Cruise control retrofit

[PattheCat]

Hi Zoners, hoping someone can help me out in regards to the correct wiring harness for my car. My car was produced on 12/87 and from what I can gather, the harness was changed during this time and I'm unsure if the below means it will include my car or if I should be getting the older version. Is there a way for me to check?

NOTE: There are two versions of this harness. This is a picture of the harness 12/87 and BEFORE. The other harness is not compatible with cars with this date or before, and this harness is probably not compatible with cars produced after that date.

[onthames]

Hi Zoners, hoping someone can help me out in regards to the correct wiring harness for my car. My car was produced on 12/87 and from what I can gather, the harness was changed during this time and I'm unsure if the below means it will include my car or if I should be getting the older version. Is there a way for me to check?

NOTE: There are two versions of this harness. This is a picture of the harness 12/87 and BEFORE. The other harness is not compatible with cars with this date or before, and this harness is probably not compatible with cars produced after that date.

Does realoem show the same p/n for the harness for early and late models?

[TriggerFish]

Also be aware that the actuators are different between years too, so make sure that they match which ever loom it is you end up with...

viewtopic.php?p=2986022#p2986022

I can't help with which loom is needed though, but I'd _guess_ that, as the steering column switch doesn't change, the loom is only different to accommodate different pin outs on the actuators and/or ECU connector. But that's just a hunch... You could probably verify that with some wiring diagrams though

[Blanca]

As far as I can see my 2/87 320i does not have any connectors or facility for cruise control so I would have to change the loom.

[PattheCat]

[/quote]
Does realoem show the same p/n for the harness for early and late models?
[/quote]

Good shout, it shows:

61121385083
Wiring set cruise control

From:09/01/1987
To:-
Weight:0.188 kg
Price:$60.54

That suggests that it would be the later version of all the parts.

Also be aware that the actuators are different between years too, so make sure that they match which ever loom it is you end up with...

viewtopic.php?p=2986022#p2986022

I can't help with which loom is needed though, but I'd _guess_ that, as the steering column switch doesn't change, the loom is only different to accommodate different pin outs on the actuators and/or ECU connector. But that's just a hunch... You could probably verify that with some wiring diagrams though

Ah yes thank you, I need the actuator ending 1386242

[PattheCat]

As far as I can see my 2/87 320i does not have any connectors or facility for cruise control so I would have to change the loom.

From what I've read the retro fit is an easy process (allegedly) it's just finding the parts these days

[TriggerFish]

If you're hunting for parts, getting them from America is the best bet. I had to replace my actuator recently and did not find any of the 242 ones in the UK.

There is a complete set (sans speedo plug) on facebook at the moment, actually... Lemme find it...

[TriggerFish]

I paid £135 for the actuator a couple of months ago for context, if memory serves me. The ECUs are fairly easy to find cheaply on ebay - the hard bits are the stalk and the actuator. The US loom is too short for a UK car though. You can extend it, or, when I initially fitted mine a few years ago, the dealers had a new RHD loom for about £45

[PattheCat]

I paid £135 for the actuator a couple of months ago for context, if memory serves me. The ECUs are fairly easy to find cheaply on ebay - the hard bits are the stalk and the actuator. The US loom is too short for a UK car though. You can extend it, or, when I initially fitted mine a few years ago, the dealers had a new RHD loom for about £45

Yeh I've had a gander in ebay but only one from the UK loks like it's had the end cut off both ends

Wow amazing, thank you! I will get them a message and see if they are willing to ship to blighty

[BenHar]

Be aware that the left hand drive loom does not fit right hand drive.

Everything else is the same.

Right hand drive looms were available from BMW last time I looked.

Ben

[Blanca]

And stand by to nearly double that price with import tax, duty and VaT.

[Cloggy Saint]

And stand by to nearly double that price with import tax, duty and VaT.

Doesn't that only apply to new items, not used?

[Blanca]

And stand by to nearly double that price with import tax, duty and VaT.

Doesn't that only apply to new items, not used?

Nope.
I bought a part from USA recently and after import duty, admin charge and VAT it was nearly double. I don't buy from USA any more, or UK for that matter.

[DanThe]

And stand by to nearly double that price with import tax, duty and VaT.

