What is this wire?

Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:58 am

On the accessory wiring harness coming from the fusebox that has your headlight wires, foglight wires, washer wiring, etc., when you get to the connector for the power to the washer system which is a purple power and a brown ground, bundles with it is a black with white stripped wire that goes to a little one pin connector. What the hell does this wire do?

Hopefully this was better of a description.
If not I can take a picture tomorrow.
I tried tracing the black with white striped wire back to the fusebox but it doesn't go all the way.

EDIT:
Found a really old picture! It looks like it connects to two blue wires wires with black stripes. Anybody got a clue? I checked both my m10 and m30 wiring engine wiring harnesses too and didn't see two blue wired with a square connector at the end.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k146/ ... GP0038.jpg

Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:21 am

headlight wash control?

Thu Feb 25, 2010 6:54 am

town325i wrote:headlight wash control?

No no, ignore the headlamp cleaning system. This is a picture from way back when I was retrofitting the system. I have an American spec 1984 318i. It used to have just a standard wiper system, no headlamp cleaning system.

Thu Feb 25, 2010 9:02 am

I can't see the pic as i'm on a work pc, but from your discription and iirc this is the wire for the map light mirror. Have you done a power test to see if and when it goes live.

Thu Feb 25, 2010 9:07 am

sorted the pic

Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:19 pm

zaust wrote:I can't see the pic as i'm on a work pc, but from your discription and iirc this is the wire for the map light mirror. Have you done a power test to see if and when it goes live.

It looks similar to the maplight mirror plug, but it's not. My car was povo spec meaning it was a base model. I had to retrofit my maplight.

Thu Feb 25, 2010 5:19 pm

Something to do with aircon possibly, what is the red wire? Where do the blue wires from the other side of the plug go?

Thu Feb 25, 2010 5:25 pm

DanThe wrote:Something to do with aircon possibly, what is the red wire? Where do the blue wires from the other side of the plug go?

Ignore the red wire, thats the PO's attempt to wire in city lights. The black/white wire goes through the square plug into two blue wires which I can't tell where they go because my car currently has no engine in it and the wiring harness is removed.

Fri Feb 26, 2010 6:31 am

Fri Feb 26, 2010 7:40 am

Heated washer jets?

Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:07 am

This is where heated washer jets plug in, (and headlamp wash/wipers) but this doesn't look like those looms.
The purple/black is a first ignition switch position switched, fused 12 volts + , and could be used by BMW for anything they chose.
I don't recognise any of these wires, in fact I've never seen a wire an an E30 with the secondary colour as rings rather than a stripe.
Where do the two blue wires go?

Mon Mar 01, 2010 3:46 am

Brianmoooore wrote:This is where heated washer jets plug in, (and headlamp wash/wipers) but this doesn't look like those looms.
The purple/black is a first ignition switch position switched, fused 12 volts + , and could be used by BMW for anything they chose.
I don't recognise any of these wires, in fact I've never seen a wire an an E30 with the secondary colour as rings rather than a stripe.
Where do the two blue wires go?

Ok I got my 84 318i engine wiring loom and found the wire in the picture. Here it is. It's off the same strand that goes to the coil, it just keeps going on to one blue wire that goes into the square connector. It can't be for the heated washer jets. What's it for??? (It's hard to see in the pic, but it's the far right connector)

Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:07 am

willnz wrote:Is the wire colour definitely blue with a black stripe?

Yes I just checked one more time to verify. It's 2 Blue w/ black striped wired going into the square plug, then on the other plug that plugs into the blue/black plug is the black/white striped wire.

Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:09 am

willnz wrote:The only thing I can find in my wiring diagrams that utilises a blue/black wire in that vicinity is a relay that is energised by the A/C compressor to prevent the fuel shutoff on overrun.

Like Brian, I have not seen a candy-striped wire in an e30 before!! (black/white wire)

Very strange... well I appreciate your help nonetheless, thanks!