Hello! I just joined the group so I could share my experience installing an E36 GM4 (ZKE) body control module and RMIV relay module into my 325i convertible. I've been asked to share the details of this in the Facebook group but I believe that is a terrible venue for such information. I have been working on cars all of my adult life but I am an amateur. I welcome constructive criticism from anyone with more experience or knowledge.
*** Trigger Warning! The following procedure involves permanent modification to vehicle electrical and mechanical systems. ***
Why?
The E36 convertible window operation incorporates several improvements over that in the E30. E36s have one-touch up and down on door windows, one-touch down on rear windows, and a master switch with one touch-down for all windows simultaneously. E36 convertible door windows also drop about an inch when the doors are opened and go back up after they close thus achieving tighter contact with the upper seal without hanging up. The high current motor circuits go through relays so there is no damage to window switch contacts which plague so many E30s. All of these features are desirable to me so I chose to adapt the system to my ‘92 325i convertible.
I have not yet succeeded in getting the one-touch up to work. There may be another control circuit that needs to be powered up or I’m just not performing the learning procedure correctly. Everything else works as it should.
Things you’ll need:
The motors share the same mounting points and outside dimensions and position of the drive gear but there are differences which necessitate modification of the E30 regulators. While the E30 has a floating drive gear, the E36 has an extended gear shaft supported by a bushing in the regulator. The E36 motor’s gear housing is weaker and may flex without this support causing the mechanism to jam. I cut the bushing mount out of the E36 regulators and epoxied them onto my E30 regulators. They could also probably be welded but I don't have a machine. The E36 motor also interferes with the E30 regulator in three places so the regulators must be ground to provide clearance.
Wiring
The GM4 has 5 connectors (X10182, X13252, X13253, X13254, and X13255), and the RMIV has one (X13258). The pin assignments are as follows with those associated with the window functions highlighted:
The E30 cuts power to the window circuit during cranking via unloader relay 5 which provides power only in run. If we get power from this circuit as is, the windows will not function as intended when the doors open. The E36 GM4 receives a start signal to cut power during cranking, so unloader relay 5 is no longer needed. Pull the relay and put a jumper wire in place to provide constant power to the window circuit.
Whereas the E30 has a single 30 A circuit for all four windows, the E36 uses two 30 A circuits. Since I’ll never use the cigarette lighter for more than USB charging, I grabbed power for the rear window GMIV from there. It may not be necessary, but I took the added precaution because I don’t think the E30 electrical system was designed with the idea of operating all four windows simultaneously.
Power and ground for the window switch illumination comes from the ashtray bulb wires. All grounds are connected to the unused window switch grounds. You must run dedicated wires to the front doors for the hall effect sensors (power, signal, and ground). You must also create a separate circuit for each door jamb switch. As they are wired in the E30, the two door jamb switches are connected to the dome light ground. If you tap into this for your door open signal, both windows will drop when you open the driver door and stay down until the dome light timer goes out. The driver side switch has two terminals, the second being for the seatbelt warning and door chime. I unplugged that wire and connect the GM4 to the switch. The passenger side switch only has one terminal so I replaced it with a driver side switch and connected the second terminal to the GM4.
I didn’t document which wire I connected for the rear windows. I wired all of the window motors with the system powered so I could confirm polarity. I suggest doing the same before you make any of the connections permanent. I cut all of the E30 window switch connectors off and soldered all wires. You may wish to retain the connectors and use some type of spade connector. I also cut the connectors off of the E30 window motors and wired them to the E36 connectors.
*** Trigger Warning! The following procedure involves permanent modification to vehicle electrical and mechanical systems. ***
Why?
The E36 convertible window operation incorporates several improvements over that in the E30. E36s have one-touch up and down on door windows, one-touch down on rear windows, and a master switch with one touch-down for all windows simultaneously. E36 convertible door windows also drop about an inch when the doors are opened and go back up after they close thus achieving tighter contact with the upper seal without hanging up. The high current motor circuits go through relays so there is no damage to window switch contacts which plague so many E30s. All of these features are desirable to me so I chose to adapt the system to my ‘92 325i convertible.
I have not yet succeeded in getting the one-touch up to work. There may be another control circuit that needs to be powered up or I’m just not performing the learning procedure correctly. Everything else works as it should.
