e36 catalyst light

[Keats 0]

in my e36 the catalyst light is always on slash turns on and off as the bottom gets scraped over speed bumps.

what could be the problem? i jacked up the car and ive found a plug with 2 wholes in it and a wire which has been ripped out. think if i put that back together the problem will go away? although the wire does not seem to want to plug straight back in...

cheers Keaton

Edited December 9, 2008 by Keats

[jochen 4]

in my e36 the catalyst light is always on slash turns on and off as the bottom gets scraped over speed bumps.

what could be the problem? i jacked up the car and ive found a plug with 2 wholes in it and a wire which has been ripped out. think if i put that back together the problem will go away? although the wire does not seem to want to plug straight back in...

That wire is not the catalyst sensor wire

It is one of two things:

a ) It is the speed bump / low ground clearance indicator

It was added to special models 20 years ago knowing that in the future the car would be lowered and the sensor would scrap the ground. The fact that the indicator light shows a catalytic converter was just done to confuse the owner.

or

b ) It is the stupid question sensor

It is designed to be ripped and broken so that the owner can ask stupid questions like "can a broken wire could possibly be the cause for an electrical fault?" and "I've found something broken, should I fix it?"

I'm sorry I dont know which one of these two it is.

Edited December 9, 2008 by jochen

[bmw.maniac 1]

[elmarco 56]

a ) It is the speed bump / low ground clearance indicator

LMAO

[DrphTa 5]

rofl, well said