'02 Cranks, no spark, no injector signal

[thewizz]

Hi all, I am hoping someone out there might be able to lend me a hand.

Last Thursday I jumped in my Mini to head to work, cranked it up and it started then within a few seconds stalled (It has done this a number of times). However, when I tried to restart it all it would do was crank! Further checking revealed that I have good fuel pressure, but no spark or signals going to the fuel injectors.

I have settled on basically 4 possibilities after reading through NAM posts and posting on NAM myself. 1. bad crank sensor 2. bad cam sensor 3. bad DME 4. DME and EWS have stopped talking.

I don't have any way to really check the sensors and/or the modules at this point. What I am hoping is that someone local to Port Orange might have a good scanner or something that would be able to help me diagnose this issue a little better without just throwing a bunch of money at new sensors and such.

If not, I think I will buy a cable and try my hand at the INPA software to see if I can diagnose this any better!

Thanks everyone for reading!

[JBKone]

Well??

[thewizz]

I'm sorry for not following up. It has been a roller coaster of posts on multiple forums with very little responses....

The information is out there (kinda) but hard to find and interpret... Took me literally days if not weeks of searching and reading to figure things out.

I'm still not 100% how to define what was wrong. It was in the EWS module or the communication between the EWS module and the DME. I did end up purchasing a USB/OBDII cable and installing IMPA on a $20 laptop I bought from a surplus store. I installed windows XP on it and will use it for the sole purpose of communicating with the my Mini!

The biggest problem I ran into with the IMPA software is that most of the information about trouble shooting with it (that I found) is on BMW's and not Mini's and the menus are different... So it was hard trying to find someone who could help me figure out how to reset the EWS without screwing things up worse!

I finally got someone (enda320) on bimmerforums to help me figure out I needed to "reset the immobilizer". Which I have had to do another time since then.

On a side note, with the cable and laptop I have been able to program multiple features into my Mini using NCS Expert.

1. Open windows with key fob
2. Single click to unlock both doors
3. Auto up on both drivers and pass windows
4. Auto lock at 20mph
5. Auto unlock when I turn off the ignition
6. Daytime running lights.

I have been trying to figure out how to get the speed to read correct (I know it's possible on an R56), but everything I have tried has resulted in errors.

Thanks!

[JBKone]

My first question is What is the EWS? I think the DME is the main engine computer (but still not certain).

Then has the engine started yet? And those options sound great! I want!

Why did you need to reset the EWS? I still have no idea what's going on.

[thewizz]

My first question is What is the EWS? I think the DME is the main engine computer (but still not certain).

OK... The EWS is the module that tells the car that your key is the correct key. It "immobilizes" your car if you try to start it without the correct key.

Then has the engine started yet? And those options sound great! I want!

Yes, Sorry!

It is actually very easy to do the programming and it is a very minimal investment (mostly time!)

Why did you need to reset the EWS? I still have no idea what's going on.

Let me see if I can explain this.... There are a lot of posts out there on NAM and a number of other BMW forums that do a much better job than me!

Part of the Mini's security system is some sort of revolving code stored in the EWS that keeps people from trying to fake the system into thinking they have the correct key when they don't (one code might be easy to figure out but a revolving code is much more difficult). When the EWS recognizes the key it passes the code to the DME (yes the Engine computer) and since the DME and the EWS are both set to your VIN the DME recognizes the code and starts. What seems to happen is that the revolving code gets mixed up for some reason and the EWS passes a bad code to the DME so the DME thinks that you don't have the correct key. I guess that when you reset it, it restores the code?!?! I hope that makes some sense!