interior light problem.

[CustomX]

Anyone know what colour wires attach to the door light switch of a non-delayed car?

I replaced my corroded door switch the other day and cannot remember what colour wires attach to it now...

[Brianmoooore]

Actually, I've just thought of an easier way! What colour is the wire connected to the pin switch?
Brown/yellow, it has the timer; brown/purple, it doesn't.

[CustomX]

Oops.

Sorry - thanks.

[CustomX]

Actually, I've just thought of an easier way! What colour is the wire connected to the pin switch?
Brown/yellow, it has the timer; brown/purple, it doesn't.

Excuse the ignorance but there's two wires connected to the door switch right? One is Brown/Purple and the other?

[Brianmoooore]

Other one's brown/blue and switches the relay for the electric roof/windows.

[CustomX]

Okay. I have a problem.

I don't have a brown purple - that one ends in a male plastic socket which I think is meant for the light delay relay.
This is what I have hanging loose, unconnected:

Brown, Brown/Yellow, White/Green and Brown / Blue.

Brown/Blue is one that goes to door switch, but what else?
Have I also disconnected something from the Female plug I mentioned?
Would love some help as I feel like I've tried all variations.

[Brianmoooore]

If you've got a brown/yellow instead of a brown/purple, it suggests you have a delay timer.

[CustomX]

But I don't - it's definitely not fitted.

I just took it apart to fix the corroded door switch and now none of the wires connected in any order make the light or power windows work. But it worked fine before so it's not a fuse or some other problem.

So brown/yellow and brown/blue into the switch right?

What should be in the male socket hanging there> What's the white/green for?

[Brianmoooore]

What model and age car?

[CustomX]

It's a 1990 318i.

Here is a pic of what's hanging there now.

[CustomX]

Make sense?

[CustomX]

Anyone - looks like it should be a simple fix?

[CustomX]

Anyone - looks like it should be a simple fix?

[E30Mark]

Connect the brown/violet to the door switch, but it does look like you have / have had a timer relay in there at some time in which case the brown/yellow would have been connected to the door switch.

There is a green/white supply from fuse 19 to the timer relay, although your picture does make the wire look white/green...

[CustomX]

Cool.

So if the Brown/Violet is to be reconnected, where should the Brown/Yellow go?

And Then the Brown/Blue goes to the door too, for the power windows.

Should anything go to that open Brown/Purple male socket?

[CustomX]

Cool.

So if the Brown/Violet is to be reconnected, where should the Brown/Yellow go?

And Then the Brown/Blue goes to the door too, for the power windows.

[Brianmoooore]

This is a facelift car, so the connection to the door pin switch for the interior lights should be a brown/purple wire. If you short this wire to earth the interior lights should come on.
The other wire to the pin switch should be brown/blue, and shorting this to earth should make a relay click at the back of a glovebox, and the window switches light up.
The brown/yellow with a spade terminal and the brown/purple with a male socket both remain not connected.
The wiring colours BMW use aren't just chosen at random. For instance, shorting any wire with a brown tracer to earth should make something work, any wire with a white or green main colour is or can be ignition switched live, purple main colour is or can be live with first ignition position or greater, and red main colour is or can be live with ignition switch off.

[CustomX]

Understood.

But if nothing happens with the 2 correct attached, what is suspected?

[Brianmoooore]

It's the same wire that appears both sides with no joins. Goes all the way back one sill, across the back seat pan and then over the other sill. The connections to the lights are by soldered joints leading to plugs and sockets that then go up the door catch pillars to the lights each side.
The wires into the interior lights are red/something(green, I think), which is 12 volts permanent live, and goes to the end of the light with one terminal, and the other two are the brown/purple and brown (earth).
Doesn't matter which way around these go as regards the light working. Just make sure that the copper alloy wipers press in against the bulb end cap when the switch is moved in the appropriate direction.

[tailoutcharlie]

The wiring colours BMW use aren't just chosen at random. For instance, shorting any wire with a brown tracer to earth should make something work, any wire with a white or green main colour is or can be ignition switched live, purple main colour is or can be live with first ignition position or greater, and red main colour is or can be live with ignition switch off.

that makes so much sense. I'll be writing that one down somewhere.

[CustomX]

It works!

But the passenger interior light only works when switched on manually - neither door switch gets it ti do anything...

[Brianmoooore]

. Just make sure that the copper alloy wipers press in against the bulb end cap when the switch is moved in the appropriate direction.

[CustomX]

Back to the car...