question about the 318/m3 wire covers (installing mine)

[nextelbuddy]

ok so i started installing my covers and before i finished up i started looking through all 24 pages of the engine bay thread and i just saw so many pictures that baffled me. heres my question:

how or why do so many people have their Diagnostic plug (large round one) on the driver side with their C101 plug? how is that even possible? my Round diagnostic plug is on the passenger side and i would literally have to cut tape and wiring insulation and possibly extend wires to stretch it allt he way over to the driver side.

[Jean]

Because the 318is/m3 covers have a space for the diagnostics port on that side maybe?

[RoadHazard]

Once you remove the M50 wiring cover, it doesn't matter which wire goes where. You can just move the wires over to the other side so the diagnostic plug fit in the stock E30 holder. BTW, you may need to cut some of the protective boots to be able to move the wires around.

[herlsy]

I extended one wire that went to the diagnostic plug to have it reach over to the drivers side, thats about it.

[nextelbuddy]

Because the 318is/m3 covers have a space for the diagnostics port on that side maybe?

that space is for the C101 plug on the driver side

Once you remove the M50 wiring cover, it doesn't matter which wire goes where. You can just move the wires over to the other side so the diagnostic plug fit in the stock E30 holder. BTW, you may need to cut some of the protective boots to be able to move the wires around.

no, i removed my M50 covers and theres no way it will just "extend" over i cut ALL of my protective boots off, all of them and the only way that wouold work is if i also cut off all the stock wire tape away as well

which means that people are purposefully pulling the diagnostic plug over to the driver side there theres no reason to. it clutters up that side even more with an area that is already low on space. it makes sense to just leave the siagnostic plug on the passenger wide like most others do.

I extended one wire that went to the diagnostic plug to have it reach over to the drivers side, thats about it.

way more than one wire to the diagnostic plug.

[jackbenny]

I put my diagnostic connector in the 318is stock location on the driver side. This required lengthening the wires to the connecor in order to reach the mount. I elected to wrap the wires with friction tape and ran them just underneath the harness holder. Can't really see it and still looks clean...or will when I finally get it put back together.

However I have seen many installations with the connector attached to the passenger side shock tower. It can look clean there too.

[sharky]

I put my c101 chassis plug in the provsion on the drivers side for the harness cover and then put the diag plug mounted on the pass shock tower, no wire lengthening here, just noth the cover for the wires

[RoadHazard]

You're right. There's no real reason besides to make it look stock. Nothing wrong with leaving the diag plug on the passenger side. A lot of people do. Some of them utilize the E36 plug holder on the passenger side.

[herlsy]

way more than one wire to the diagnostic plug.

What i mean is that if you pull the diagnostic connector over to the drivers side, you will see that there is one or two wires that dont have enough slack and may prevent the diagnostic plug from reaching the correct position.

[Mr. Horsepower]

On the S14 wire cover you have a space for the c101 inside the cover and a space for the diagnostics on the outside. I have done it that way with my S50.

The diagnostic wiring was way to long, so I cut it off and solder it back together in a shorter version. Then it fitted in the S14 wire cover diagnostic ring outside the wire cover.

[e30s50dan]

The reason is 325 harness are longer than the 525 have both and the 5 series are not long enough for the ecu to be in the stock 318 mount.