E36 OBD1 or OBD2

[Inactive]

How do you tell the difference between an OBD1 328i and an OBD2 328i?

Thanks you

 

[Nikhil]

Found this on bimmer forums :=):

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/foru...-BMW-M3-1995-OBD1-vs-96-99-OBD2-Noob-Question

 

[Inactive]

Thanks but i am trying to identify if myine is a OBD 1 or 2. that thread doesnt help and the usual this is better than that debate ends up happening.

Is there something i can look for/at to tell what my car is?

 

[Nikhil]

All 328i's are obd 2 :thumbs:

 

[Inactive]

thats what I thought until i looked for my O2 sensors.....i have none and dont OBD2 cars all have O2 sensors?

 

[Nikhil]

thats what I thought until i looked for my O2 sensors.....i have none and dont OBD2 cars all have O2 sensors?

They should be just after the cats? Unless they were removed somewhere along the lines? Maybe put your vin number on Real OEM and have a look? I know guys in the US convert from OBD2 to OBD1 so this could have happened on your car at some point.

 

[Inactive]

ok will do that. Thanks.

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Some more info i have found......some 328 came out with OBD2 and some with OBD1. if you have a 95 or 96 you could have either.
Not all OBD2 cars have the plug under the dash and both OBD1 and 2 have could have the same 20 pin plug in the engine compartment.

So who knows???

 

[kabal]

yup, my 98 doesnt have a plug under the dash, only the 20pin under the hood

 

[zaleonardz]

K I need to correct you folk here.

Round 20 pin plug in the engine bay DOES NOT equal OBDI and D Sub 16 in the inside does NOT equal OBDII

It is year dependent. I think on the E36 it changed in 95

Bruce your car is most certainly OBDII. This I know for a fact.

You even had some E39's (my 2000 model M5 for example) that was still round 20 pin.

 

[bmw328]

:rollsmile: Hello Brucet,
To my knowledge, the easiest way to check if your car is OBD1 or OBD2 is to check if it’s got a transponder in the key, AKA ring antenna on the ignition.
Obd2 scan tools like INPA & DIS connects to EWS2 Module (Among others), EWS2 uses the ring antenna and transponder keys.
And Leonard is also right, BMW used the 20PIN (Round connector) in their transition period between 1995 to mid 2000 and early E46’s had the 20PIN round connector inside the engine compartment. (E46 is OBD2)

In late 2000 BMW changed the 20PIN connector to the traditional 16PIN (OBD2) connector under the dash

Pre 1995 used an interface called ADS (OBD1)
Hope this helps

 

[InFrA007]

Been meaning to ask a similar question. My 1998 328 has both the 20pin in the engine compartment as well as the connector under the dash. I took a chance and ordered a cheap enough 20 pin round connector to traditional 16pin OBD II adaptor to see if my Bluetooth ELM 327 reader would work that way and give me some info on what my 328 is doing via the Torque App on my phone. Reader gets power but no connection from app.

I've read in some places that the reason for this may be because the e36 328 is more of a hybrid OBD I / OBD II and that only the ones with the proper 16 pin connectors are "real" OBD II. Either that or BMW uses a proprietary protocol which is coded or locked ao universal readers cannot tinker with it?

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Found this

http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=28785