head lights blown

[((OO==[][]==OO))]

when i put on my high beams only the right side go on (the whole left turns dark)

it has Hella H4s/H1s. I tried plugging in the low and high beams from my old car and i got the same result. My tail lights are doing this too. I have no brake lights even though the bulbs are fine.

[bmwpower]

[]==OO));52175']when i put on my high beams only the right side go on (the whole left turns dark)

it has Hella H4s/H1s. I tried plugging in the low and high beams from my old car and i got the same result. My tail lights are doing this too. I have no brake lights even though the bulbs are fine.

This the same car you just bought?

[((OO==[][]==OO))]

This the same car you just bought?

yes. why? kind of pissed about it. but i could have sworn everything worked when i first checked it out.

[Sam Cogley]

Sounds like you have a blown fuse.

[((OO==[][]==OO))]

Sounds like you have a blown fuse.

that'd be great if its only that. i figured all the lights would be out if its a fuse. ill check the box and see.

[318kid]

If it's not the fuse try switching the lights around. If it still doesn't work then make sure your connections are all good, and you have a good ground. -Preston

[ak96ss]

Each bulb has it's own fuse - 1 is LH high, 2 is RH high, 13 is LH low and 14 is RH low. And the stop lights are wired separately from the taillights.

Let's get some accurate symptoms here first, then we can help. Exactly what is happening?

Both L and R low beams work fine, but when you turn on your high beams, the L side bulbs all go out, and the R side light up, both high and low?

Tail lights work fine until you turn on the high beams, or does one side not work at all, or neither side works (this is taillights, not stop lights)? Stop lights work until you have your lights on, or don't work at all?

We need to know exactly what is happening to properly diagnose over the Internet - be very specific.  

[((OO==[][]==OO))]

Each bulb has it's own fuse - 1 is LH high, 2 is RH high, 13 is LH low and 14 is RH low. And the stop lights are wired separately from the taillights.

Let's get some accurate symptoms here first, then we can help. Exactly what is happening?

Both L and R low beams work fine, but when you turn on your high beams, the L side bulbs all go out, and the R side light up, both high and low?

Tail lights work fine until you turn on the high beams, or does one side not work at all, or neither side works (this is taillights, not stop lights)? Stop lights work until you have your lights on, or don't work at all?

We need to know exactly what is happening to properly diagnose over the Internet - be very specific.  

yes right side high and low go on and left low and high stay off.

as for the tails. I originally onlyhad the brake lights as a problem so i replaced all the bulbs from my 86 325es and now i have i think only the left normal light on (you know when you turn your head lights on?) and the right reverse light.

when i had all the bulbs in the es, they all worked fine.

[((OO==[][]==OO))]

well its back to only the brake lights not working and when i put on the high beams, only the right side works.

can someone give me a list of which fuse is for what? is it the same for all e30's?

[Wizard]

Try this site....All e30's should be the same:

http://e30m3performance.com/maintenance/fuse_box/


Lots of other useful info there.

[((OO==[][]==OO))]

well it turns out to be both problems. the fuses were blown. i replaced every single bad fuses and everything worked. then the highbeams stopped working again and fuse #1 blew. so there must be a bad ground somewhere. anyone know where i might start looking? also my OBC is in matrix mode. I have a 13 button im assuming i can just swap in so its not a big deal but could that have anything to do with the ground.


one other thing, the fog lights, one is missing the male connector (i believe the right side) but even with one plugged in, shouldnt the one come on?

and there was a 15amp fuse in the #2 spot leading me to think that this bad ground was known about prior to me buying it. :confused:

[ak96ss]

If your existing OBC is a 13-button, no sweat. If not, I believe the 13-button has a different connector and harness than the 6-button that comes in the 318is. I could be wrong, but don't think I am.

Yes, the one foglight should come on. Unfortunately, finding a short can be a painstaking process, but at least you know what circuit it is on!

First thing to do is physically inspect the headlight wiring. Unfortunately, a fair chunk of it is behind the front valance - the passenger side light and foglight wiring all run between the radiator and the front valance. Hopefully you don't have a problem there, as it is truly a pain to get to. Look for obvious breaks, cuts, etc. Make sure the wire doesn't feel stiff/burned anywhere. Given that you already had a too-high-rated fuse in there, a melted harness is a possibility.

