Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

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motco
Joined: Tue 18 Aug, 2009 18:12
Posts: 728

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by motco »

As it says above, I have just acquired a service light reset tool through Amazon and it does the job for a princely sum of £7.39. It seems daft to mess about with bits of wire and crocodile clips when this thing just plugs in (20 pin socket) and sets the lights in seconds. It does not come with any instructions but it is really easy - viz:.

"Instructions:
Plug the device into the 20 pin diagnostic socket of your car;
Turn the ignition on, but do not start the engine;
Press the button for the operation you want to perform;
The LED of the choosen operation will turn on;
Keep the button pressed;
Reset is done when the LED turns off automatically;
Release button.

NOTE: On some vehicles the Inspection needs to be reset before the Oil service will reset."

Here it is:- http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009 ... _at_prodpg
Mike Fishwick
Joined: Fri 19 Jun, 2009 10:27
Posts: 2093

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Daglan, France

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by Mike Fishwick »

No problem using a piece of wire, poked into pins 7 (reset) and 19 (earth) - I've been doing it for years!
A Z3 is not just for Christmas - it's for life!
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motco
Joined: Tue 18 Aug, 2009 18:12
Posts: 728

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by motco »

Mike Fishwick wrote:No problem using a piece of wire, poked into pins 7 (reset) and 19 (earth) - I've been doing it for years!
I did try it but all I succeeded in doing was extinguishing the little clock symbol. Try as I may, the service lights eluded me. I think the cost of this little device (postage included in the cost) is justified because my son also has BMWs (320 TD and Z4MC) so it will be used. :)
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knighthawk
Joined: Mon 17 Oct, 2011 11:45
Posts: 30

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by knighthawk »

Amazon Resetting Tool worked for me.
Great buy :lol: :lol:
Rig sparky
Joined: Sun 02 Mar, 2014 18:12
Posts: 25

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: inverness

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by Rig sparky »

another tip for anyone that has a electrical multimeter handy but no service reset tool is
set the meter for continuity and use the probes to plug into pins 7 and 19 and thus short them out .As has been said many times before
easy and been doing it for years on bmw's Z's three series and 5 series
probes on a multi meter are a lot easier than fiddly bits of wire to get down into the pin sockets
but basically all you need to do after turning ignition on is to short pin 7 and 19 out for approx. six to eight seconds to reset the service indicator> if it doesn't go out on first attempt, repeat ignition off , back on and short pins out for a little longer but. Don't short it out for more than ten seconds. all the reset tools are doing is plugging into the sockets and when you push the buttons shorting out pin 7 and 19
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motco
Joined: Tue 18 Aug, 2009 18:12
Posts: 728

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by motco »

Rig sparky wrote:another tip for anyone that has a electrical multimeter handy but no service reset tool is
set the meter for continuity and use the probes to plug into pins 7 and 19 and thus short them out .As has been said many times before
easy and been doing it for years on bmw's Z's three series and 5 series
probes on a multi meter are a lot easier than fiddly bits of wire to get down into the pin sockets
but basically all you need to do after turning ignition on is to short pin 7 and 19 out for approx. six to eight seconds to reset the service indicator> if it doesn't go out on first attempt, repeat ignition off , back on and short pins out for a little longer but. Don't short it out for more than ten seconds. all the reset tools are doing is plugging into the sockets and when you push the buttons shorting out pin 7 and 19
I'm sure it's a momentary mind blank, Rig Sparky, bearing in mind your forum name, but isn't it amps (current) rather than continuity? :?:
Rig sparky
Joined: Sun 02 Mar, 2014 18:12
Posts: 25

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: inverness

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by Rig sparky »

if you set the multimeter to the continuity setting on most multimeters the probes will buzz audibly when touched together. as used for buzzing out or testing the continuity of a circuit. and the two probes black and red: e.g. positive and negative: become in effect a single wire through the multimeter with the added advantage of two long narrow rigid probes on the end and when you push the probes down onto the pins in the diagnostic socket you will short them out easily .( and you will hear by the meter buzzing audibly that you have correctly shorted the pins out whilst you are doing it. and if you have shaky hands for example the buzzing will stop if the connection is broken during the resetting and you can start again )
Most multimeters have multiple settings on them. But you wont get a buzzing from the multimeter on other settings. when used on other settings you are testing the value of given readings in a live circuit (what ever that circuit maybe 12 24 240 volts or dc etc. not just the continuity of that circuit. and the digital display on the multimeter will show the value in question if circuit is live, or tell you if it is dead.

