E39 MK1 to MK4 Upgrade
E39 MK1 to MK4 Upgrade
Here is what I did to upgrade my navigation computer to a MK4. Follow these guidelines at your own risk
– always remember to disconnect your negative battery cable or the associated fuses before working with
your vehicle’s electrical system! I hope this helps.
This is the view with the MK1 Computer, MK1 TV Module, and GPS Trimble removed. The MK1 harness
is still installed – the Blue Arrow shows the black 6-pin connector from the navigation supplementary
harness which transmits speed data from the ABS module and lets the computer know when the car is in
reverse. The Red Arrow shows the white 6-pin connector-on the MK1 only pins 1,2 & 5 are connected –
1&2 provide +/- 12 volts to the MK1 computer and pin 5 provides a signal from the BM radio which I
believe is used as an interrupt when the nav computer speaks directions. The MK1 computer itself does not
appear to have any direct connection into the I-bus, instead sending information to the TV Module. The
Green Circle shows the connections that were made between the MK1 computer & trimble – the coaxial
cable connected from the MK1 to the TV Module. The Red Line shows a connection that I haven’t traced
yet – these four wires go from the back of the MK1 to underneath the rear deck – I’m not really sure what
their purpose is at this point, but they do not appear to connect to the On Board Monitor wiring harness.
their purpose is at this point, but they do not appear to connect to the On Board Monitor wiring harness.
The Red Circle shows the blue 18-pin ELO from the OBM harness that was connected to the TV Module –
there was no connection to the white receptacle on the TV Module.
Here’s a closer shot of the MK1 Navigation Harness.
I routed the blue 18-pin ELO that was connected to the TV Module and the GPS antenna wire through the
navigation computer mounting bracket.
These are the only connections that I made to the MK4 computer – the OBM wiring harness input from the
TV Module and the GPS antenna.
Here is everything put back together with the CD changer reinstalled.
Below is the end result – as you can see, there is no adapter required to make the jump from the MK1 to the
MK4 on the E39 – it’s as simple as pull out the old harness and plug into what’s left!! YMMV!
OK, so after I figured out that I didn’t an adapter cable to make the MK4 functional in my vehicle, the one
that I ordered finally arrived and is pictured below. Go figure! As you can see, the two wires going from
the black 6-pin and the burgundy ELO will provide the necessary connection to make the MK4 fully
functional – ie the missing connection from the ABS module and reverse lights. But you could just as
easily make this connection yourself by purchasing the burgundy ELO and scavenging the black 6pin and
wires from the old MK1 harness. Pin 1 on the black connector needs to be wired to Pin 10 on the burgundy
for the ABS connection and pin 3 on the black connector should be wired to pin 1 on the burgundy for the
reverse lights. The part pictured below is # 61 12 6 915 132 and is valid for a MK1 to MK3 or MK4
upgrade – it will not provide the necessary connections for a MK2 computer.
