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      06-16-2017, 09:50 PM   #1
3002 tii
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Solution for Catless Headers (Off-Road Use Only)

So you're contemplating catless headers for your off-road vehicle but want to get rid of that pesky CEL and get your car in an emissions ready state . Well as of now there's 4 options:

1) Spacers/Defoulers (Fabspeed)
2) O2 Simulators (VRSF)
3) DME Tuning (AA or BPC)
4) Relocate rear o2's


Couple things to note

1) Spacers/Defoulers can be hit or miss but Fabspeed just released a new o2 spacer with mini catalytic converter. This 2 piece design with angled fittings also allows for an easier install when clearance is limited.

2) The newest line of sims by A r e a 74 has built in software that reads the actual o2 sensor voltage and cleans it up so the PCM thinks a functioning cat is present.

3) Tuning is the easiest but most costly. However some n52 owners reported that over time their tune was no longer able to get the oxygen monitor set as complete despite having done so before.

4) M owners have been able to relocate rear o2's by using euro cats but no such thing exists for n52's. Presumably you could install a pair universal 200 cell high flow cats.


What I Chose

I chose to go with the o2 simulators due to ease of install and the cost being similar to Fabspeed spacers. The downside is if your rear o2 connectors aren't easily accessible (e.g. underneath car), it may require you to install them by the DME. In order to minimize splicing, I used Posi-taps and Posi-locks.

I will update this thread in the next few days to see how they hold up.
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Last edited by 3002 tii; 09-03-2019 at 07:44 PM..
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      06-16-2017, 11:13 PM   #2
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Cool, interested in how you get on. Subbed
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      06-21-2017, 06:29 PM   #3
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Disclosure: This DIY simply describes the process I used in order to do my own installation but I take no responsibility for your car. You are performing this install at your own risk and I cannot be held liable for any damage to your car. Anyone considering this install should most certainly copy of their DME pinout diagram. The wire references below are specific to the Z4 3.0si (n52 engine) with MSV70 ecu.


Installation

The o2 simulator has 4 wires that connects to 3 wires from your cars. From your car, you can access these wires whether from the o2 sensor (or harness) or the DME. Using the o2 sensor / harness is less “risky” but may not be a viable option depending on your engine layout. Accessing from DME comes with risk is you choose wrong wire but has benefits of being closed/hidden.

1. Take note of general mapping for wires (o2 simulator -> car)
  • red wire from the o2 sim ->12v (power)
  • black wire from the o2 sim -> rear o2 ground
  • yellow and gray wires from o2 sim -> rear o2 signal

2. Connect the red and black wires first just so you can verify the unit is powering up (green light will flash).

3. Next step is to connect the yellow and gray wires from the o2 sim. One end will connect to your gray o2 sim wire and the other end will connect to your yellow o2 sim wire. This makes sense as the signal from your o2 sensor needs to be processed by the simulator before reaching your DME.

Note you do NOT need to cut the 12v or ground wires but you WILL need to clip the rear o2 signal wire. Before making any cuts however, be sure there's enough length for you to connect each end of the signal wire to your sim.


3A. If installing the o2 sim onto the rear o2 sensor (or harness), A74 was kind enough to send me this diagram:



3B. If installing the o2 sim by the DME (which is what I did), I tapped the following wires for the MSV70:

Sub-connector x60002 (26 pin)
wires 19 & 20 for rear o2 signal
wires 23 & 24 for rear o2 ground

Sub-connector x60003 (6 pin)
wire 1 for 12v (power)

Keep in mind these wire references may differ so more the reason to get the pinout diagram and confirm which wire does what. I’ve attached below the pinout diagram for my 3.0si N52 coupe.

4. After connecting the correct wires, I tucked the sims back inside the DME enclosure, hooked up my laptop, cleared codes and reset adaptations.

