intermittent light failure

[sbeckman7]

Hi guys I posted this in the light upgrades as well so I would appreciate it if someone could delete that.

Lately I've been having this odd thing going on with my headlights; I will get a "low beam" warning on the dash and sure enough the passenger side low beam is out. This only happens after I've been using the car earlier, as in after the engine is turned off and on multiple times throughout the day. If i turn the engine of and off again, sometimes the problem will fix itself (the low beam turns on), and sometimes it doesnt. This also happens with a fog light warning, although those never go out even if I do get a warning. Just opened up my LKM tonight and all seems well... any ideas?

[attack eagle]

resolder the low beam relay?

[E34N]

resolder the low beam relay?

+1. I had a similar problem and this fixed it.

[sbeckman7]

Great, Thanks! Is it not worth just replacing the low beam relay altogether?

[E34N]

Actually, just reread AE's suggestion again. He might be suggesting to resolder the LKM. That's what I did.

http://www.bmw4life.com/lkm.htm

or

http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Maintenance/Electrical/LKM.htm

[somerandomdude]

It's very easy to do. Steady hands is a must.

[sbeckman7]

So resoldering even though no cracks are visible is a good idea?

[somerandomdude]

It'll be ok. Sometimes it's hard to see the cracks.

[attack eagle]

go ahead and do the high beam relay and fog relay too. fog uses the highbeam relay as ground so either one could be to blame for your fog error.

[sbeckman7]

Ok. Is there a certain way to solder the relays or do you just take the plastic cover off? Ive never looked at them closely

[attack eagle]

jsut follow the directions previously given

[jfj707]

I have two LKM-L's sitting around in case you don't want to mess with the soldering... PM me an offer if you are interested in one.

[lepre003]

I have been battling a similar problem lately. It isn't just one headlight or the other, my low beams in general have been intermittent. I will be driving and all of the sudden they will shut off.. I turn my brights on so i can see but even some times they will shut off!? then after a bit they will flick back on.. It gets weirder... when my LKM is in ( i have taken it out recently to look for cracks and try the suggestion mentioned previously) my dashboard lights will stay on like I left my lights on.. if i lock my car they will shut off :confused . I brought my LKM to radioshack and the guy looked at it and didnt think there was anything wrong with it. Some people say its hard to tell if the connection is bad and I dont know how smart this employee is but can you guys think of anywhere else I should look or if I should just go ahead and solder my LKM.. :help

Thanks for your time.

[attack eagle]

the switch itself.

when the dashlights are on, are the license lights?

[lepre003]

the switch itself.

when the dashlights are on, are the license lights?

Yup! How do I replace the switch?

[turbokenta]

sbeckman7

If you don't want to tackle re-soldering the LKM, I have a couple extra lying around, seeing as you're pretty close (well, more or less, right), you could try one out to see if that solves your problem. Let me know.

[IT Jedi]

Yup! How do I replace the switch?

You'll need a feeler gauge to release the switch from the dash.
http://data.eeuroparts.com/Images/parts/md_61318351234.jpg

http://www.eeuroparts.com/Main/PartDetail.aspx?id=61318351234

I replaced mine shortly after buying the car. It just felt a little loose and required a wiggle from time to time. :)

[sbeckman7]

Thanks for the offers guys. I'll let you know.

[Jackson42]

Check out the DIY section for instructions on how to touch up the solder in the light module. Easy to do and a common fix for a common problem in this module - it's also used in various MBZ as well, and they have the same problem.

Jackson

[DBuhrman]

I tried to resolder my LKM with no luck. It definately looked like it had been done before also. I touched up 5 or 6 solder joints that weren't perfect but I wasn't able to tell which of the 3 relays controlled the low beam headlights. That would have made it easier. I found a replacement at a local u pull it yard for $40 and worked for the past 3 days so far. This forum is great!

[attack eagle]

glad it (finally) worked out for you.