Hi all -
I purchased a 2003 540i about 4 months ago and have dealt with SAP issues from the beginning. The pump was really loud, sounded like a vacuum cleaner with a sock stuck in it. I tried all the diy's out there including cleaning and replacing the valve but nothing would alleviate the problem. Eventually I just ended up disconnecting the pump and ignoring the SAS light. Despite some other people's suggestion to just ignore the light forever, I know eventually I'll have to get emissions tested and I don't like the idea of ignoring the light. I did not want to invest the money to replace the pump/hoses for a useless part so I decided to go the delete route.
After lots of research I decided to take a gamble and purchase a plug-and-play SAP spoof kit from gpeterson, who has contributed here on the fest. His site is here:
http://e36-electronic.com/
On the site he does not indicate a kit for the e39 540i but when I asked he assured me it would work fine. It is a bit pricey for what you get ($165), but I really didn't want to have to cut or splice any wires. The quality of the kit is excellent, everything looks durable and professionally assembled.
The instructions were for a M52 rather than M62, so the install was a bit more involved and I had to figure it out on my own. I ran the wiring way under the middle of the car to the pre-cat o2 sensor connections. After zip-tying everything up and out of the way, I connected the power connection to the SAP power connection and ripped out the pump. Everything plugged right in perfectly and can be removed in the future if needed.
Long story short - It's been over a week, no check engine light, and no more SAP jet engine sound. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: At the end of the day it's a lot less expensive than replacing the pump, and 30 minutes under the car hopefully means I'll never have to deal with the dumb SAP system again!
I purchased a 2003 540i about 4 months ago and have dealt with SAP issues from the beginning. The pump was really loud, sounded like a vacuum cleaner with a sock stuck in it. I tried all the diy's out there including cleaning and replacing the valve but nothing would alleviate the problem. Eventually I just ended up disconnecting the pump and ignoring the SAS light. Despite some other people's suggestion to just ignore the light forever, I know eventually I'll have to get emissions tested and I don't like the idea of ignoring the light. I did not want to invest the money to replace the pump/hoses for a useless part so I decided to go the delete route.
After lots of research I decided to take a gamble and purchase a plug-and-play SAP spoof kit from gpeterson, who has contributed here on the fest. His site is here:
http://e36-electronic.com/
On the site he does not indicate a kit for the e39 540i but when I asked he assured me it would work fine. It is a bit pricey for what you get ($165), but I really didn't want to have to cut or splice any wires. The quality of the kit is excellent, everything looks durable and professionally assembled.
The instructions were for a M52 rather than M62, so the install was a bit more involved and I had to figure it out on my own. I ran the wiring way under the middle of the car to the pre-cat o2 sensor connections. After zip-tying everything up and out of the way, I connected the power connection to the SAP power connection and ripped out the pump. Everything plugged right in perfectly and can be removed in the future if needed.
Long story short - It's been over a week, no check engine light, and no more SAP jet engine sound. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: At the end of the day it's a lot less expensive than replacing the pump, and 30 minutes under the car hopefully means I'll never have to deal with the dumb SAP system again!
