andyb184 7 Report post Posted July 29, 2014 (edited) My E46 was imported from Japan and came with the infamous 2-button Infrared (IR) remote control system. The range of the IR signal is extremely limited and also requires a direct line of sight to the car. After reading through some forum threads combined with some of my own findings it seemed fairly easy to convert from IR to RF. This is a guide to inform you of the basic steps. I’d like to thank Colin from http://bmwgm5.info for giving me some suggestions and helping me along the way to make this work. On cars with infrared control the antenna for the central-locking system (FZV) is incorporated with the receiver into the interior rear view mirror, whereas the radio frequency receiver is part of the antenna amplifier which is installed in the left C-pillar. In both instances the receiver produces a digital signal based on the transmitter command (IR vs. 315/433MHz) and sends it to the GM5 for processing. The GM5 then carries out all remote locking and opening features, along with the DWA arming/disarming functions. The one thing both locking systems have in common is the incoming signal at Pin#49 of the General Module unit (X253, 54-pin, black plug connector). 1) Antenna Amp w/ RF receiver You must replace the antenna amplifier. There are 2 different frequencies used (315 MHz and 433 MHz) which vary from country to country. You must first determine which frequency you want. You could go either way but you probably want to make sure you are in compliance with federal requirements. # 65 25 6 906 074 433 MHz EU # 65 25 6 906 075 315 MHz US/JAP/CAN I found a used 433 MHz Antenna Amp on ebay for about $30. As a side note, you often find the older-style diversity Amp (99-01) featuring an extra co-axial connector for signal quality determination. I do not recommend getting one of these. People who upgrade their business radio later but have the old amp installed often discover degradation in radio reception quality until they also finally decide to replace the amp for a newer one. There are various threads on this issue across the boards if you're interested. 2) Matching Keys (diamond style 3-button key) For this I didn’t go to the dealer but decided to take the DIY route which proved to be a lot cheaper: I ordered two uncut EWS Remote Key 3 Button 433MHZ BMW HU92 key blade including virgin transponder chip and AK90 Key programmer, all for about $140 on ebay. The locksmith finally charged me $40 to cut both keys. You might be able to find an automotive locksmith that can also program the transponder for you. 3) Wiring You need to run your own wiring harness from the Amp (connector X1143) to the GM5 and fuse box behind the glove compartment. In a nutshell: On a sedan, you pop off the left rear seat side bolster and remove the front and back inner door sills to expose the carpet entry points. Then route your new harness alongside the existing one to the front of the car using some zip ties. Parts needed: # 61 13 8 377 072 Universal socket housing, 3 POL. # 61 13 1 393 702 Terminal socket (0.2–0.5 mm2), come in 10-pack 10ft of 2-conductor stranded wire, 20AWG (0.5mm2) 2 scotchlok or quick-splice connectors Cut both strands of your wire to same length and crimp a terminal to each end of the wire, only Pin#1 and #3 are needed. If you are lucky the amp will come with an old snipped off connector plug like mine did which you can reuse and save a bit of money. Important: Disconnect the negative battery lead (ground cable) before tapping into the fuse box and GM5 unit! I am not going into detail on how to locate and gain access to the GM5 or the back of the fuse box as there are plenty instructions available on the web. Using the scotch connectors, tab the wire coming from Pin#1 to the back of Fuse49 (Red/Violet wire). Pin#3 wire gets spliced to the wire at Pin#49 (Blue/Red wire) of plug connector X253 (middle one) at the GM5 module. Be aware, there is another Blue/Red wire running inside the X253 harness, although slightly bigger in diameter. Best is to unplug the X253 from the GM5 and push the actual 54-pin connector out of its black housing to reveal the pin-outs which are all numbered. There is a small white tab securing the connector in its housing which you will need to slide out before. After you identified the correct Pin#49 you can wiggle on the wire and splice into the harness further up. Note: It’s probably a good idea to double-check your wiring to rule out any connectivity issues before putting everything back together. When you connect a meter to Pin#1 and one of the grounded T20 Torx screws of the Amp you should read +12V. Pin#3 should give you a reading of +5V. Check if the +5V drop slightly when pressing any button on the RF key fob, same goes for the IR key. 4) Key Programming I noticed that upon completion of the retrofit you have to switch the ignition on and off briefly for the vehicle's electrical system to recognize the new components. After that you should be able to proceed with the standard BMW syncing procedure for the diamond-shaped key. The IR key will work as well as it should be still connected to the GM5. 5) Retro-fit Coding This retrofit is not coding-relevant! You could add it to the VO of your car if it really matters to you but it will not make a difference in functionality. For the sake of completeness I used NCSExpert and added Option S874A RADIO FREQUENCY 434 MHZ and also removed S875A INFRARED REMOTE CONTROL – it didn’t make a difference at all. All the other components that complete the RF system, such as the rear window antenna, trap circuit and EWS ring around the top of ignition cylinder for inductive charging are already installed by BMW. The electric trunk lock will also work with the new key. