e30 electrical fault?

[sadham]

i have a prefacelift 318i m10.
the front headlights, indicators and hazards don't work.

Would this be down to a relay, fuses or something else?

[martauto]

Sounds like a relay but.............BRIAN

Mart.

[sadham]

Any idea which relay and where it is?

[Brianmoooore]

No obvious single cause for that lot.
Indicators and hazards might be related, with hazard switch being the cause. It sits there for years, not being pushed, with its contacts slowly corroding, then when pushed the corrosion stops the indicators connecting to the hazzards fuse, and reconnecting to the indicators fuse when the switch is released.
A strip down and clean up usually provides a cure for the next thirty years.
Which headlamps aren't working? Dipped, mains or both, and does the main beam tell tale in the instrument cluster work?
Relay K4 is for the dipped beams and K3 for the mains. Pull them out and use a wire link to connect 30 and 87 of the sockets, which should make the relevant lamps light up.

[sadham]

I'll give the hazard switch clean a try. My fog lights are not working either. Pretty much front end lights all don't come on. Don't even light up on the dash to show they're on as well. Although other lights on dash work i.e. brake light.
Rear brake lights work too.

I've been doing a bit of googling and something about a module in steering column could be a likely suspect? What do you think?

[biffer]

Non-working foglamps on my car turned out to be the usual dirty contacts inside the switch on the dash.

[Brianmoooore]

Only 'module' on the steering column is the one that makes the indicator/hazards lights flash. This is designed to fail (which it rarely does) with the lamps lit, so I'd discount that for now.
Hazard switch is a known, common fault.
Pull and link the headlamp relays before going further with that. Determines whether the problem is with the primary (lamp) circuit or the secondary (control, switches).

[ChrisHC]

Is there a common earth for all the front lights?

[Brianmoooore]

There is, but it wouldn't affect the instrument panel tell tale.

[sadham]

The high beams are working. I'll let you know of an update tomorrow evening if i get the time to clean the switches.

[sadham]

Switch contacts seemed good. Sprayed with electric contact cleaner and scrubbed anyway. No difference. Best to replace switch?

[Brianmoooore]

Only replace things when they have been proved to be faulty.
Unplug switch, use a piece of wire to link pin 5 of the socket (green/purple) to pin 3 (red/white), and try the indicator switch both ways.
Remove the wire from 3 (red/white) and plug it into pin 1 (purple/grey), switch the ignition on, and try the indicators again.

[sadham]

Tried what you said Brian, still nothing different. What would this test suggest then?

[Brianmoooore]

IF there is just a single fault causing the indicator/hazard light problem, the above exonerates the hazard light switch.
Next is onto the flasher module itself, which lives under the lower shroud around the top of the steering column. As I said earlier, this module is reliable and designed to fail safe, but there's always exceptions.
Pull out the module and connect your piece of wire between the green/yellow and green/purple.
Try the indicators and hazards, which should work as normal, except that they will be fully on and not flash. Don't leave them on too long, or they might start to cook.

[sadham]

Still nothing. The horn was working though is that connected to same module?

[Brianmoooore]

Horn is nothing to do with the module.
This is getting strange now - getting to the point where it can't be a single fault.
Did you notice if the green tell tale lamps in the instrument cluster lit?
Push the hazard switch in or unplug it*, take a longer piece of wire, connect one end to the battery + terminal and the other end to the green/yellow at the steering column module socket, and try the indicator switch.
Take care not to let the free end of the wire connected to the battery touch earthed metal, or it will get very hot, very quickly.

*This is to avoid 'backfeeding power into the accessories circuits, bypassing the ignition switch and fuses.

[sadham]

Ok from battery to green/ yellow wire on module makes the green bulb light up.
Hazard switch is removed at time of check.

[Brianmoooore]

Which green bulb? There is one for each direction.
This should only happen with the indicator switch either left or right, and the indicator bulbs should also light up on the appropriate side.

[sadham]

Yh the one for each direction. So left when indicating left and right when indicating right. Would this mean the module in steering column needs replacing then?

[Brianmoooore]

Yh the one for each direction. So left when indicating left and right when indicating right.

And the indicator bulbs on the corners of the car weren't lighting?

[sadham]

No the ones on outside of car weren't lighting. Just the ones on cluster.

[Brianmoooore]

No the ones on outside of car weren't lighting. Just the ones on cluster.

Well, they should have been, and this is probably the root of the problem. The 'flasher module' won't work unless sufficient power is flowing through the bulb circuits.
This shouldn't be possible, and isn't something I've come across before, but I'll get to the bottom of it!
There are indicator wires (blue/black and blue/red) that pass through the multi way plug and socket next to the accessories socket behind the glove box, but IIRC, that only connects the hazard switch into circuit.
The wires from the indicator switch split and go several different ways at two crimped connections inside the loom, which I think are somewhere low down near the sill below the glove box. It's very near another multi way loom joint in the red/green wire that I've personally never had any trouble with, but a few others on here have had problems with.
When I get a few minutes free, I'll have a look at a loom or two, and try to work out what the possibilities are.
In the mean time, one more test: With everything else connected back as it should be, leave the hazard light switch unplugged, and use your short piece of wire to link the red/white to the blue red in the switch's plug. This should light the left green arrow in the cluster, the front and rear left indicator bulbs and the left hand wing repeater.
Similarly, moving the wire to link the red/white to the blue/black should light all the right hand side lamps and green arrow.

[sadham]

Sorry just checked again. I was looking at indicators at the front when doing the test my bad. The rear indicators do come on when connected from battery + to the green yellow on steering column.

[sadham]

The other test to connect red/ white to blue/red or red/white to blue/black does nothing.

[sadham]

Brian did you manage to find any possible cause/solution? I've tried swapping relays over in engine bay like for like but no change either. The rear heated screen button also doesn't work.

[sadham]

still nothing? Also tried swapping relay for high beam/ low beam but still low beam headlights not working and fog lights not working. Lights don't show on cluster either.

[sadham]

Bump

[Contours]

This may not be relevant to your car but I noticed once that I mistakenly replaced my K4 relay which is a 5 pin with a 4 pin and I had no dim headlights. Just a thought maybe that you have mixed up the relays.

[sadham]

My car was sat in my garden since November. I haven't messed with any fuses or relays or anything electrical. Just decided to get it MOT'd so I can start driving it only to find this electrical problem out of the blue.

I have tried a new flasher module still no luck.

[sadham]

Found the problem. It was a connector behind the glovebox had somehow managed to come out. Reinserted it and all is well. Thanks for all the help really appreciate it.

[pianist]

Well done and thanks for posting how you fixed it! It will help some one for sure