needs a direct live feed to it.

thats why i thought one of the blocks above may have something to do with it

just put a new DME relay on and used my other coil still no joy.
dont think im getting power to the starter.. and i dropped my bonnet onto the wing and dented it

Have you tested the terminals on the back of the starter solenoid for voltage?

Sounds like an ignition issue ??

If this is a cranking issue, then NOTHING above is relevant.
Is the engine to body earth lead OK?
Is the thick black wire from battery+ to the starter motor solenoid in place?
If so, then the problem is with the black/yellow wire that goes through the C101.
Is it connected to the right terminal on the starter motor?
Is it getting power at the C101 when the key is turned to start? Unplug the engine loom and check with a bulb between black/yellow on the body side and earth when the key is turned to start?
Try connecting the relevant two pins in the diagnostic connect together to see if the engine cranks, assuming your M30 loom has both of these pins fitted.

Its definitely not getting any power to the black/yellow wire for some reason. Put a wire from battery to starter and it fired up straight away. Im not very good with this type of thing

Was the car the engine is fitted in an auto?

Its a manual m30 in a auto touring shell. I just bypassed pin 11 and 14 and fired up straight away. What would you suggest me doing?

I would suggest that you remove the cover above the glovebox, find two black/yellow wires each connected by single pole connectors to two single black wires, unplug both connectors, discard the black wires, and plug the two black/yellows together.
The black wires, the relay they attach to, and the other wires leading from the relay can all be removed from the car.

I just looked where the gearstick comes through and there are 2 yellow/ black wires but they are on 2 white connectors with 5 wites on each. I cant see the ones you said about.

You should be looking above the glovebox - nowhere near the gear stick!

Ohh lol I read wrong. I thought you wrote gearbox not glovebox

Brianmoooore you are a legend i cant thank you enough

plugged them two wires together and fired up instantly off the key

Result nice work, how's she running ??

They sound good don't they

M30 FTW