Doesn't that only apply to new items, not used?

Use your loaf and tell the sender to mark the value appropriately

[30316]

UK customs charge -import duty + vat and if Royal Mail deal with it then there is admin fee (I think it is £8). The duty and vat is calculated on the total of cost of item + postage on anything over £35.

[DanThe]

Its £135 for goods
If you mark items as a gift the value where tax is applied is £39

https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty

[twenty]

Its £135 for goods
If you mark items as a gift the value where tax is applied is £39

https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty

If goods are marked as gift and then gets lost/damaged in transit good luck recovering actual value compensation from the courier.

[DanThe]

Its £135 for goods
If you mark items as a gift the value where tax is applied is £39

https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty

If goods are marked as gift and then gets lost/damaged in transit good luck recovering actual value compensation from the courier.

Exactly

[PattheCat]

Hi all,

So a while has passed and I thought I would update you as to my experience.

Firstly thank you TriggerFish for sending me that Facebook advert, the seller was a genuine nice chap and agreed to sell via Paypal and got a quote for shipping. There was a hiccup as US customs decided that a description of "Car Parts" was not sufficient was clearance and sent it back to the seller ... annoying but I was in no rush.

Customs Charges:
To answer the cost of Customs debate above, the seller said he was going to be honest with the price, and if I'm honest I was more than happy for him to do it, didn't want him out of pocket if something were to go wrong. Customs Charge came to a total of £51.51 in the end, not the end of the world.

The parts supplied
After looking the usual places for parts (Ebay, Facebook, gumtree) for cruise control parts, a lot of the stuff here seems to have been removed by an Ape, watch out for cut cables and harnesses, broken plastic pieces on the throttle cable link etc... Also the prices are INSANE. I was therefore relived when I cracked open my box and everything was included and in really good condition, he even included the Cruise Control module harness (we will come back to that below).

The Install
Overall this was really easy due to the great write up on the Wiki. There are a few things that I would like to add to help future zoners who might stumble across this post:

1. LHD harnesses - As User BanHar said above, the wiring harness is a little different. The main change you will have to do is remove some of the wrapping and extend the 12v wire. The cable is spliced by factory, so I just removed the splice and taped up the exposed wire so as not to short it out on anything. I then used some 12v safe wire to extend. The aim is to make it long enough so it plugs into the accessory socket behind the glovebox and the other half (with the cruise lever) reached the drivers side.

Cable

2. The Install - Again due to the write up on the Wiki this was a breeze, except for a few things that I feel need more description:

a. I still have no idea where the ECU module is meant to bolt to and if anyone know please let me know... every write up states "Bolt the cruise module above the cars main ECU module". I Honestly spent about an hour looking at any place that it would make sense above the ECU and I had to give up. I've just made sure it isn't going to move around and have kept the bracket in hopes that I one day stumble on something that tells me where it bolts to. Complete mystery at present

b. This is where the Green accessory plug plugs into... I had a moment where I couldn't see where it goes (I know, I'm a fool)

c. The screw that holds the existing windscreen wiper stalk is not long enough to re-use like the write up suggests. I was lucky to find a longer screw in my tool box but this could be a headache for some if they don't have random crap hanging around in their shed. Also note that there are two plastic nubs that line up with cruise stalk.

d. I was dreading removing a piece of plastic from the steering column trim, but it turns out this is really easy. I just used some snips on the two straight edges and then wiggled it free, was really simple.

e. The actual actuator location. This confused me for a while... I removed the airbox and was trying to work out where it went, I gave up and stuck the airbox back on... that's when I realised how dim I was being. The actuator is installed on the other side of the airbox, above the ABS module (if you have one). I didn't think it would go there until I realised the metal pole that was too thick for the actuator to fit over was actually a threaded rod that someone had put a small white plastic tube over... remove that an bolt it into place using the airbox fixings.

Results
Took the car out for a test drive and I'm happy to report it works perfectly , bonus pic of my car.

[BenHar]

On RHD cars the cruise ECU goes above the glove box on the left, not the main ECU (which is on the right on RHD).

Great write up.

