Not much info from Carly ?

[SvenG]

Since our little Z3 is from 1997 I assumed it might be a good idea to get a Carly WiFi and see what it reports about the mechanical condition of the beauty.

I was really surprised how little information the interface gave me. Maybe it is because our Z3 is old and most of the codes are not supported ?

It appears to have only gotten data from four possible sources (out of 30+):

BUILD-YEAR: 1997
MODEL: Z3 (E36/7, E36/8) Automatic engine recognition (80)
ADDITIONAL OBD: OFF
FAULTS: 5
ECUs: 4
​

Two of the found faults make some amount of sense:

Engine / Motor:
- Fault: Catalyst efficiency bank 1
- Code: 0000E9
​

This agrees with the check engine light and what the prior owner told me about needing to install the two new oxygen sensors.

The next one is more questionable:

2. Airbag:
<--------------------------->
Airbag:
- Fault: Left rear seat belt tensioners
- Code: 000011
​

We have no rear seat (obviously) but maybe this means that the tensioner that is supposed to lock the seatbelt in case of accident is non-operable ? The airbag light is indeed on and since there is no reported accident for the VIN I assumed someone had taken out a seat and triggered the light. I hate to do it but may have to ask the BMW dealer look at it as a faulty seatbelt would not be acceptable.

The last set of readings leave me bewildered, or should I say more bewildered:

13. Body:
<--------------------------->
Elektronische Fahrzeug-Immobilisierung:
- Fault: incorrect password
- Code: 000001
- Fault: general reset
- Code: 0000FF
- Fault: Power On Reset at diagnosis warm reset
- Code: 00000F
​

Any ideas about what I should do with these ?

I read some of the earlier posts/threads that indicated that a low battery voltage could cause strange readings but 13.9 volts seems more than adequate so that is presumably not the case here ?

The familiarization continues

Thanks in advance, as usual.



-Sven

 

[Brian H]

The OBDII port in the Z3 only connects to a few modules, if you want to connect to all the modules then you need an adaptor to connect to the 20pin round connector under the bonnet (hood).

The seatbelt pre tensioner issue is quite simple, if your airbag light is on, clear the code and see if it comes back, the pre tensioner wires are located under the seats and are prone to disconnection which causes this warning light.

 

[SvenG]

Hi Brian,

The OBDII port in the Z3 only connects to a few modules, if you want to connect to all the modules then you need an adaptor to connect to the 20pin round connector under the bonnet (hood).

That was the port I was using. First I tried just the connector in the passenger compartment and when that was so uninformative I tried the other adaptor under the hood but no joy, same result. Maybe the 1997 is just too old ?



-Sven

 

[gookah]

I have Carly, and it picks up hardly anything on the Z3 (even from the round plug)..
however it picks up loads on the Z4.

 

[5harp3y]

Probably due to the age of the car.

The app does tell you that it will scan for ecus that the car might not even have .