I'm having a few issues regarding fuse 21, which I believe is related to the interior light wiring.
I have noticed that the blue brown wire going to the switch in the drivers door shut is live, even with Fuse 21 removed.
Does this mean that there is a short to positive?
Excuse for my lack of electrical knowledge.
Thanks, Dan.
Fuse 21 blowing
Moderator: martauto
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fixedwheelnut
- E30 Zone Regular
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- Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: South East London
I would start with the boot hinge loom, the wire to the boot courtesy light could be broken and shorting out in there.
The other live at the drivers door switch is a signal wire so the electric windows can work when the drivers door is open so you don't have to put the ignition back on to close the windows
The other live at the drivers door switch is a signal wire so the electric windows can work when the drivers door is open so you don't have to put the ignition back on to close the windows
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 49358
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
Any brown/x wire can be safely earthed, without any fuse blowing. The colour coding used by BMW indicates that if you earth a brown/x wire, something will happen, like the horn blowing, or a light illuminating, etc.
The brown/blue gets its power from fuse 28, and if you earth it, you should hear a relay clicking behind the glovebox.
Fuse 21 serves the interior dome lights, the glovebox light on early cars, the boot light, the torch, the radio memory, the clock or OBC and the instrument cluster.
Common problems which can blow fuse 21 are the boot hinge wire, as mentioned above, the glovebox light, if applicable (can short out if the bulb is missing or is not fitted in its mounting properly), and badly fitted radio wiring getting intimate with the back of the heater controls.
The brown/blue gets its power from fuse 28, and if you earth it, you should hear a relay clicking behind the glovebox.
Fuse 21 serves the interior dome lights, the glovebox light on early cars, the boot light, the torch, the radio memory, the clock or OBC and the instrument cluster.
Common problems which can blow fuse 21 are the boot hinge wire, as mentioned above, the glovebox light, if applicable (can short out if the bulb is missing or is not fitted in its mounting properly), and badly fitted radio wiring getting intimate with the back of the heater controls.
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Brianmoooore
- E30 Zone Team Member
- Posts: 49358
- Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:00 pm
As I said above, disconnecting any wire that is brown/x in colour isn't going to prove anything, and the fault is unlikely to be with the interior lights or boot lights themselves - it's the wiring to them that you should be looking at.
The wire you should be looking at is red/green. It comes down into the cabin behind the glovebox from the fusebox, and goes down to the LH sill, where there is a multiple joint, from which the wire splits to its various destinations. A wires go back from here and across the dash to the radio, clock, torch (early cars only) and instruments, and other wires go back the sill to the LH dome light, the boot light, across the rear seat, and then over to the RH dome light.
One check you can make is to see whether the glovebox light only works with the ignition on. If this is so, you have the later version, and this light can be eliminated from your investigations.
Check the wiring on the boot hinge carefully to see if it is damaged but try to avoid random actions. The worst outcome of this is that you accidentally 'cure' the fault without finding exactly what it was, only for the fault to return again at a later date.
The wire you should be looking at is red/green. It comes down into the cabin behind the glovebox from the fusebox, and goes down to the LH sill, where there is a multiple joint, from which the wire splits to its various destinations. A wires go back from here and across the dash to the radio, clock, torch (early cars only) and instruments, and other wires go back the sill to the LH dome light, the boot light, across the rear seat, and then over to the RH dome light.
One check you can make is to see whether the glovebox light only works with the ignition on. If this is so, you have the later version, and this light can be eliminated from your investigations.
Check the wiring on the boot hinge carefully to see if it is damaged but try to avoid random actions. The worst outcome of this is that you accidentally 'cure' the fault without finding exactly what it was, only for the fault to return again at a later date.
