MS41 Pinout (Siemens DME Bench Pinout)

Bench pinout for the Siemens MS41 DME (MS41.0, MS41.1 and MS41.2) used on BMW M52 and S52 engines in the E36 and E39. Use the pins below to power the DME and talk to it over K-Line when flashing or reading on the bench.

Siemens MS41 DME bench pinout diagram showing 12V pins 26, 49, 60, ground pin 28 and K-Line pin 88
MS41 88-pin DME connector, bench flashing pins highlighted.

MS41 bench pins

FunctionMS41 pin(s)
+12 V26, 49, 60
Ground28
K-Line88

Which cars use the MS41 DME?

The MS41 family runs the M52 six-cylinder (and the S52 in the US-market E36 M3) in mid-to-late 1990s BMWs, including the E36 3 Series and E39 5 Series. Not sure what you have? Use our ECU identification guide.

How to bench flash an MS41

  1. Connect a stable 12 V supply to DME pins 26, 49 and 60, and to the KDCAN cable’s 12 V pin (OBD pin 16).
  2. Connect ground to DME pin 28, and to the KDCAN cable’s ground (OBD pins 4 and 5).
  3. Connect the KDCAN cable’s K-Line (OBD pin 7) to DME pin 88.
  4. Open MS41 Quickflash and read or flash the DME as you would over OBD.

The KDCAN cable needs 12 V and a ground shared with the DME to communicate, just like it gets from the OBD port in the car. Tip: double-check every connection with a multimeter before powering up, and use a power supply rather than a weak battery charger.

Do I need to bench flash?

Usually not. MS41 Quickflash reads and flashes MS41.0, MS41.1 and MS41.2 DMEs through the OBD port, with EWS delete, diagnostics and live datalogging. The bench pinout is for DMEs that are out of the car, being tested, or recovering from a failed flash.

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