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F10 BMW M5 S63TU to JB4 + BCM Upgrade - Step-by-step DIY with pics

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    F10 BMW M5 S63TU to JB4 + BCM Upgrade - Step-by-step DIY with pics

    Hello everyone.

    Just managed to complete the S63TU Stage 1 to JB4 + BCM upgrade on my F10 M5 and wanted to document the step-by-step process in case it can help any of you.

    Please note that I will likely substitute a few technical words that I don’t know the names of into layman terms so that newbies (such as myself) will feel comfortable going ahead with this. ☺

    I’ve chosen to split the process into 3 phases (which I suggest doing in this order):
    1. S63TU Stage 1 to JB4 circuit board upgrade
    2. OBD-II CANbus Cable installation
    3. Boost Control Module (BCM) installation (optional)


    So, without further ado, let’s get into it!


    Phase 1: S63TU Stage 1 to JB4 circuit board upgrade
    1. If you already have the S63TU Stage 1 unit installed, then you already know where it’s stored away in your engine bay. Most likely, it’s tucked under the passenger side compartment (DME side). Simply lift and release the 3 black plastic securing pins. That cover will then just lift out of place and then you can lift out the Stage 1 unit you had previously installed.


    2. Once the Stage 1 unit is within your hands, unplug the AMP connector (wide black plug with all the pretty colorful wires). This should free up the Stage 1 unit entirely from the car.
    3. On the sides of the Stage 1 unit are small inserts where you’ll need to use a thin head flat screwdriver to pop open the casing. This should then reveal the inner board that you’ll need to switch out.
    4. Switching out the Stage 1 board with the new JB4 board is super easy. Simply lift the old board from the case, place it somewhere clean, dry, and away from any static. Next, place the new JB4 board into the existing casing and close the casing back up.


    5. Place the upgraded JB4 unit aside. You will not need to plug the unit back in until the entire process is complete. I suggest placing it somewhere where it can watch you work on the rest of the process and admire the view.



    Phase 2: OBD-II CANbus Cable Installation
    1. For the OBD-II CANbus cable installation, the general approach is to prepare both ends of the cable first, then simply plug them in to each other where they meet.
    2. To start, we’ll be working on the engine/JB4 unit side. Here you’ll need to head back to the wide black AMP connector you removed in Phase 1/Step 2. You’ll need to open that up by unscrewing the 2 small screws on one of the sides of the connector.



      Note: Be very careful where you open that up. Nuts and screws will fall as soon as you open it so make sure it’s not somewhere where you may lose them. I placed a towel under the connector during this step. I’m sure there are smarter ways to do this, but feel free to go with whatever you feel would be a safe bet here.
    3. The CANbus cable is the one that comes shielded over the pair of GREEN and BROWN wires. You will need to gently feed the exposes tips, one by one, through the round rubber tubing.


    4. Locate PIN 2 and insert the GREEN wire fully until it snaps into place. Next locate PIN 15 and insert the BROWN wire fully until it snaps into place as well. For demonstrations sake, the pics I took do NOT show the pins fully inserted yet.



      This pic shows how the connector will look WITH the pins fully inserted.


    5. Next we will need to prepare the area where both cables will connect together. For now, you can remove the cover located at the far right of the engine bay (similar to what you did in Phase 1 / Step 1, but now on the right side).



    6. After that, it's time to head to the interior to feed the OBD-II cable from the interior compartment outwards to the engine bay. Here you’ll need to remove the lower trim panel below the steering wheel. There are 2 torx screws on the front left and front right that you’ll need to unscrew. Once those are out, you can drop that downwards by pulling down at the panel until the holding clips release the panel.


    7. To feed the cable through, you’ll need to locate the entry point from the engine to the compartment you just exposed access to. This entry point is located on the fire wall (just below the windshield). There's a circular black foam-like cover that you’ll just need to pull and swing open. Once that is open, you’ll notice a small round black cover right behind there. Push that inwards towards the interior compartment. It will fall right through to the inside and you’ll be able to catch that wherever it landed on the driver's carpet mat.

      I forgot to take a picture here so please refer to the the photo two steps below to know what i'm referring to.
    8. Once that channel is open, feed a solid wire (or some kind of feeding cable) through that hole from the engine bay in to the interior compartment. In my case, I used some old electric cable lying around to do the job. Whatever works :)



      After you locate that inserted wire from the interior compartment you just gained access to, tape the OBD-II cable head to that wire you just inserted to each other and feed the OBD-II cable back out towards the engine bay. Remove the feeding wire you used to fish out the cable and thank it for a job well done.
    9. Grab that small round black cover that you pushed into the interior compartment previously, slit a “+” into the center of it. This will allow you to push the OBD-II cable head through it. Once that is done, reseal the same access hole by simply popping the small round black cover in its original place.