Things you’ll need:
- E36 convertible GM4 (ZKE) with connectors (or reprogramed sedan module)
- E36 convertible or sedan RMIV (Relay Module 4)
- E36 front window motors with connectors
- E36 front window regulators (to be sacrificed)
- E36 small base window switches (2 green, 2 white, 1 blue) with connectors
- E30 driver’s side door jamb switch (PN 61311370805)
The motors share the same mounting points and outside dimensions and position of the drive gear but there are differences which necessitate modification of the E30 regulators. While the E30 has a floating drive gear, the E36 has an extended gear shaft supported by a bushing in the regulator. The E36 motor’s gear housing is weaker and may flex without this support causing the mechanism to jam. I cut the bushing mount out of the E36 regulators and epoxied them onto my E30 regulators. They could also probably be welded but I don't have a machine. The E36 motor also interferes with the E30 regulator in three places so the regulators must be ground to provide clearance.
Wiring
The GM4 has 5 connectors (X10182, X13252, X13253, X13254, and X13255), and the RMIV has one (X13258). The pin assignments are as follows with those associated with the window functions highlighted:
| X10182 Small Black Connector | |||
| Pin | Function | Color (German) | E30 Chassis |
| 1 | Crash Signal | BR/SW/GR | |
| 2 | Light Signal | GR/BL | |
| 3 | X | ||
| 4 | Fuse 43 | VI/WS | Switched Power OBC pin 13 VI/WS |
| 5 | Ground | BR/OR | Window Switch Ground |
| 6 | X | ||
| 7 | Horn Relay (Alpine) | ||
| 8 | X | ||
| 9 | Data Link RxD | WS/GE | |
| 10 | X | ||
| 11 | Data Link TxD | WS/GE | |
| 12 | Start Signal | SW/GN | SW/GE OBC Start |
| 13 | X | ||
| 14 | X | ||
| 15 | EWS II | SW/GN | |
| 16 | X | ||
| 17 | X | ||
| 18 | 12 V constant | RT | Const. Power OBC pin 6 RT/WS |
| X13252 Large Black Connector | |||
| Pin | Function | Color (German) | E30 Chassis |
| 1 | Door Lock Motors Lock Signal | ||
| 2 | Door Locks Voltage Supply | ||
| 3 | Door Lock Heater | BR/GR | |
| 4 | Automatic Interior Lights | RT/SW | |
| 5 | X | ||
| 6 | Left Window Motor Voltage Supply | VI/WS | SW |
| 7 | Right Window Motor Voltage Supply | BL/GN | SW/BL |
| 8 | 12 Volt Constant 30 A Fuse | RT/BL | GN/BL Hot side of window breaker (breaker removed) |
| 9 | Trunk Locks Signal | ||
| 10 | 12 Volt 25 A | RT/GN | |
| 11 | Interior Lights Voltage Supply | VI/SW | |
| 12 | Interior Lights Fuse 33 | ||
| 13 | Left Window Motor Signal | SW/WS | VI |
| 14 | Right Window Motor Signal | GE/GN | VI/BL |
| 15 | Ground | BR | Window Switch Ground |
| X13253 Yellow Connector | |||
| Pin | Function | Color (German) | E30 Chassis |
| 1 | Driver Door Lock Motor Position Signal | WS/GN | |
| 2 | Pass Door Lock Motor Position Signal | WS/GN | |
| 3 | Trunk Lock Motor Lock Signal | WS/GN/GE | |
| 4 | Anti Theft Data Signal | ||
| 5 | X | ||
| 6 | X | ||
| 7 | SRS Control Crash Signal | BR/SW | |
| 8 | Left Hall Effect Sensor Signal | SW/GR | |
| 9 | Right Hall Effect Sensor Signal | GE/GR | |
| 10 | X | ||
| 11 | X | ||
| 12 | X | ||
| 13 | Door Lock Switches | WS/RT | |
| 14 | Driver Door Lock Signal | WS/SW | |
| 15 | Pass Door Lock Signal | WS/GR | |
| 16 | Trunk Lock Signal | WS/BL | |
| 17 | Anti Theft Data Signal | ||
| 18 | X | ||
| 19 | Central Lock Signal | RT/GN/GE | |
| 20 | E/A Data Signal (RMIV pin 12) | GN/RT | |
| 21 | X | ||
| 22 | X | ||
| 23 | Left Hall Effect Sensor Power | SW | |
| 24 | Right Hall Effect Sensor Power | GE/SW | |
| 25 | X | ||
| 26 | Trunk Lights Voltage Supply | ||
| X13254 Green Connector | |||
| Pin | Function | Color (German) | E30 Chassis |
| 1 | Driver Door Handle Switch | ||