resetting the service indicator light. needs the car's ignition switched on and then pin 7 and pin 19 shorted out for around seven to ten seconds.And then the ignition turned off again :when the ignition is turned back on after this lights will be all green again. this works with a service tool ,with a bent paperclip or a short length of wire etc . in fact any bit of metal you can join pin 7 and pins 19 up in the diagnostic socket under the bonnet for the correct time will do the job. just nicely
some times you need to short the pins out for a little longer if it doesn't work first time around I have never had to do it more than twice and I have reset at least ten different BMW'S over the years.
I was just thinking of the simplest and easiest way for folk to short the pins out.
have seen loads of posts over the years ( on other forums ) where people say it is hard to get a paperclip or a bent wire down onto the pins in the socket in the car ( which it is) and get a good connection and hold it for severnish seconds.
so
for somebody that isn't electrically trained but maybe has access to a multimeter with probes
easiest way is to set to continuity on meter touch the meter probes together ( they will buzz) eg folk could check they have correct setting on dial of multimeter and push the probes into the pins for a few seconds
Bingo job done easy way
cheers
cheers
Mike Fishwick
Joined: Fri 19 Jun, 2009 10:27
Posts: 2093

  Z3 roadster 2.8
Location: Daglan, France

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by Mike Fishwick »

It is similar to the ABS control unit memory on older BMW motorcycles, where a mutimeter set on ohms can be used to interrogate the fault code memory, buzzing different numbers of times to indicate the fault code. It is also reset by earthing a pin with the ignition turned on for a few seconds.

The usual problem with earthing pin 7 by a botch job such as a paperclip or an odd bit of wire is that they provide a poor connection, which does not provide a consistent earth for long enough - I use a piece of wire with suitable connectors soldered to the ends, which make s agood connection to the sockets of the data link connector.

I usually clear all the memory every six thousand miles or so , as I have found that over this (about a loss of 'two and a half' SI lights - fuel consumption rises and performance falls. Inot take much notice of the SI lights, as they only prompt one to have maintenance performed at the longest interval, preferring to use a maintenance log kept on my PC.
A Z3 is not just for Christmas - it's for life!
Rig sparky
Joined: Sun 02 Mar, 2014 18:12
Posts: 25

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: inverness

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by Rig sparky »

exactly Mike
usually when people try with an odd bit of wire or a paperclip etc. and it doesn't work
they don't get a good enough earth through pin 7 and 19 for the time needed
Jonco
Joined: Sat 04 Jun, 2011 07:24
Posts: 402

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Cheshire

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by Jonco »

Rig sparky wrote:exactly Mike
usually when people try with an odd bit of wire or a paperclip etc. and it doesn't work
they don't get a good enough earth through pin 7 and 19 for the time needed
Agreed - I use a length of wire with a crocodile clip and attach clip to jump start/battery charge earth on suspension strut and other end to pin 7. Success then depends on contact duration
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motco
Joined: Tue 18 Aug, 2009 18:12
Posts: 728

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by motco »

When a multimeter is set to audible (or silent) continuity it is not necessarily a dead short but it does apply a voltage and pass current through the circuit under test. I would be very careful about applying an external voltage like that for fear of damaging the ECU. When I get home I will measure the voltage at the probes on my multimeter to illustrate my point*. If it is set to 'AMPS' - especially the heavy current option - it will be as near a dead short across the probes as possible.

*Edited to add: 2.5Vdc on a meter similar to this one when set to audible continuity: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/uni-trend-50c ... eter-n78cb
Last edited by motco on Tue 18 Mar, 2014 10:33, edited 1 time in total.
fenman67
Joined: Wed 12 Feb, 2014 21:40
Posts: 7

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: Boston Lincs

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by fenman67 »

Mike Fishwick wrote:No problem using a piece of wire, poked into pins 7 (reset) and 19 (earth) - I've been doing it for years!
top or bottom half of the 20 pin connector Thanks
1998 z3 Artic sliver Imola red 1.9 reg S100 C--
gookah
Z Register member
Joined: Thu 07 Aug, 2008 09:51
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  Z3 roadster 2.8

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by gookah »

fenman67 wrote:
Mike Fishwick wrote:No problem using a piece of wire, poked into pins 7 (reset) and 19 (earth) - I've been doing it for years!
top or bottom half of the 20 pin connector Thanks
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nearly old
Joined: Mon 16 Feb, 2009 20:13
Posts: 78

  Z3 roadster 1.9
Location: doncaster

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by nearly old »

Brilliant little tool them there reset things had one for years. Why fart about with bits of wire and multi do dars just pay the price of a couple of pints and get one
Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Service Light resetting tool - £7.39

Post by Del »

nearly old wrote:Why fart about with bits of wire and multi do dars
I agree. Getting a bit technical for me all this electronics stuff. After a DIY service, I prefer using my Ebay reset tool followed by cracking open a bottle of London's Pride. :D
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