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thanks Edited October 14, 2014 by andyb184 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dogballs 115 Report post Posted July 30, 2014 nice write-up. well done! thats interesting the RF and IR both work together.. great if you don't have NCS etc. all up cheaper than a replacement key from BMW NZ too! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neal 540 Report post Posted July 30, 2014 Great write up. Did you also add a inductance charging ring to the ignition to charge the keys ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2421 Report post Posted July 30, 2014 Very impressive work, bet this will be useful for a lot of people. Well done Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted July 30, 2014 one of the biggest annoyances on older e46s those IR remotes. too bad im too scared to take on such a job but good write up none the less! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted July 31, 2014 Interesting..... I have a 433mHz RF system that came from an NZ new 5er I parted this year. Only have 1 key but do have everything else........... tempting! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andyb184 7 Report post Posted July 31, 2014 Great write up. Did you also add a inductance charging ring to the ignition to charge the keys ? no need to modify anything, the EWS ring antenna is already in place and a key with coil antenna integrated will be charged inductively. The key fobs I bought initially came with a coin cell battery. I swapped out the circuit board for one of these EWS Remote 3 Button Board 433MHZ for BMW E46 KEYLESS KEY - works like a charm. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neal 540 Report post Posted July 31, 2014 Great solution ! I noticed the infra red aerial amp on the right rear pillar when doing a rear speaker replacement and thought it was in an odd place. Especially when the ir receivers led is in the clone noise. You've worked through the system well. I was thinking that the charge coils would need adding and the ews would need some kind of custom load. Tim325 needs to see this thread for his compact project. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andyb184 7 Report post Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) Great solution ! I noticed the infra red aerial amp on the right rear pillar when doing a rear speaker replacement and thought it was in an odd place. Especially when the ir receivers led is in the clone noise. You've worked through the system well. I was thinking that the charge coils would need adding and the ews would need some kind of custom load. Tim325 needs to see this thread for his compact project. Sorry I didn't make it clear enough but all circuitry and components for the IR are housed in the mirror. The amp in the C-pillar is only for radio reception but you should double-check: It doesn't have a sticker showing the Frequency used (433 or 315Mhz) and it's also missing the X1143 3-pin connector. Edited July 31, 2014 by andyb184 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted August 1, 2014 Good on you. Have been through this also and still getting things sorted.The car has the radio entry/ central locking already fitted and it worked fine but after the engine trans plant and recoding it did not. Still have to get the gm5 checked to see if it has been turned off, altered or what ever the situations is. With the ews 3 I believe it is involved with the central locking remote entry system as part of the security of the vehicle as well. As the key that is being used to send the correct code to the ews at the moment is from a Japanese car and of the infrared type I'm not sure if I can run the radio system or have to convert to the infrared completely would prefer to stay with the radio type if I could. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
camera doctor 25 Report post Posted October 13, 2014 Do you know if this can be done on a E39 ?? I have always wanted to do this - especially as I already have a Diamond Key coded and cut to my car, after a stuff up my Jeff Grays ! On that - the key Grays sold me would be 433 MHz correct ?? ( is there a way to find out ? ) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andyb184 7 Report post Posted October 14, 2014 Do you know if this can be done on a E39 ?? I have always wanted to do this - especially as I already have a Diamond Key coded and cut to my car, after a stuff up my Jeff Grays ! On that - the key Grays sold me would be 433 MHz correct ?? ( is there a way to find out ? ) I would assume it's 433 Mhz (usually there is some fine print on the back showing the frequency). As far as the retrofit is concerned, I am not 100% sure what's involved but I think it's possible. Generally speaking, the RF locking system always consists of a key, GM, Amp and Antenna. Check behind the right hand (driver) C-pillar. You'll probably find a black antenna amp but similar to the one described above which will have to be replaced with a 433 Mhz counterpart. The new amp will also feature a 3-pin connector (X1143) but the pinout and connection to the GM3 and fuse block will be different. I will have to study the wiring diagrams to be more specific. PM me please. