Special Intensive Wash Program: Automatic Windshield Washing Function Pictorial DIY - BMW Forum

Delmarco · 08-07-2010, 01:21 AM

Special Intensive Wash Program: Automatic Windshield Washing Function Pictorial DIY

YouTube - ‪Adding BMW E53 X5 E83 X3 E39 M5 Special Wash Program to your BMW E46 3 Series DIY‬&lrm;

Around the time I installed the heated steering wheel I learned that the slip ring/obc stalk/wiper blade stalk set up is identical and the parts number is shared between the E46 E38 E39 E83 and E53.

I also noticed that BMW had an option for a 2nd wiper stalk that allowed for a Special Wash Program for automatically washing your windshield (and headlamps if you have head lamp washers) in conjunction with the automatic rain sensor setting for the wiper blades.

At first it seemed an insignificant feature, but the more I thought about it the more I wanted to have my windshield wash itself whiles driving thru rain/snow storms.

Anyone who has driven thru any sort of precipitation or even on a slightly wet or muddy road will know the annoyance of road spray from the car in front of you. In winter time the spray is usually a salty slushy mix that leaves a white stain on your windshield. In summer it is a mud or bug-kill mixture that leaves a nasty residue on your windshield.

The S Function or Special Wash Program will save you the trouble of flicking your wiper stalk to clean the windshield every other minute whiles driving thru dirty conditions.

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I did some anoraking online before buying the S Stalk to see if it was plug and play and my search resulted in contacting one of the experts in this thread

Wiper switch with intensive cleaning - Xoutpost.com

whose own installation revealed that the S Stalk is plug and play for the automated wind shield cleaning (in conjunction with rain sensor) ONLY. If you have headlamp washers or rear window wipers you may need to do additional steps not included in this DIY.

(More information is also found here:

http://www.meeknet.co.uk/E38/E38_Wip...her_System.pdf)

The DIY is fairly simple as most cars [E46 (with rain sensor and ZPP), E38(?) E39 (M5 only), E83 (X3), E53 (X5) ] are pre-wired (at pin 10) for the S Wiper stalk. If not you can easily add a pin 10 female connector pig tail into your cars connector that clips into the wiper stalk. The ECU for the stalk itself (similar to the OBC) is contained in the stalk body which means this DIY is plug and play.

If your E46 did not come with the rain sensor windshield I cannot advise on how to add rain sensor or if this DIY will or wont work on an E46 with no rain sensor installed. That said there should a rain sensor DIY out there somewhere on the internet that you will need to get done first before attempting this DIY.

Now onto the DIY

Tooled needed:
-T30 driver and 5/8" hex nut driver on ratchet for removing steering wheel

-Basic Philips screw driver and paper clip for removing the steering column shell
-T25 screw driver for removing the slip ring

Parts needed:
INTENSIVE CLEANING WIPER SWITCH from 03/1999 on
BMW Parts# 61318375407

PART ONE: Checking your mail box

I ordered this stalk from a random UK Seller on eBay for $25. It came out of a 2003 M5. Lots of USA Sellers have the on eBay from $35 and up.

I was getting tired on my uni-functioning stalk...

To begin you must remove the air bag, steering wheel, steering wheel column outer upper and lower shell and slip ring. But to do any of that YOU MUST UNPLUG THE BATTERY!

Delmarco · 08-07-2010, 01:22 AM

PART TWO: Remove Airbag, Steering Wheel, Slip Ring

To remove the wheel begin by...

Delmarco · 08-07-2010, 01:23 AM

PART THREE: Installing S Wiper Stalk

PART FOUR: Finishing up and Testing S Stalk

For Interval Automated Windshield Cleaning:
Pushing in S once with the Rain Sensor ON after key is in position 1 or higher will allow windshield to be washed at intervals with wiper blades activated by rain sensor during precipitation or road spray. Pushing S again turns off function.