    10. Head back to the interior and route the OBD-II plug in a neat way along the left side of the foot well which will allow you to plug the OBD-II in, and close up the lower panel as it was initially. You can screw the torx screws back in place and you’re now done with the interior compartment work.



    11. Now that both extremities of the cable are sorted out, you can plug in the 2 cables into each other. Take note of the pins inside the cable heads. It’s important they line up exactly before you plug them in to each other.



    12. I’d suggest using some shielding to wrap around the connection to avoid the elements getting to it. In my case, I used some old bicycle tire tubing. Quite dodgy stuff, I know. I'm not proud of this part, but it’s all I had quick access to at the time ☺ Will definitely head back and put some proper shrink tubing on it later.


    13. Route the entire cable in a neat way just under the center cover below the winshield wipers. A couple of zip ties to keep things in place neatly isn’t a bad idea here.


    14. Start your engine a few times and make sure you’re not getting any warnings on the CIC display or dashboard.


    Congratulations! If you’re not installing the Boost Control Module, you’re done. Simply place the JB4 module in a neat way away from water and engine heat the best that you can, zip tie cables nicely, reinsert the left/right covers, grab a cold beer, and do a happy dance!

    If you’re out to install the BCM, proceed to the next phase. This is where things get a bit more demanding.



    Phase 3: Boost Control Module (BCM) installation (Optional)
    1. The original instructions for this step mention swinging the passenger side intercooler left and out of the way. For some reason, I couldn’t get it to rotate left so I just chose to remove the left intercooler entirely. A bit of an overkill step, but why not. Worth mentioning that removing the intercooler entirely also requires removing the passenger side air intake compartment completely but that is a really easy two minute job so let's start with that.
    2. To remove the passenger side air intake housing, simply loosen the clamp on either side of the plastic accordion tube right on the air intake channel. Unplug the MAF sensor, and unscrew 1 torx screw holding the air filter housing to the chassis on the far left of the engine which is in plain sight with very easy access to it.



      The entire housing will now just lift up out of the car entirely to give you a lot more room to work with.
    3. Now we can focus on the intercooler and getting that thing out of the way. Start by releasing the clamp holding the intercooler to the throttle body tubing.


    4. You will then need to loosen the bolts holding the passenger side intercooler in place. These are 1 torx screw in the front-center of the engine, and 1 bolt at the lower/bottom end of the intercooler.



    5. On the lower right side of that intercooler are 2 coolant hoses which you’ll need to remove as well. Those are held in place with 2 fastening clips (one on each hose) which you can use a thin screw driver to pry out and unlock the hoses from their secure position. You will not be able to remove them entirely.

      You will have easy access to the first coolant hose on top so obviously start with that one and work down to the next one below when that is removed. With the fasting clip removed, grab that at the upper end of the hose and pull the hose off the intercooler. Expect a fair amount of coolant to splash out. Make sure your engine has had sufficient time to cool before doing this step otherwise you may burn your hand from the coolant!!


    6. With the first hose out of the way, you’ll have easier access to the lower coolant hose. Remove that in the same way you did the upper hose.
    7. To the left of the intercooler are a bunch of sensors and plugs which you can also remove to be on the safe side. Might be unnecessary to do so, but I removed them and had more room to work clearly. One of the upper hoses will also leak out some coolant so watch out for that.


    8. With all these hoses and sensors removed, your intercooler should now have a lot more wiggle room! If you’re able to rotate it left at this point then great. For some reason, mine wouldn’t rotate left sufficiently so I just chose to remove the intercooler entirely. This is just held in place by 1 more clamp on the bottom end of the engine bay at the bottom end of the intercooler. You can loosen that 1 clamp with a flat head screw driver and lift the intercooler out of the car entirely. Be careful when removing it so that you don’t damage any hoses or sensor plugs on the way out.
    9. Voila! Boost Control Solenoids are now in plain sight with plenty of room to work with them!


    10. In order to not mess things up, work with 1 at a time just so that you don’t forget which one went where. Remove the first, plug in the first male/female connectors from the BCM harness. You should hear things click into place. It’s crucial you make sure these plugs are plugged in tight.


