Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 11, 2008 Well i think i've got the same prob (or near enough) to MTK40 with his on board computer etc breaking down, the prob with mine is i came out of a corner (with a little speed) and the stereo said goodbye, i tried to turn it back on with no responce, wasnt till later on today i went through a sprinkler and noticed the window wipers are also not working now, i took my own advice which i gave to MTK40 , disconnect the battery for a we while, still no luck, havent checked the fuses yet, would be strange for the wiper fuse and radio fuse to blow at the same time? If anyones got any advise or struck this problem let me know cheers. Greg. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtk540 3 Report post Posted January 11, 2008 Hi Greg When I opened the fuse box in the E39 the schematics showed that some services shared a fuse. Could be the same in the M3? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3 SERIES 92 Report post Posted January 11, 2008 Check ya fuses first mate. Had a similar problem the other day with the windows and the radio going on me and all it was were the fuses. Not sure why it happened thou but all good now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 11, 2008 O.k thanks guys, i had a quick look under the dash before and there is just looms for miles, plugs, wires etc, where the hell is the fuse box? I dont think the engine fuse box will be related to that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3 SERIES 92 Report post Posted January 11, 2008 O.k thanks guys, i had a quick look under the dash before and there is just looms for miles, plugs, wires etc, where the hell is the fuse box? I dont think the engine fuse box will be related to that.Well im guessing you car is different to mine. My fuse box (black) is in the engine bay on the passengers side by the battery up against the fire wall. Under the cover it has the number of each fuse and what it is for. Just by looking at the fuses from the top you can tell what has blown, if any have.Let me know how you get on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yuen 16 Report post Posted January 12, 2008 Greg, fusebox should be in the engine bay like most other E36s, as far as I know it's the only fusebox unlike the E39. There should be some relays beside the fusebox and relays are also located under the driver's dashboard or glovebox or both, can't remember exactly. I know on the E39 there's a common problem with the ignition switch going faulty and causing problems like the steering wheel controls not working, radio will also turn off, brake lights may be affected and some dashboard lights will come on. You can test it by opening the sunvisor's and activating the sunvisor lights if you have them, steering wheel should move up and down. Though I don't think the wipers are affected, might as well throw it out there for you to test. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 12, 2008 Greg, fusebox should be in the engine bay like most other E36s, as far as I know it's the only fusebox unlike the E39. There should be some relays beside the fusebox and relays are also located under the driver's dashboard or glovebox or both, can't remember exactly. I know on the E39 there's a common problem with the ignition switch going faulty and causing problems like the steering wheel controls not working, radio will also turn off, brake lights may be affected and some dashboard lights will come on. You can test it by opening the sunvisor's and activating the sunvisor lights if you have them, steering wheel should move up and down. Though I don't think the wipers are affected, might as well throw it out there for you to test. Thanks for that mate, of course there is a fuse box in the engine bay but there must be a fuse box in the cab as well? I'll check all the fuses, got a test light so that will do. Cheers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3 SERIES 92 Report post Posted January 12, 2008 Greg, fusebox should be in the engine bay like most other E36s, as far as I know it's the only fusebox unlike the E39. There should be some relays beside the fusebox and relays are also located under the driver's dashboard or glovebox or both, can't remember exactly. As Yuen said, there is only one fuse box and thats in the engine bay. This is the case with my E36 aswell. Lift the bonnet and check the fuses. Its a 2 min job. That'll soon tell you if its just a fuse or something more serious. Good Luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 12, 2008 O.k so theres good news and theres bad news (very bad), was looking in the fuse box in the engine bay and saw that the glove box light fuse had blown so i grabbed another (yes the same amperage) and stuck it in there, success the radio turned on and the wipers worked yay, i then hoped in the cab and heard a crackling noise, i turned to the glove box and low and behold my f**king car was on fire!!! I pulled the glove box out so fast but all i did was start chocking on fumes etc.Great birthday present huh? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yuen 16 Report post Posted January 12, 2008 Sh*t, did you manage to put it out quickly? Hope it didn't cause much damage... Must be a short circuit? Time to inspect the wiring where the fire started... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 12, 2008 Sh*t, did you manage to put it out quickly? Hope it didn't cause much damage... Must be a short circuit? Time to inspect the wiring where the fire started...I disconnected the battery really fast, then unscrewed the glove box really fast haha, a few melted wires here and there, i'm guessing thats why the fuse decided to blow yesterday haha. Oh well time to fix i sopose. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3 SERIES 92 Report post Posted January 12, 2008 Wholy Hell, hope the cars all good mate? Looks like you know where the problem is now! Might want to take it to an auto electrician to get it checked properly. Goodluck Greg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 12, 2008 (edited) Heres what i found when the smoke cleared, As you can see in the last photo it burnt a nice line in the carpet as well, i'm trying oh so hard to see bright side of this??? Still nothing. Edited January 12, 2008 by Greg111 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3 SERIES 92 Report post Posted January 13, 2008 Gutted! Bright side........At least ya found ya problem! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 13, 2008 Yep that is true i sopose. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
QuickSilver 0 Report post Posted January 14, 2008 (edited) bright side : you didnt set your whole car on fire, and you didnt get hurt? and plus, you car will now be sorted and better than ever! Edited January 14, 2008 by QuickSilver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 14, 2008 Again true, all sorted now, fixed it last night. Cheers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yuen 16 Report post Posted January 14, 2008 So did you just solder new wires in and tape them Greg? Another bright side - those beautiful Alcantara seats didn't get burnt! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 14, 2008 Yeah wired new ones in, wasnt too bad thankfully, i would have cried if it touched the seats or anything for that matter, although it burnt a line in the carpet Still don't understand why the fuse didnt blow for the second time though, just decided to create fire? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yuen 16 Report post Posted January 14, 2008 Yeah wired new ones in, wasnt too bad thankfully, i would have cried if it touched the seats or anything for that matter, although it burnt a line in the carpet Still don't understand why the fuse didnt blow for the second time though, just decided to create fire? Yeah, that's odd. At least the carpet isn't an M3 only part Glad you got it sorted! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mtk540 3 Report post Posted January 14, 2008 Greg, your incident reminds me of when I was a (lot) younger. I had a 1.3 Mk2 Escort and to make it go "faster" (haha) I added some spotlights - we did that sort of stuff in 1983! I put in a relay and all that but one day smoke and an awful acrid smell came out from behind the dash which quickly filled the interior **SH@T!! *** - the switch had failed and burnt out along with all the wiring for the lights. Needless to say I disconnected the lights for good after that! Good on you for sorting it out but do see an auto sparky as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 14, 2008 Greg, your incident reminds me of when I was a (lot) younger. I had a 1.3 Mk2 Escort and to make it go "faster" (haha) I added some spotlights - we did that sort of stuff in 1983! I put in a relay and all that but one day smoke and an awful acrid smell came out from behind the dash which quickly filled the interior **SH@T!! *** - the switch had failed and burnt out along with all the wiring for the lights. Needless to say I disconnected the lights for good after that! Good on you for sorting it out but do see an auto sparky as well. I think there is a bit of (after market) wiring that shouldnt be there, half of it is the imobiliser i think? Yeah i'll try get into a electrician this week, got a few other issues as well, hey that's life isn't it!Cheers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cainchapman 0 Report post Posted January 14, 2008 I'd say the bright side is that you have a Yellow M3! Glad to hear you have sorted it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted January 14, 2008 I'd say the bright side is that you have a Yellow M3! Glad to hear you have sorted it. Haha funny guy! Cheers man. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