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted October 14, 2014 Definitely keen to find out if it will work for E39. Looking at doing the same on the wagon if possible Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andyb184 7 Report post Posted October 14, 2014 I double-checked yesterday and it looks like the amp could be either in the left or right c-pillar depending on the build of your car. The rest of the setup is very similar to the one above. To be sure, please pull both covers, take a good picture of the amp and post it in a new thread dedicated to the E39. Thanks 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sugarfree 5 Report post Posted October 20, 2014 Im considering on doing this on my e39 wagon. Seems quite intense tbh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted February 23, 2016 Changing of the amp etc is not hard the part you need to beware of is the Key side and what series your EWS is. This gets more involved as the number gets higher my situation was a New Zealand vehicle which was RF but a larger cc motor from a japanese vehicle which had infrared. Using the motors electronics ews DME etc throw the whole system out of line. To keep the RF set up I had to get new keys from E-bay have them cut the correct transponder chips fitted inside the keys and the motor ews. As this was way above me and after some research I found a member Tom who seems to do wonders with this stuff. These items were sent to him and he down loaded the EWS info aligned the two new keys and transponder chips to the EWS and tested it. Upon fitting it all the vehicle could be remote locked and unlocked engine fired up with the use of a single key. What Andy is describe may be slightly different and not to take anything away from the work Andy he has put in but always research and question as your situation may not be the same. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arata 30 Report post Posted October 16, 2019 (edited) Hi guys I'm trying to do this method with my e39 530i Sedan. So far I've installed the new amplifier (433mhz) and have already 2 new keys and transponders programmed (also 433mhz 3 button diamond-shaped). I'm just up to do the connection of the wiring from the amplifier and towards the GM3 but now I'm stuck with which wire to connect... Anyone have any idea??? Story of my car regarding with the key... Driver door physical key lock does not work... (in the progress of getting a new cylinder as it is different set up mechanism compared to e46) Remote key (infrared remote-control) does not work. But the central locking from inside the car (from the central locking button of the car) works and all the door lock and unlock. I've had enough look out on the internet with the mirror but mirror won't change anything... Obviously have tried to reprogram the key... nothing. Edited October 16, 2019 by Arata Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ00Z3 187 Report post Posted October 16, 2019 Looks like its pin 13 on connector X332 Pin out https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e39-530i-lim/YiZx8Vi Wiring diagram https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e39-530i-lim/dSjHwgZ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arata 30 Report post Posted October 18, 2019 On 10/17/2019 at 8:07 AM, NZ00Z3 said: Looks like its pin 13 on connector X332 Pin out https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e39-530i-lim/YiZx8Vi Wiring diagram https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e39-530i-lim/dSjHwgZ Hey you are legend! Thanks heaps! I was having nightmares trying to find the diagram everywhere... I'll try connect the wiring on my days off next and see what happens... I'll post up all the things I've done if it's successful... fingers crossed... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30kid 19 Report post Posted July 7 Old thread I know, but wondering if anyone can assist with my touring. A few years ago I setup some Ebay RF diamond keys. EWS all programmed easily, went to fit the aerial only to find the same unit already installed in the tailgate of my Jap 2000 touring. Proceeded to pair the keys and they all cycled locks indicated they're paired, however they won't do anything lock related other than the original infrared key, which I just proceeded with as at least I had several keys to start it. Had a look through NCSdummy and didn't see anything in the options list, do I need to add to the VO to get it to work? Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harper 536 Report post Posted July 7 No coding changes required to make this work. Check the signal wiring from the FZV module to the GM5 is done correctly. Is the frequency on the key the same as that of the FZV module in your car, 315 or 433MHz? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30kid 19 Report post Posted August 30 On 7/8/2024 at 9:18 AM, Harper said: No coding changes required to make this work. Check the signal wiring from the FZV module to the GM5 is done correctly. Is the frequency on the key the same as that of the FZV module in your car, 315 or 433MHz? Finally got around to checking this. Wiring is definitely correct. Just tried repairing again and it locks and unlocks in the pairing process so it definitely picks it up, just doesn't do anything after the fact. IIRC I even had voltage coming down the signal line when I last checked upon key operation, just no output from the GM5 other than with the infrared key. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ00Z3 187 Report post Posted August 31 For normal operation, could it be that the GM5 thinks that there is still a door/boot etc open and will not lock until that item is signaling that it is closed? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30kid 19 Report post Posted August 31 Just now, NZ00Z3 said: For normal operation, could it be that the GM5 thinks that there is still a door/boot etc open and will not lock until that item is signaling that it is closed? Nah there's not, tested by running the infrared straight after pairing both or one and that still works. It's very odd Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