    11. Repeat this step for the next Boost Control Solenoid. It shouldn’t matter which set from the BCM harness is plugged in which solenoid (1 or 2). It’s just very important to not mix up the original connectors from their original locations.
    12. So you’re now done with that side of the BCM installation. Next is to plug in the pins to the JB4 unit itself.
    13. Similar to Phase 2 / Step 3, you’ll need to squeeze in the BLUE wire and plug it in PIN 1. Make sure the pin is locked in tight. You should hear/feel it clicking in place. For demonstrations sake, I took a pic of the pin NOT fully pushed in yet.



      Here is WITH the pin fully pushed in.

    14. You will now need to connect the ground fork on the BLACK wire. In my case, I chose to connect it to the bolt holding the windshield washer tank to the chassis. Just because it was the easiest to undo a bit to slide in the ground fork. Once that’s in, tighten the bolt back up.


    15. Your wide black AMP connector is now ready for assembly again. The same way you took it apart in Phase 2 / Step 2, you’ll need to work in reverse to put it back together nicely.
    16. Now summon that upgraded JB4 unit you had nearby watching you work all along, and plug the AMP connector to it. Tighten the securing screws on the connector to the casing so you have a nice tight fit.
    17. At this point, you’ll need to put everything back in place. Reinstall the intercooler first in the reverse order you took it out. Make sure everything fits snug and tight. Take your time here as any loose connections may result in a boost leak.
    18. Once the intercooler is back in place, reinstall the air filter housing in reverse order of the way you took it out.
    19. If you’re sure everything is back in its original location and secure nice and tight, top up your coolant. This is the one right next to where you fed in the OBD-II cable on the far right side of the engine.
    20. And you’re done!! Your beast now has some more grunt. Start her up, make sure you’re not getting any warnings on the CIC display or dashboard. If not, you’re good to set up your tune the way you like. I went for Map 2 right away just because it seemed like the most power and the safest bet with the set up I had. You may find you require another map for your particular set up.


    Take the car out for a drive. Start slowly, let the engine warm up, and then let her loose and enjoy! I know you’re going to want to celebrate with another beer but please do that AFTER your test drive ☺.


    Hope this step-by-step DIY helps you all. Best of luck in your installations, and please note that I do not take any responsibility for any damage incurred during this tutorial. I’m just another guy trying to share his experience and hopefully help the community. Best of luck to you all.

    #2
    Woww nicely installed and amazing write up. Well done and congrats!!
    sigpic

    Jerez Black 2008 E92 M3 - The beast unleashed

    History:
    Black 2005 E46 330ci Mtech2
    Silver 2003 E46 330i Mtech2
    Black 2002 E46 320i Mtech2
    Black 1986 E28 535i
    Burgundi 1986 E23 728i
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      #3
      Nice write up (Y)

      2008 E90 M3 6MT - Nardo Grey - Harrop TVS1740 SC @ 6.5PSI - UCP Pedal - Bullet Valvtronic Exhaust
      - Rouge Engineering Shifter Kit - Fabspeed X-pipe - Evolve test pipes - DEFI CR gauges/P3 Vent Gauge -
      BMW Iconic Custom Headlights - Custom Authentic Alcantara Interior .. And many other mods :P

      1996 SC300- AT- SOLD
      2012 Toyota Fortuner - DD
      1994 Toyota Supra MKIV - 883 WHP ;) drag queen - Track only

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        #4
        Congrats on executing a DIY job! the information is GOLD! thank you very much for sharing it with the community. Enjoy the car!

        Next step, dyno ;) would love to see the numbers post installation.
        Current
        E92 M3 - Mineral White
        F80 M3 - SilverStone

        Past
        E36 318is
        E39 540i ///M sport
        VW CC
        E46 M3 - Frozen White

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          #5
          Thanks gents

          I'm very curious to find out what numbers i'm getting now as well Wazif. Will try to arrange a dyno run soon :)

          Comment


            #6
            Excellent diy instructions. Thank you for sharing the experience. Waiting for your dyno :))


            Sent from my iPhone using BMW Club UAE

            Comment


              #7
              great job Nassib, and kudos for tackling this yourself.

              Iam sure the difference will be night and day.

              Comment


                #8
                Wow, impressive work, but for anyone else out there who for any number of reasons needs some outside assistance, we at Kinetechnik Motorsport would be happy to help, and have a number of very attractive discounts running at the moment
                Special Discount Offers April 2017.jpg


                Contact Details: +971-2-5506056
                Emails:
                Customer service: info@km-uae.com
                Customer sales: sales@km-uae.com
                High performance/Tuning: tuning@km-uae.com

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