| 2 | Driver Door Jamb Switch | BR/GR/GE | Door Chime side of switch |
| 3 | Pass Door Jamb Switch | BR/BL/GE | 2nd side of new switch |
| 4 | Convertible Trunk Lid Switch | GN/WS/GE | |
| 5 | Pass Rear Door Switch | ||
| 6 | Driver Door Window Switch Open | VI/WS | |
| 7 | Driver Door Window Switch Close | SW/WS | |
| 8 | Pass Door Window Switch Open | WS/GN | |
| 9 | Pass Door Window Switch Close | BL/GN | |
| 10 | Sedan Child Protection Switch | ||
| 11 | X | ||
| 12 | X | ||
| 13 | X | ||
| 14 | Trunk Lid Switch Signal | ||
| 15 | Data Signal (RMIV pin 10) | BL/GE | |
| 16 | Data Signal (RMIV pin 11) | SW/RT | |
| 17 | Data Signal (RMIV pin 13) | WS/RT | |
| 18-26 | X | ||
| X13255 Natural Connector | |||
| Pin | Function | Color (German) | E30 Chassis |
| 1 | Data Signal (RMIV pin 1) | SW/RT | |
| 2 | LR Window Switch Open | SW/GE | |
| 3 | RR Window Switch Open | SW/RT | |
| 4 | Master Window Switch Open | WS/GN | |
| 5 | Data Signal Convertible Top Control | WS/GE | |
| 6 | X | ||
| 7 | Data Signal (RMIV pin 9) | SW/GR | |
| 8 | LR Window Switch Close | BL/GN | |
| 9 | RR Window Switch Close | BL/GE | |
| 10 | Master Window Switch Close | WS/GE | |
| 11 | Data Signal Convertible Top Control | WS/GR | |
| 12-26 | X | ||
| X13258 White Connector RMIV | |||
| Pin | Function | Color (German) | E30 Chassis |
| 1 | Data Signal | SW/RT | |
| 2 | LR Window Motor Power | BL/GN | LR Window Motor |
| 3 | LR Window Motor Signal | SW/GE | LR Window Motor |
| 4 | RR Window Motor Signal | BL/RT | RR Window Motor |
| 5 | RR Window Motor Power | WS/GE | RR Window Motor |
| 6 | X | ||
| 7 | X | ||
| 8 | Ground | BR | Window Switch Ground |
| 9 | Data Signal | SW/GR | |
| 10 | Data Signal | BL/GE | |
| 11 | Data Signal | SW/RT | |
| 12 | Data Signal | GN/RT | |
| 13 | Data Signal | WS/RT | |
| 14 | X | ||
| 15 | 12 V Constant 30 A | RT/GN | Cigarette Lighter RT/GE |
| 16 | |||
| 17 | |||
| 18-26 | |||
Whereas the E30 has a single 30 A circuit for all four windows, the E36 uses two 30 A circuits. Since I’ll never use the cigarette lighter for more than USB charging, I grabbed power for the rear window GMIV from there. It may not be necessary, but I took the added precaution because I don’t think the E30 electrical system was designed with the idea of operating all four windows simultaneously.
Power and ground for the window switch illumination comes from the ashtray bulb wires. All grounds are connected to the unused window switch grounds. You must run dedicated wires to the front doors for the hall effect sensors (power, signal, and ground). You must also create a separate circuit for each door jamb switch. As they are wired in the E30, the two door jamb switches are connected to the dome light ground. If you tap into this for your door open signal, both windows will drop when you open the driver door and stay down until the dome light timer goes out. The driver side switch has two terminals, the second being for the seatbelt warning and door chime. I unplugged that wire and connect the GM4 to the switch. The passenger side switch only has one terminal so I replaced it with a driver side switch and connected the second terminal to the GM4.
I didn’t document which wire I connected for the rear windows. I wired all of the window motors with the system powered so I could confirm polarity. I suggest doing the same before you make any of the connections permanent. I cut all of the E30 window switch connectors off and soldered all wires. You may wish to retain the connectors and use some type of spade connector. I also cut the connectors off of the E30 window motors and wired them to the E36 connectors.
Attached Files
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