AC and H/M Lights Not Working After Pulling C33 ('97 318ti)

[SNOWti]

Hello fellow ti enthusiasts!,

My problem - AC lights and H/M at the clock not lighting up after a radio check.

I've tried googling for hours and searching and this is bugging the heck out of me! Whats new right...!

Here's a quick explanation - I bought a second 318ti, it was basically in great condition interior wise after a decent shampoo detail!

One of the things it needed was a CODE WAIT input into the BMW C33 Radio which the owner gave me - the code and serial number. But the radio wasnt accepting the code and I thought, maybe the person didnt get the right serial or code numbers mixed up a bit, I dont know.

So I decide to pull out the stereo since it seemed like an easy thing to do, very carefully, not to damage the plastics, trim, so on, to check the serial and get maybe the right code from a nearby dealer. Ive dealt with the other 318ti I own a little more so I know the radio dash area fairly well from that experience.

So I note the serial bumber verified as the one given to me, okay. I then put the radio BACK into the dash, very carefully, slowly so as not to jam the radio back in, and I had a bit of trouble with the thick wiring harness, antenna cable, etc. and how it was originally inside, after a bit of play with the radio and insertion methods it went in.

BUT NOW the lights for the AC controls AND only the lights for the H and M on the clock do not light up! All other dash and interior lights work fine and oddly enough the CLOCK lights up but not the H/M button lights below it! These sets of lights worked before I did this, I didnt unlplug anything and the car is in excellent condition with no indication of tampering with anything and even the inside of the dash is basically clean!

So did I push a cable off or unplug something? I removed the radio again, carefully, patiently, and just tried moving cables attached to those two areas lightly, just to see if they would flash as an indication of loose connections, but nothing.

Did I blow a fuse? But I checked the fuses and they look fine, no burnt fuses that I can tell, I checked them all visually.

Im just :loco: about this. Why would only those lights go out?

Anyone have this problem before? I'd really hate to tamper anymore with the dash radio section, I dont want to ruin anymore things, nor pull parts apart since its so factory like untampered with and that radio AC trim has some delicate parts.. Darn it!

Damn C33! Im just going to buy a tested working C33. Even the radio has little wear of use.

I can take photos if requested to get this resolved.

Thanks very much for any input, ideas, help, so on.

[pdxmotorhead]

I bet you popped the bulb units out, the wiring for them kinda blends with the stereo wiring...

Dave

[SNOWti]

Thanks dave, I appreciate the reply. I'm HOPING that thats just what it is, just seemed odd that the the clock unit works - the display but not the buttons' lights, buttons work setting the clock and so on and the AC control dials lights are also off but the button green lights work as well.

I'm going to have to use a mirror very carefully.

My other thought was that perhaps since the C33 radio, when I bought the car, gave me a clear decently readable CODE WAIT in the display but after my first attempt at entering the code the display dimmed so much that I have to use a flashlight to look at it while I try code inputing. SO, I wonder if that caused a short that messed up my bulbs... cant be a fuse can it?

[cooljess76]

Does your instrument cluster and window switches light up? If not, then you blew the rheostat inside your headlight switch. You'll need to replace the whole switch.

[SNOWti]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

Does your instrument cluster and window switches light up? If not, then you blew the rheostat inside your headlight switch. You'll need to replace the whole switch.

No, the instrument cluster and window switches, A/M button by the shifter, all other interior lights work fine. Only those two sets of lights - the AC control dial lights and the clock's H/M button lights, its strange. I hope it just a loose cable.

Just odd, maybe I need a wiring diagram or something for those wires connecting lights in there.

Thanks for your help.

[SNOWti]

Yep, pdxmotorhead you were right. I decided to take an even closer look, I systematically checked the cables, all was tight, nothing loose, I remembered your suggestion about the bulb and I felt it, moved it around a bit then started turning it a bit and lights go on! I feel like such a newbs. Sorry. I dont think the HM buttons light up by the way too, oh man.

Such a simple fix, but I was patient too and one learns with each little error.

[pdxmotorhead]

I only know that cause right now I'm procrastinating on pulling th ehead unit back out to fix the same problem... LOL

Dave