Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted September 4, 2015 Drivers side fog on the 318i doesn't work - replaced bulb and gave the earth terminal a quick clean with some 400 grit while it was out. Have checked with the multimeter with the engine off and theres only 8.2v at the terminals and the connector plug behind the headlight, passenger side gets 11.8v. Fusebox has 11.8v at both foglight locations. Hard to get a steady resistance reading but safe to say it seems far higher than the 0.2 - 0.5 Ω I was expecting. Question is, how the hell do I clean the pins inside the plug? Both connectors in the male plug are pretty filthy, but the plug is a sealed unit. Cut the plug out and replace or is there a way to withdraw the wires & pins without destroying the plastic housing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 4, 2015 the plug does unclip, thought they are quite brittle these days. Drivers side foglight is at the end of the loom, which runs along the back of the valance, if the car has been in a crash or had a knock its possible the loom is damaged. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted September 4, 2015 the plug does unclip, thought they are quite brittle these days. Drivers side foglight is at the end of the loom, which runs along the back of the valance, if the car has been in a crash or had a knock its possible the loom is damaged. Yup, that plug behind the headlights is where I'm getting the 8.2v reading from. I get a nice 11.8v from both foglight fuse locations (29 & 30) so that suggests to me that there's no fault in the loom, and from the plug to the foglight itself shows continuity. As I said I'd be keen to clean the terminals off to see if the corroded terminals inside the round plug are the reason behind the reduced voltage before I go cutting and soldering. So is there any way to remove the pins and wires from said connector WITHOUT destroying the connector? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nick496 268 Report post Posted September 4, 2015 I've had a go. Try as you might, it's 20+ years old plastic. It will likely crack the connector. That said, the plugs still seem to fit quite snugly into the terminals, so they shouldn't fall out. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted September 4, 2015 So short answer is no, then. Bugger. Will probably just cut and splice to get rid of the connector. Good thing its hidden behind that headlight panel, cut and paste wiring gives me the shits! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted September 4, 2015 AFAIK (i havent ever priced up) you can order the plugs from BMW if you so wish. i was asking around to do so with my E34/E32 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
