PO disconnected ABS, want it back!

[kwseattle]

Hey guys,

So one of the previous owners of my car did a 5 lug swap (E36 m3 front Z3 1.9l rear), and in the process decided that they no longer wanted ABS. What I've noticed living in the PNW that it's pretty easy to lock up in the wet, even with 225/45R17 Michelin Pilot Sport AS3s. I've come into a couple of situations where panic stops were required in the wet, and I'd rather not chance it.

I'm about to purchase a new set of rotors and pads and if I upgrade to something like the Hawk HP+ or HPS 5.0 I don't want the increased risk of locking up, especially with my E36 M3 front brakes.

I still have my ABS pump and all of the hydraulic lines are still in place, but the ABS sensor wires are snipped at the back of the sensors, and there are no wires coming through the holes into the engine bay. There are no ABS warning lights on the dash.

So I guess my questions are:

- Is there an ABS module under the dash somewhere?
- Where do the wires from the ABS sensors route to?
- Where do the rear e30 ABS sensor wires route?
- Where is the ABS pump electrically connected?
- Is there a specific relay/fuse for the ABS to function?

Thanks

[Som]

Would suggest downloading the ETM from here: http://wedophones.com/BMWManualsLead.htm

It covers the ABS electricals.

To answer your question -- yes, there is an ABS module under the dash -- it's almost as big as the ECU box with a connector to match. I believe the various wheel sensors route to this box.

That said, I don't know how it works when using E36 hubs on an E30 ABS. Not sure if the signals that come from the E36 hubs are the same as what the E30 ABS module expects. It's possible the reason they removed the ABS is because it's an additional cost to get the E36 ABS system to match the hubs.

Of course, that's all my speculation. Hopefully the ETM can answer more questions for you.

Good luck!

Som

[kwseattle]

Thanks for the link, I'll look through it in a bit.

I know the e36 sensors can actually get spliced into the e30 wiring relatively easily, it's covered in the 5 lug swap guides I've read.