Total install time was 30 mins (though I probably read whatever instructions I could gather for an hour to muster up the confidence to tap my DME wires). To be honest, the most difficult part was reinstalling the DME with the birds nest of wires. As to why I chose the DME route, installing by the o2 connector on my N52 wasn't even an option because the harness connects underneath the car unlike the S54/N55 where it sits up top. Secondly, as mentioned above, by installing it in the DME enclosure it's totally out of sight and will be protected from heat/cold/wet. The only downside of course is that cutting/tapping any wire leading to your DME is cringeworthy...
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File Type: pdf A6000 MSV70 Pinout (Z4).pdf (456.6 KB, 1037 views)
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      06-21-2017, 06:32 PM   #4
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Impressions so far

It usually takes me a few days to get all the readiness monitors to set, but to my surprise I got 6 of 7 monitors cleared just during the first 20 minutes of driving. The 7th which was EVAP completed the following day. In the week or so of driving I haven't gotten any CEL, but I will update this thread if any codes pop up.

Driving impressions

The car drives perfectly normal and if anything I think the sims may have actually eliminated my fluctuating idle. Despite what everyone says the rear o2's do play a small part with fuel trim adjustments. And ever since I installed these headers I've been trying to diagnose a fluctuating idle. This leads me to believe the car's PCM is not able to make the proper adjustments when the rear o2 readings are so close/direct in the absence of a cat. In my case I think the o2 sim is doing what's it's supposed to do in providing a signal as if a normal cat were there.


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      06-22-2017, 10:11 AM   #5
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Id be interested in more in depth info on how those Sims work without knowing when the DME tests the cats. Under the right conditions the computer will dump fuel and then lean it out to see how much oxygen the cats can hold. It does this by watching the downstreams react accordingly. Unless if BMW uses a different testing technique.
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      06-23-2017, 05:59 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Punisher3.0si View Post
Id be interested in more in depth info on how those Sims work without knowing when the DME tests the cats. Under the right conditions the computer will dump fuel and then lean it out to see how much oxygen the cats can hold. It does this by watching the downstreams react accordingly. Unless if BMW uses a different testing technique.
You should email them directly at "support @ area 74 (one word) dot ca", I'm sure they can answer your questions.
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      10-12-2018, 05:46 PM   #7
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If you are tapping into the DME, do you need two simulators or 1?
Please advise, I am trying to fix my N52 beater since it needs to be sent in for emissions testing sometime the next month.
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      10-12-2018, 06:43 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GORDON.M3 View Post
If you are tapping into the DME, do you need two simulators or 1?
Please advise, I am trying to fix my N52 beater since it needs to be sent in for emissions testing sometime the next month.
2 for n52 (one for each rear o2)

If tapping into DME, be sure to get the correct pin out diagram for your specific ecu (as opposed to what I posted which was for my Z4).
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      10-12-2018, 11:07 PM   #9
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I'm having a hard time understanding how you wired it directly to the DME, the diagram only shows 1 A74 unit being used.
And two wires from the A74 unit directly going into the yellow wire from the DME connector?
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      10-12-2018, 11:25 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GORDON.M3 View Post
I'm having a hard time understanding how you wired it directly to the DME, the diagram only shows 1 A74 unit being used.
And two wires from the A74 unit directly going into the yellow wire from the DME connector?
The second picture was drawn up by a74 and is intended to show which wires from DME correspond to which wires on the rear o2 but you’d essentially have to replicate the install for the 2nd rear o2.

If you read my 1st post I actually describe which wires I used when installing both sims (and you can cross reference against the pdf to see which harness I used).
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      10-18-2018, 12:31 AM   #11
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Edit - deleted the 2nd picture to avoid confusion and just clearly described what I did.
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      10-19-2018, 03:23 PM   #12
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Can you please re-upload the second photo, I need to use it as a reference.
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      10-19-2018, 07:17 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GORDON.M3 View Post
Can you please re-upload the second photo, I need to use it as a reference.
Here you go
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