Are older engine looms different ???

Post Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:02 pm

hi guys, almost there with swapping the car loom on my cab.

got lights on the cluster and check control lighting up.

gave it a go to see if I can get it started again before going any further. ( rear lights and headlights to go )

but just turns over. Does not seem to have any spark.

the loom swap is from a 325i 1989 car to a 325i 1986 cabby if that makes any diffrence, as i have a sneeking suspicion they might be????

so.... ECU or somthing needs to be changed ?? or engine looms were slightly diffrent on older cars,???? as i have a sneeking suspicion it might ??

for example in this photo I have these wires 'spare' ........ ( three wires went to it from the general direction of the instrument cluster and were

by the way the wires that went to this plug were green, yelow/white, and black

or am i missing somthing at the front end by the lights that needs to be wired up ????

Cheers

Aled

Post Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:10 pm

Is that plug on the body loom or engine loom? Ive had the same thing before with early engines into late cars

Post Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:19 pm

dan , how are ya fella?

the plug in the picture is on the engine loom

the plug that went to it on the original loom came from around the area of the blue socket that goes to the instrument cluster .

Post Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:27 pm

Same as what I had to overcome, im sure I just joined the three wires onto the loom up by the clocks.
Have a look at your old loom to see what colour wires and what pins of what connectors they go to.

If I remember right you will have no fuel, no spark and the rev counter wont work

Post Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:30 pm

nice one , will go out and have a look now........ and keep you posted

cheers

Aled

Post Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:12 pm

right then .......

this picture is if the other part of the connector from the old loom....

solved two of the three.

black to pin 7 on blue terminal that plugs to instrument cluster

yellow/white to pin 11 on blue terminal to instrument cluster

now where the hell does the green one go??????

it seems to vanish deep into the car loom somwhere??

lol almost there ( famous last words !! )

cheers

Aled

Post Mon Oct 30, 2006 8:22 pm

I would trace it and wire it in as BMW intended,

All green wires are the same though, Ignition

Post Mon Oct 30, 2006 9:30 pm

small update .... will try in the morning and post the results.... ( fire extinguisher at the ready

)

green - from ignition switch to pin 27 on ECU ( Start Input )
Black - from pin 6 on ECU to pin 7 on blue connector of the instrument panel
yellow/white - from pin 32 on ECU to pin 11 on blue connector of the instrument panel

will double check again in morning when my eyes hurt less though!!

cheers for the heads up on the green being ignition dan. hopefully the sound of the sweet 6 pot melody will be ringing in my ears before long!! ( and not the sound of the fire brigade lol )

Cheers ,

Aled

Post Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:03 pm

I think I spent about 3 days trying to sort the problems caused by that plug the first time round

Was my first E30 mind

Post Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:44 pm

bloody thing . i tell you..... i would love to know who messed up the first loom!! when I was tracing the green wire back it led me to ...... another connector exactly the same as the one I just traced it from !!!

because this was a LHD to RHD conversion when I got it off ebay ( slightly Stella induced purchase

) they must have cut half a loom into an old one to extend it to the other side of the dash . most of the wires they used to extend it are household earth cables all exactly the same and all twisted and taped !!!

not a bit of solder or any sort of connector in sight, and most of the connectors are doubled up on what was the left and right side of the loom. how the hell this ever worked in the first place is beyond me. they ither really knew what they were doing or they were just really really lucky!! this car should have gone to the big cabby graveyard in the sky, its going to cost me a fortue, but i dont care !! for my first E30 its a bit of a challange

, and, oh yeah, ive stopped mixing stella and ebay...... for now

Post Tue Oct 31, 2006 11:03 am

UPDATE.....

it only bloody WORKS !! ha ha

the above wiring is correct and started first time. sweet as a nut. nice.

ah well, on with the next 50 jobs on this car !

Aled

Post Tue Oct 31, 2006 7:04 pm

Nice one

Have you got through those heat shrink connectors yet

Post Tue Oct 31, 2006 7:31 pm

ha ha

not yet !! saving them up for the front and back lights

electric windows tommorow..... watch this space !