Illumination fuse problem? please help

[devilddog88]

i've been having problems with my illumination fuse!!! it consists on the speedometer lights, right foglight, and right tail light. Is odd because I replaced the fuse twice already and it always blows a day after, i have no idea what is causing this problem. In case u guys were wondering it is fuse # 37.
Please help me out
thanks

[devilddog88]

well i guess nobody knows anything about it, if i find out what it is i'll post it
thanks anyway

[devilddog88]

I finally fixed it, i had to follow the wires all the way back to the tailights. Somehow the wires were touching each other and this was causing the short to blow the fuse. Im guessing this happened from openning and closing the trunk. Took me about 5 hours and a lot of work but im glad everything is working fine now.

[John Firestone]

Originally Posted by devilddog88

I finally fixed it, i had to follow the wires all the way back to the tailights. Somehow the wires were touching each other and this was causing the short to blow the fuse. Im guessing this happened from openning and closing the trunk. Took me about 5 hours and a lot of work but im glad everything is working fine now.

If your trunk wiring is like the examples I have seen, BMW used plain old automotive wire with insulation that stiffens and cracks when flexed at low temperatures. Probably the only good long term solution is to replace the trunk to trunk lid wiring with wire that doesn't. A colleague is supposed to send me some to try.

[socal318ti]

It seems that pesky fuse 37 causes a lot of problems. Its also the one thats used in the lights for the HVAC controls. (there's two running threads about peoples not working at the moment)

[gadgetphreak]

Hmmm, I had heard of this issue for the E36 sedan's (wiring corrupted and shorting as a result of the trunk opening & closing) but didn't think about it affecting the ti... I think I will check mine this weekend when I do a few other maintenance things...

[Ian]

I have a fuse that blows every few weeks. It is the one for the left tail light and parking light. I have had it looked at by a shop and they could not find the problem. I am also unable to set my alarm because it goes off at random times (like the middle of the night) for no reason. I have to lock my car with the key as to not turn the alarm on. Any ideas on how to solve these problems?

[John Firestone]

Does your alarm report which input has been triggering it?

My ETMs are elsewhere but I will check them when I get the chance if you are still having trouble.

I received the wire to replace the wiring that will fail between my car's trunk lid and trunk. It is Tefzel-insulated aircraft wire rated for flexed use down to -55 deg C (-67 deg F).

-John

[devilddog88]

Check the trunk wires that connect to the left tail light, and look carefully for a short, im pretty sure some of the wires are touching, and this is causing the problem. Is going to be a pain to check the wires but you don't lose anything by trying, good luck.

[Ian]

Thanks for the info. Are the wires you refer to the ones that are in the plastic covering between the trunk and the car or the wires down inside the trunk by the tail light? Sorry, I'm 17 years old, first car, so I'm still learning.

[Ian]

Hello,
Thanks so much for the info. Can you tell me how I would go about finding which input is triggering the alarm? The alarm system was factory installed and I don't know alot about it as I'm the second owner. I looked at the wires between the trunk lid and the car and I'm not sure how to go about getting the plastic enclosure off without damaging anything. My dad and my grandfather are going to try to help me today.

[John Firestone]

Hello Ian,

I hope your investigations went well today. My internet access is a bit sporadic at the moment and why I am a little slow replying.

The wiring I am thinking of is in the flexible tubing between the rear lid and the trunk. You may find the wires' insulation has cracked and conductors have broken through where the wires experience the strongest and sharpest bending. I don't have a 'ti to look at at the moment, but the E36s I have repaired have had stiff feedthrough tubes inside the tubing where it passes through the sheet metal. These tubes concentrate the bending and appear to break the wiring over time.

I asked about the alarm because it may have a connection to the rear hatch trunk light switch which could also be part of the hatch to trunk wiring. (I don't have my ETMs here nor do/did I know which alarm you have.) I would even more strongly suspect the hatch-trunk wiring if the switch is and is also tripping your alarm. Many aftermarket alarms output a flash code that indicating what "zone" last set off the alarm.

You should be able to squeeze and pop out the chassis grommets the tubing passes through; once you have them out, you can try pushing back the tubing to inspect the wiring inside. Alternatively, and perhaps more easily, you can simply pinch the tubing at different spots, including where it gets really bent, and feel the state of the wiring inside. You will probably feel lumps if and where the wiring has broken.

Good luck and let us know what you discover!

-John