INPA Error 159 is arguably the most misunderstood diagnostic code in the BMW home-mechanic world. It is not a sign of a broken DME or a useless cable. It is the car telling you, in its own cryptic way: "I heard you, but your signal was messy."
Does the C:\EDIABAS\Bin\obd.ini file match the assigned COM port?
If you want to dive deeper into resolving this connection issue, let me know: What are you diagnosing?
If you have an E90 or newer (using D-CAN), you might see this error too, but it usually points to a different root cause (usually a missing DCAN adapter or wrong cable). inpa error 159
ediabas /t
If you are still experiencing timeouts, your USB drivers might be outdated or incorrect. Cheap, generic ELM327 cables will not work natively with INPA; you must have a specialized or ICOM interface.
A major cause of Error 159 is hardware mismatch, such as when pins 7 and 8 on a K+DCAN cable are not bridged for older models (pre-2007) Bimmerforums.com The Feature: INPA Error 159 is arguably the most misunderstood
The aftermarket adapter had no bridge between pin 17 (Battery+) and pin 20 (Ignition). The DME stayed in sleep mode.
Is the cable assigned to a low COM port (e.g., COM1 or COM2) in Device Manager? Is the Latency Timer set to 1ms?
Their INPA had DATEN v40 (released 2010). The MS43 DME in their car had a 2005 firmware update. The old script didn’t recognize the updated response. If you want to dive deeper into resolving
If you use BMW INPA software for diagnostics, encountering can abruptly halt your workflow. This error typically surfaces when you attempt to connect to a specific Electronic Control Unit (ECU) or read error memories on older BMW models. It points directly to a communication barrier between your computer, the OBD II interface, and the vehicle's modules.
But if you see: [IFH-0010] ... – That means a short circuit on the K-Line. [IFH-0003] ... – That means incorrect baud rate (9600 vs 115200). Go back to latency settings.
to "Reserve" your ICOM device. If it isn't reserved, the diagnostic session cannot claim the interface. Interface = REMOTE is set in your Ediabas.ini file if using a network-based head. Bimmerforums.com modifying the Ediabas.ini file specifically?
Error 159 is a communication timeout error. It usually displays a message like: