Electrics in imports

[Icin 0]

Hey dont really expect anyone to offer anything up but thought id give it a shot anyway.

I just bought a E30 320i 86, im pretty sure it's a malaysian import cos its got every kind of electric accessory available in the late 80's. Trouble is some of them dont work and i have no idea on how to fix them. Heres the list of faulties:

Seatbelt lights

Back windows

Cruise control

Heat gauge

Auto Aerial for radio

Alarm

Central Locking

and some little gauge just on below the Speedo and tach that has some green lights a yellow and then red??

ANY help or advice on this stuff would be greatly appreciated. Other than "take it to the auto-electician and get charged $500 +

Cheers

[Homy.D.Clown 0]

Always best to start off simple...fuses /connections..and if its a switch control...well they all have their limited lives..but check em to make sure all the bits arent fouled up with dust/coke/blood

and i think the guage your refering to is the inspection timer....when 'red' time is up and its time to get the car serviced etc....or just ignore it like %90 of people and get it reset when you get sick of it..

[Carl 3]

Have you checked the fuses aren't blown?

[bimmer boy 21]

yea check your fuses

and maybe take apart ur window switches and clean them proberbly dont work becaus of carbon build up

[CaM 0]

Seatbelt lights: check the seat belt buckle female part, if theres no switch or wire to hook it to then no prob, may have been disconnected at some stage, not uncommon..... otherwise check the switch to see if it's faulty, or the light bulb

Heat gauge: engine temp??? could be wiring or sender or gauge unit itself, check these all out, should be easy

Auto Aerial for radio: wiring etc, or the motor could have died

and some little gauge just on below the Speedo and tach that has some green lights a yellow and then red?? thats the service meter, as kilometres mount it should do something, if i'm correct???? i dunno lol

[bimmer boy 21]

yea the gauge below the speedo with the 3 colours is your service light and as each colour comes on means u hav a certain amount of kms before the next service is due

[bravo 34]

Service meter (red green etc) You need to pull out your instrument cluster, undo it's back cover and see if the bulbs and board for it are actually there - sometimes the cars didn't come with them, but the little meter is still there. If the bulbs and board are there, try replacing the lithium battery (also inside the instrument cluster) as that is the next likely culprit.

I personally wouldn't bother as all it does is remind you when to get a service, and if you can't remember yourself...

Temp gauges are also known for failing. Does the tacho work? If it doesn't it will either be a failed instrument cluster, a blown fuse, or a loose connection on the back of the cluster.

Auto aerial could be a fuse, a stuffed motor, a stuffed relay, a broken mast (internally), or a disconnected wire. Try the fuse first followed by the wire. If it makes a noise but does nothing then it is the mast. If wire and fuse OK, and still no noise, prob the relay inside the aerial or the motor. New aerials from repco are around $100 but are crap. I recommend spending the same money (it'll prob cost that) paying an auto sparky to overhaul the old one or buy a better one somewhere else. ($120 odd at European Auto Spares in Waikato.)

Central locking motors die, but as everyone else has said check your fuses. Once done, come back with what still doesn't work.

Edited February 16, 2005 by bravomikewhiskey

[Icin 0]

Wicked, ill check all that stuff out and get back to ya's. Another thing iv noticed is the petrol gauge is like

0 1/2 1/1

|----------|----| |----|

When i fill it up it only goes up 2 the 3 1/4 line? but then takes roughly half the k's to get to the 1/2 mark. Soooo is there like a backup tank or something that the 1/1 part of the gauge applies 2? and if anyone knows what kinda milage i should be getting out of $60 worth of 96 it would help. Not sure its running to cleanly or something.

Played with the auto aerial the other day and it made a little noise when i reconnected some of the wiring after disconnecting it.

There is a female plug hanging under the seat, im guessing thats the wire for the seatbelt lights (for that seat) if so where do i connect it up?

Edited February 16, 2005 by Icin

[CaM 0]

thats down to the shape of the tank, top half of the tank (height wise) will have a smaller volumetric capacity to the bottom....

[gmccormack 0]

All the problems with your instruments are caused by the same thing. There are 2 AA sized Ni Cad batteries behind the green, yellow and red lights, these have failed and more than likely acid has started to leak from them. The acid corrodes though parts of the circut board causing the instruments to give bad readings then later fail.( temp gauge in your case, but often fuel is effected as well) If they are replaced in time everything including the service indicator lights will work as normal, if left to long the whole circut board they are attached to needs to be replaced to fix the problem.

The electric window switches are crap, take them apart and clean the contacts put them back together and all will be well again (for a while anyway), or could be the kiddy switch is dirty or broken too.

Central locking, usually the control relay has failed, most common if your car has a sunroof. It is behind the drivers side front speaker, a water drain tube from the sunroof goes right past it, it gets blocked then water ends up in the relay box and under the drivers feet ( look out for damp carpet) .These ralays are about as well made as the window switches so they dont have to get wet to stop working, the can just as easily stop for no good reason.

[bravo 34]

The click from the aerial is the realy. So this means everything is connected properly. it is there fore one of two things. Most likely a fuse (even thought the relay clciks, the fuse is on the motor power line - the relay will still click if the fuse is blown as the power to control the relay comes from your head deck, not the main power line.

If all fuses are OK, then it is the motor. if you replace the fuse and then the motor starts whirring, but no aerial movement, then it is the mast broken aswell.

The fusebox is under the bonnet at the top right as you look at the front of the car.

Edited February 16, 2005 by bravomikewhiskey