For cars with head lamp washing systems, the secondary concentrated intensive washer fluid reservoirs (e39 and M5 cars), or rear window wiper and cleaning system the program should allow for those cleaning systems to be automated at intervals as well.

My car does not have these systems so I cannot advise or speak for them nor can I say what extra DIY process will be needed for those systems to work on the Special Wash Program.

Enjoy.

ImageShack Album - 40 images

Delmarco · 08-07-2010, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arty

If the car does not have pin 10 occupied, where do you make the connection to the vehicle harness?

If your car has rain sensor it should have a black grey wire running behind the steering column. This wire needs to be tapped into pin 10 on the new S stalk. You can use a pig tail wire female connector (don't know size) and insert into the car's stalk harness connector at the pin 10 hole (which would be vacant if your car doesn't have it already).

up:

For cars with head lamp washing systems I was told that the rain sensor share the same pin out (I think it is a black wire at pin 5 or 6) as the functions that carry out head lamp washing. Normally the head lamps are washed every 5th time the wind shield is washed AND the head lamps are ON.
With the S function, by having all the wash functions on the same line as the rain sensor function, the wiper stalk ECU will automatically signal everything on the rain sensor line to automatically wash at an set interval.

So the logic follows.

1. You start your car and your rain sensor are set in ON mode and your S function is set to ON mode.
2. As you are driving it starts raining. Your rain sensors activate the stalk's ECU to turn on the wiper function.
3. With the wipers active the ECU in turns recoginize that S Function is also ON and will automatically turn on all functions on the pin 10 location at an interval related to the wiper cycle (in my case this function is to squirt washer fluid onto the windshield).
4. If you have headlamp washers these will also be turned ON at an interval related to the wiper function in direct conjuction with the wind shield washer. I don't have this in my car so I can't speak for it.
5. Certain cars in the E39 and E53 range as well as certain european models have an extra washer fluid tank with a "green" fluid from the factory that is said to be a concentrated version of washer fluid that is unleashed at an interval related to the regular washer fluid (it is something like every 20 washes the green fluid comes out on the 21st wash). The S function also controls this as well. But my car doesn't have this so I can't speak for it.

One issue I've been having is that I was told by the X5 driver who did this DIY that the S function is not ONLY suppose to work with the rain sensor and that I should be able to get automatic washes when the wiper function is turned on manually-without rain sensor being ON.
IE. You get in your car, Rain Sensor is OFF but it starts raining and you manually activate the wipers. With S function ON the stalk's ECU should still automatically squirt washer fluid onto the windshield at intervals related to the wiper's cycle.

I'm not getting this result at current and I am working to see if I need to splice something else onto the pin 10 line.

Delmarco · 08-07-2010, 01:11 PM

Pin 5 for the head lamp washing

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delmarco

If your car has rain sensor it should have a black grey wire running behind the steering column. This wire needs to be tapped into pin 10 on the new S stalk. You can use a pig tail wire female connector (don't know size) and insert into the car's stalk harness connector at the pin 10 hole (which would be vacant if your car doesn't have it already).

up:

For cars with head lamp washing systems I was told that the rain sensor share the same pin out (I think it is a black wire at pin 5 or 6) as the functions that carry out head lamp washing. Normally the head lamps are washed every 5th time the wind shield is washed AND the head lamps are ON.
With the S function, by having all the wash functions on the same line as the rain sensor function, the wiper stalk ECU will automatically signal everything on the rain sensor line to automatically wash at an set interval.

So the logic follows.

1. You start your car and your rain sensor are set in ON mode and your S function is set to ON mode.
2. As you are driving it starts raining. Your rain sensors activate the stalk's ECU to turn on the wiper function.
3. With the wipers active the ECU in turns recoginize that S Function is also ON and will automatically turn on all functions on the pin 10 location at an interval related to the wiper cycle (in my case this function is to squirt washer fluid onto the windshield).
4. If you have headlamp washers these will also be turned ON at an interval related to the wiper function in direct conjuction with the wind shield washer. I don't have this in my car so I can't speak for it.
5. Certain cars in the E39 and E53 range as well as certain european models have an extra washer fluid tank with a "green" fluid from the factory that is said to be a concentrated version of washer fluid that is unleashed at an interval related to the regular washer fluid (it is something like every 20 washes the green fluid comes out on the 21st wash). The S function also controls this as well. But my car doesn't have this so I can't speak for it.