If that doesn't yield any success, break out the multimeter - remove the fuse on the circuit, probe the connections so you know which one is +12V and which one goes to the lights. Check for continuity between the not-12V-one and ground, then start wiggling the wires to see if you can make it go to ground. If you can, there is your short.

Not much fun to do.

I'd start with the passenger side, since the foglight connector is missing - that may be part of your problem right there.

[((OO==[][]==OO))]

thanks for the help ill have to get my hands on a multi meter for the weekend. today coming back home from the beach my blower motor/ac died. checked real quick and saw that a 30amp fuse (20 something) blew. also both #1 and #2 blew.

[Cobra Jet]

you have some sort of major "short" going on if you are continually blowing fuses.  My guess is a wire in one or more harnesses is chafed and could be either touching another bare wire OR touching metal, which is causing the blown fuses.

Has the car ever been in any accidents with the front end?  Did you run a CarFax on it?  If it was ever hit in the front, it's possible that the harnesses running in the front could have been damaged.

Has anyone screwed around w/ any of the interior harnesses - such as the ones in the radio cavity?  If there are any bare wires left dangling or those that were not successfully taped up or cut off to avoid any shorts, you could have problems in there as well.

A short is going to occur when a wire harness has:

1) bare wires that are susceptible to touching other bare wires or touches metal

2) one or more wire harnesses that have been or are being "pinched", of which there may be one or more wires within the harness that are not completely cut through, but a majority of the wire strands within the wire have been cut or are bad

3) improper grounds

4) shorting caused by improper wire gauge being used for repairs (wire replacement is not able to handle the load going through it due to being improper size for components it is powering)

5) fuse panel/box damage

6) wire corrosion

7) improper installtion of vehicle accessories and/or use of fuses for such accessories

The first thing I would do would be to carefully inspect all of the harnesses at the front of the vehicle, such as those going to each headlight, parking light & side marker light.  I would also inspect the harness going to the actual light switch and high-beam function switch.  This may be time consuming, but it's the only way you will be able to find the problem(s).

You stated you have a 13 button OBC - do you have one already in the vehicle and you were going to replace it with another 13 button OBC, or do you have a standard 318 6 button OBC and wanted to replace it with a 325 13 button OBC?  The reason I am asking is, if someone installed the 13 button OBC into your vehicle, it's quite possible that their installation is causing you the problems you are experiencing - so if that is the case, I would also inspect all of the harnesses that go to the 13 button OBC.

[((OO==[][]==OO))]

you have some sort of major "short" going on if you are continually blowing fuses.  My guess is a wire in one or more harnesses is chafed and could be either touching another bare wire OR touching metal, which is causing the blown fuses.

Has the car ever been in any accidents with the front end?  Did you run a CarFax on it?  If it was ever hit in the front, it's possible that the harnesses running in the front could have been damaged.

Has anyone screwed around w/ any of the interior harnesses - such as the ones in the radio cavity?  If there are any bare wires left dangling or those that were not successfully taped up or cut off to avoid any shorts, you could have problems in there as well.

A short is going to occur when a wire harness has:

1) bare wires that are susceptible to touching other bare wires or touches metal

2) one or more wire harnesses that have been or are being "pinched", of which there may be one or more wires within the harness that are not completely cut through, but a majority of the wire strands within the wire have been cut or are bad

3) improper grounds

4) shorting caused by improper wire gauge being used for repairs (wire replacement is not able to handle the load going through it due to being improper size for components it is powering)

5) fuse panel/box damage

6) wire corrosion

7) improper installtion of vehicle accessories and/or use of fuses for such accessories

The first thing I would do would be to carefully inspect all of the harnesses at the front of the vehicle, such as those going to each headlight, parking light & side marker light.  I would also inspect the harness going to the actual light switch and high-beam function switch.  This may be time consuming, but it's the only way you will be able to find the problem(s).

You stated you have a 13 button OBC - do you have one already in the vehicle and you were going to replace it with another 13 button OBC, or do you have a standard 318 6 button OBC and wanted to replace it with a 325 13 button OBC?  The reason I am asking is, if someone installed the 13 button OBC into your vehicle, it's quite possible that their installation is causing you the problems you are experiencing - so if that is the case, I would also inspect all of the harnesses that go to the 13 button OBC.

i have the standard 6 button but i have a spare 13 i was thinking of putting in.

is there a quicker way then physically checking each and every wire by eye/hand ?