Ben

[onthames]

Awesome. I've got all the kit so this will be a great help

[TriggerFish]

Good info there - should be a good help for people in the future! Glad that seller worked out for you too I couldn't work out where to fit the ECU either (I know it's meant to go, but I could not figure it out!) I just keep mine either in the glovebox, or under the heater matrix - one of the two)

One question on yours - how 'responsive'/accurate is it? I realise it's not going to be as fast to engage/disengage as a modern DBW system, but I find mine takes a couple of seconds to engage/disengage/respond to speed requests, but even more annoyingly:

- I'm travelling at 30mph. I engage cruise control
- it doesn't engage the throttle (target speed met, after all)
- speed drops to, say, 25mph. Cruise control engages to reach 30mph again
- car overspeeds to 35mph, and then cruise disengages
- car slows to 25mph, and the cycle repeats.

It's also really slow to react to going/up down hills and will drop massively below the target speed before it registers can kicks in again.

Is yours the same, or do I have a dodgy ECU?

[PattheCat]

On RHD cars the cruise ECU goes above the glove box on the left, not the main ECU (which is on the right on RHD).

Great write up.

Ben

Ahhh see I did look here to and again the only "obvious" spot I could see it wouldn't physically fit, I will have another look this weekend.

Awesome. I've got all the kit so this will be a great help

Let me know if you work out where in the glove box the ECU goes!

One question on yours - how 'responsive'/accurate is it? I realise it's not going to be as fast to engage/disengage as a modern DBW system, but I find mine takes a couple of seconds to engage/disengage/respond to speed requests, but even more annoyingly:

- I'm travelling at 30mph. I engage cruise control
- it doesn't engage the throttle (target speed met, after all)
- speed drops to, say, 25mph. Cruise control engages to reach 30mph again
- car overspeeds to 35mph, and then cruise disengages
- car slows to 25mph, and the cycle repeats.

It's also really slow to react to going/up down hills and will drop massively below the target speed before it registers can kicks in again.

Is yours the same, or do I have a dodgy ECU?

Hmm Ive only had a few tests of the cruise but it seems ok to me. Once it's pegged, it's pegged at that speed until I turn it off. When I first engage it the mph will drop a little bit, but my guess is that's due to the actuator getting the tension right on the cable. Haven't been down any particularly long downhill sections but it seems to disengage fine too to maintain the desired speed.

From the top of my head one thing to check could be the cruise cable tenstion. I made sure that the throttle and cruise cable were both tight, set to the point just before a gentle pull would start engaging the throttle. I would maybe look at that first? If it's slack it could potentially mean more movement is required by the actuator to change the throttle position which may explain why it's struggling to manage it?

[TriggerFish]

Interesting, thanks.

Yes - throttle cable tension is fine (cable is brand new, too). Both foot and cruise throttle cables are one or two turns of the white adjuster from making the TPS click off-idle.

Given your feedback, I figure it's probably worth replacing the cruise ECU (given the cost/scarcity of the actuator) - they're available pretty cheaply, so fingers crossed. Sorry for the highjack, but good to confirm how it should operate.

[TriggerFish]

For the sake of completeness, I checked my cruise ECU, and it's part number 1385557. I have ordered a 1386189 to see if that makes any difference. This is the same pairing of ECU/actuator part numbers that Pat is using (based on that facebook advert), so hopefully that'll give me something a bit better behaved!

[PattheCat]

Let us all know how it goes. What does realoem state for your car? My VIN brings back 1386189 for the module

[TriggerFish]

I didn't check the VIN. I should probably do so next time I find something with the VIN on it (I bought this as a complete retrofit kit so didn't validate part numbers at the time, but between replacing the loom, actuator, ECU and Bowden cable, all I really bought was the green plug and stalk! ).

Anyway, I fitted the 1386189 ECU earlier and took it for a super short run (first time it's been driven in months, and it cut out (low fuel?), so as I didn't have my wallet with me, didn't dare go far) and can report that the cruise control seems to work perfectly now!

It'll hold a steady speed, resume a speed without an overspeed, and you can increase the speed via the stalk as you should (ie, two flicks is 2mph), so I'm incredibly happy!

Now either, my old cruise ECU was broken, or cruise ECU 1385557 isn't fully compatible with the post facelift E30 (my best guess is that it's sampling the speed data from the speedo at a different frequency, or something, but that's purely a hunch!)