Headlights pulse dim and bright.

[fatwilly]

Hi , first time poster and first time BMW owner.I have a neat little 2 door 320i and it has two problems.
1) The headlights and dash lights flicker dim and bright about once a second, regardless of revs.
2)Has an itermittent miss that usually kicks in after accelerating, between 2500 and 3000rpm.Just after you button off the throttle.
Any help appreciated.

Thanks from New Zealand.

[mrLEE30]

sounds to me like a alternator / regulator problem. The voltage regulator is mounted on the end of the alternator and ensures the current to the battery is constant by refulatting the rotor voltage, the brushed wear out and can be changed by removing the alternator and opening the end cover and replacing, the whole regulator can also be replaced and may prove to easier then changing the brushes., if not that then could be many other things as elecrical problems are normally hard to diagnose remotely, possible other causes are faulty battery, faulty relay, bad contacts short circuit etc etc.

as for the misfire could be spark plugs (normally the easiest and cheapest thing to start replacing) or plug leads, or simply the distributor rotor is in need of a clean or replacement.

And finally welcome to the zone a source of endless knowledge and experiences, some are even useful!!

good luck and post with any changes to the situation or more details if not!!

mrlee