E30 lights always on
Moderator: martauto
Hi guys ! I have had 7 e30's and never encountered this issue before so before I brainstormed I figured i'd ask if anyone experienced the same issue. My latest purchase is an 89 us spec 325i with no apparent mods to the wiring or the dash. The light switch is functional. All lights work as they should. The issue is that all lights (headlights and cluster / accessory night lights) are always on with ignition. Any solid leads as to the cause ? Thanks !!
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fixedwheelnut
- E30 Zone Regular
- Posts: 906
- Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2005 11:00 pm
- Location: South East London
I would look at the stereo wiring,
Option 1/ people often mistake the dash illumination wire for an earth and connect it incorrectly, the next time the lights are switched on they can short and melt part of the loom causing all sorts of problems.
Option 2/ or they may have just connected the illumination wire in with the live feed so they stay on.
Option 3/ the main beam stalk wiring may have shorted out inside the switch.
Have a look with a volt meter , disconnect the light switch and see which wire is picking up a feed to keep them on and narrow it down from there.
Option 1/ people often mistake the dash illumination wire for an earth and connect it incorrectly, the next time the lights are switched on they can short and melt part of the loom causing all sorts of problems.
Option 2/ or they may have just connected the illumination wire in with the live feed so they stay on.
Option 3/ the main beam stalk wiring may have shorted out inside the switch.
Have a look with a volt meter , disconnect the light switch and see which wire is picking up a feed to keep them on and narrow it down from there.
Alright I tested the light switch connector and the green/grey wire is the one that is always hot feeding power into the swith and with the switch plugged and in the "off" position with ignition "on" all the lights are on. I may have been wrong that all functions of the light switch are working as they should, it seems to be stuck in the "on" position. I used an external on/off switch between the switch and the connector on the green / grey wire and I toggled on / off to see that the external switch was cutting off power and it did, confirming the switch is always on. I'll try ordering a new switch to see if it fixes it. Thanks !!