One issue I've been having is that I was told by the X5 driver who did this DIY that the S function is not ONLY suppose to work with the rain sensor and that I should be able to get automatic washes when the wiper function is turned on manually-without rain sensor being ON.
IE. You get in your car, Rain Sensor is OFF but it starts raining and you manually activate the wipers. With S function ON the stalk's ECU should still automatically squirt washer fluid onto the windshield at intervals related to the wiper's cycle.

I'm not getting this result at current and I am working to see if I need to splice something else onto the pin 10 line.

Delmarco · 08-07-2010, 01:55 PM

FIXED INFORMATION ON PREVIOUS POST:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arty

If the car does not have pin 10 occupied, where do you make the connection to the vehicle harness?

If your car has rain sensor it should have a black gray wire running behind the steering column. This wire needs to be tapped into pin 10 on the new S stalk. You can use a pig tail wire female connector (don't know size) and insert into the car's stalk harness connector at the pin 10 hole (which would be vacant if your car doesn't have it already).

For cars with head lamp washing systems you will find a color wire at pin 5 where the functions that carry out head lamp washing initiate from. Normally the head lamps are washed every 5th time the wind shield is washed AND the head lamps are ON.
With the S function, by having all the wash functions on the same page as the rain sensor function, the wiper stalk ECU will automatically signal everything on the rain sensor line to automatically wash at an set interval.

So the logic follows.

1. You start your car and your rain sensor are set in ON mode and your S function is set to ON mode.
2. As you are driving it starts raining. Your rain sensors activate the stalk's ECU to turn on the wiper function.
3. With the wipers active the ECU in turns recognize that S Function is also ON and will automatically turn on all functions on the pin 10 location at an interval related to the wiper cycle (in my case this function is to squirt washer fluid onto the windshield).
4. If you have headlamp washers these will also be turned ON at an interval related to the wiper function in direct conjunction with the wind shield washer. I don't have this in my car so I can't speak for it.
5. Certain cars in the E39 and E53 range as well as certain European models have an extra washer fluid tank with a "green" fluid from the factory that is said to be a concentrated version of washer fluid that is unleashed at an interval related to the regular washer fluid (it is something like every 20 washes the green fluid comes out on the 21st wash). The S function also controls this as well. But my car doesn't have this so I can't speak for it.

One issue I've been having is that I was told by the X5 driver who did this DIY that the S function is not ONLY suppose to work with the rain sensor and that I should be able to get automatic washes when the wiper function is turned on manually-without rain sensor being ON.
IE. You get in your car, Rain Sensor is OFF but it starts raining and you manually activate the wipers. With S function ON the stalk's ECU should still automatically squirt washer fluid onto the windshield at intervals related to the wiper's cycle.

I'm not getting this result at current and I am working to see if I need to splice something else onto the pin 10 line.

Quote:

Originally Posted by G. P. Burdell

Fascinating! I hardly ever have to use the windshield washer jets, but I could see how just $35 and less than an hour in the garage can add a very convenient feature.

Nicely done! :thumbup:

Thanks G.P.2

witeshark · 08-07-2010, 02:48 PM

Very cool!

Delmarco · 09-06-2010, 10:41 AM

NOTES: So I did some anoraking which led me to discover that the BMW E46 cars have two window wiper/washing systems one for 1998 to 2002 cars and a different system from 2002/2003 and on.
A lot of simple stuff are pretty much the same between the systems EXCEPT the way the rain sensor and automatic wiper/wash functions are relayed and set up.

