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Manual swap wiring

2976 Views 13 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Adam772
Hey all,
Nearing the end of my 5 speed swap but have one last problem. When I removed the automatic shifter it was in drive which was my mistake and was wondering if anyone had insight on the wiring?

I looked through the wiring on other swaps on the forums but could not find any where they had to bypass the neutral safety switch.

Thanks in advance
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What's the issue? Car won't start because it thinks it's in gear? Any plans on coding out the A/T in the computer?
What's the issue? Car won't start because it thinks it's in gear? Any plans on coding out the A/T in the computer?
car won’t start. I was planning on wiring the reverse lights and clutch safety switch as mentioned in the other thread. Correct me if I’m wrong but the neutral safety switch is why it won’t start?
Yes. That MUST be wired up before trying to start the car. You don't need reverse lights to start the car. But wire up the NSS at the clutch

Edit: Actually I think you can bypass the NSS by jumping some pins on the AT wiring harness if in a pinch. But do it right, do it once :)
This should cover it.
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This should cover it.
thanks guys. Very helpful somehow I didn’t see that thread:):)

Edit: does anyone know what wiring I have to do to bypass NSS?
You can simply disable the clutch switch in the EWS (what huntroma calls neutral safety switch) with coding.
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Would you lose cruise control functionality if you coded it out? Or would it only code out the start up sequence needed for the ews?
You can simply disable the clutch switch in the EWS (what huntroma calls neutral safety switch) with coding.
well I was thinking about that however in the threads I read about coding they all use PA soft scanner but I couldn’t find one for sale outside of eBay. I have had really bad luck on eBay so I’m hesitant
You can use BMW Scanner 1.4 (what you incorrectly call PA Soft) on Windows 7 or older. We have a whole thread on it here.
Any of the cables on amazon or ebay should work fine.

NCS Expert from BMW Standard Tools is a more powerful tool for coding. It’s what BMW used at their factories.
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Would you lose cruise control functionality if you coded it out? Or would it only code out the start up sequence needed for the ews?
Coding the EWS to ignore the clutch switch simply lets EWS enable the starter to crank even when the clutch is not pressed. It has no bearing on the cruise control, which is all controlled by DME.
I used NCS to code the whole car as a manual.. I also coded out JUST the clutch safety switch using NCS..which I believe they didn't use in Europe anyway.. The cruise control is separate and should be unaffected.

OP be sue to unplug the EGS computer completely.
@Adam772 What is the production date of your E46?
The coding differs if before/after 09/2001.

ZCS pre-09/2001: DIY: How to Code ZCS for AT->MT swap
FA 09/2001+: DIY: How to Code FA for AT->MT swap
Thanks guys, it seems that I was misunderstanding what I had to do. And I have a 2001 330ci so I will use the link provided.

edit: the link you provided above comes with the required software? Additionally I thought some others were talking about a cable that you need to connect the scanner to obd2 but I can’t find where I read that again.

2nd edit: found the cable and the thread that includes the software download, Im good:)
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