On my car the rain sensor and auto wash/wipe relay seems more integrated with the rest of the system on your car the rain sensor and auto wash/wipe relay system seems to be distal (if not separate) to circuits for the regular simple functions. :hmm:

Below are the diagrams in my E46 Manual.

Your best bet is to tap a wire leaving pin 10 on the stalk into the brown and violet wire or swapping the brown and violet wire into pin 10 and seeing what happens. Your goal is to wire the washing function to pin 10. Because pin 10 is activated ( when S pushed in) with the rain sensor setting off the wiper blades.

Quote:

Rain / driving light sensor

The rain-driving light sensor has integrated sensors that sense the wetness on the windscreen glass and the ambient light.
Rain sensor

The rain sensor is an optical system. It consists of an optical element bonded on the windscreen and an electronic element. The electronic evaluation unit and 4 optical transmitter and receiver diodes are integrated in the electronic element.
Function

The rain sensor is activated when the wiper switch is moved to the first stop position.

When the rain sensor is activated, visual feedback is given to the driver in that one wiping cycle is executed first. Then, the transmitter diodes emit an infrared light which is guided across the optical element to the windscreen. If the windscreen is completely dry and clean, the infrared light is fully reflected to the receiver diodes.

If there is water or dirt in the area of the optical element on the windscreen, full reflection of the infrared light is no longer possible. Part of the light penetrates the windscreen so that only part of the light arrives at the receiver diodes. The electronic circuitry detects how much water is on the windscreen on the basis of the amount of light that is being blocked out and send a signal to that effect via the K bus. The ZKE basic module then performs a wipe cycle. In the case of very heavy rain, the intermittent operation goes into stage 1 or stage 2 of the continuous wiping mode.

A heating element integrated in the rain sensor prevents misting of the optical element or the diodes.

The sensitivity of the rain sensor can be varied in 4 sensitivity stages by means of the knurled wheel on the wiper/washer switch. Each time the adjuster wheel is moved in the "Increase sensitivity" direction (upwards), a wipe cycle is carried out.

When the vehicle is at a standstill, there is an automatic reduction of the sensitivity so that the wiper usually runs in intermittent mode.

If the rain sensor fails, the wiper runs at a fixed time interval.

For safety reasons, the rain sensor is switched off when terminal R is switched off.

Requirements for faultless operation of the rain sensor are:

* No wax smear on the windscreen
* Wiper blades OK
* Windscreen glass free of faults in the area of the rain sensor
* Optical element bonded free of bubbles with the windscreen glass

Initialisation

Due to the optical process, the rain sensor has to be adapted to the windscreen. This adaptation takes place at initialisation.

Requirement for faultless initialisation is that the windscreen glass is dry, clean and free of defects in the area of the rain sensor.

The initialisation is performed using the service function "Initialise rain sensor" in the BMW diagnosis system. In the service function, the adaptation values in the rain sensor are deleted. This is followed by adjustment of the sensor system to the windscreen based on the following sequence:

* Switching off the rain sensor
* Switch off terminal 15 and terminal R
* Switch on terminal R and terminal 15 and wait 10 seconds

In the 10 seconds waiting period, the new adaptation values are determined and stored.

Initialisation of the rain sensor is necessary:

* After replacing the windscreen
* Fitting a used rain-driving light sensor
Note: a used sensor must be coded beforehand!

Driving light sensor

The driving light sensor consists of two photodiodes and an electronic evaluation unit. The photodiodes are arranged in such a way that both light striking the sensor from the front and light striking the sensor from above (ambient light) are sensed.

If there is a change in the light conditions, a signal is sent across the K bus. If the automatic headlights system is active, the light control centre switches the headlights on or off.

The light sensing is active as of terminal R, independent of whether the automatic driving light system is switched on or off.

Adjustment of the driving light sensor on the windscreen is by means of coding. This is why a used sensor must be recoded on installation!