Headlight wiring repair

[sleepy81]

It has been mentioned before but I thought a '97 would not have the problems. How wrong I was.
This is what I found.

and this

and more

the complete loom toasted

So the shops for a new soldering iron, some wire and after sketching the circuit dismantled the connector.
This took three days until I discovered the secret release key to allow removal of the pins from the connector. (Thanks Max Lumens)

The centre wheel with the numbers must be turned anti clockwise to release pins.
The new temporary connector wiring

and the complete new temporary loom until new replacement arrives.


This has been for me a challenging & time consuming repair but very satisfying and might just have saved a fire.

[wokke]

looks very professional and with the OZ prices for BMW spares I bet you still come up with a fairly good hourly rate
And besides that, isn't it much more satisfying to have something repaired instead of replaced?

[argonaut]

Very neat and professional looking reapir you've done there, well done.

My 97 car has the same problem - crappy falling to bits wiring insulation, high up on my to-do list now that you've reminded me :-)

[Timm]

Excellent work, that looked professional quality.

[sleepy81]

Thank you all. Praise indeed from such esteemed 8ers. Just reassembled and works like a charm but found the dampers shot & damper adjustment 4mm out. And so it goes on.

[argonaut]

Thank you all. Praise indeed from such esteemed 8ers. Just reassembled and works like a charm but found the dampers shot & damper adjustment 4mm out. And so it goes on.

Those teenie weenie dampers are very often shot and even when replaced they don't seem to last long. It seems that this is often due to the way they are stored - apparently they should be stored upright so that the seals are always immersed (don't quite see why myself since I thought they were gas filled and a gas under pressure will fill the entire space available).

I replaced both of mine only to find that one of the "new" ones is knackered after only about 500 miles.

[Max Lumens]

The funny part is that when I was fabricating the headlight wiring harnesses that I have available now, I opted not to build Euro looms because I heard that they weren't prone to failure like the US ones. Oh well.

The North America harnesses are a simple drop-in replacement. They can also be customized for anyone who is running all high beams (9005/HB3s or HIR9011s), by swapping the bulb connectors to suit. Also, you can order them with new large round 7-pin connectors already attached if your old ones are shot.

For Euro cars, you can use these US-spec wires as a good starting point. They are fully functional for the headlight functions if you switch the US-style bulb terminals for H1-bulb fittings. That consists of common 1/4" spade terminals and round barrel terminals for the grounding lugs on the housings, as pictured. If the separate set of leveler-motor wires are in good shape (and they should be, as they are low-frequency and low-current wires), you can tape them to the new bulb wires and you're good to go. Don't forget to put the rubber grommet on the harness before attaching the wire ends. The big round connector is the same for both markets; the US version only uses 4 wires, Euro has 7.

Contact me by regular email at e31parts@bmw8.us for more info.

[Max Lumens]

Those teenie weenie dampers are very often shot and even when replaced they don't seem to last long. It seems that this is often due to the way they are stored - apparently they should be stored upright so that the seals are always immersed (don't quite see why myself since I thought they were gas filled and a gas under pressure will fill the entire space available).

I replaced both of mine only to find that one of the "new" ones is knackered after only about 500 miles.

Well then, you should be pleased to hear that I have new "dampers", aka gas springs, available for a lot less than the usual replacement cost. There's no need to store them vertically, as is sometimes suggested for suspension and belt pulley gas shocks/springs. However, gas springs in general should be installed with the housing on top, so moisture doesn't pool around the seal.

Devoid of decoration, straight from the Worker's Paradise, and shockingly full of Newtons:

[wokke]

price info on the dampers? I'd need two sets but stayed away from purchasing the OEM ones due to know "immediate failure" stories.

[Max Lumens]

$25 each, same price as a brand new fuel injector 8^) That includes shipping in the US; add $10 for international.

Hmmm, I wonder if the stories about premature failure on the dealer shocks reflect old inventory? I expect so; anything with pressurized nitrogen is going to have a shelf life. Wonder how old the BMW ones are? These were made in March, can't get much fresher than that.

[wokke]

2 sets ordered via PM

[Max Lumens]

2 sets ordered via PM

Email sent, thx.

[Helmer]

1 sets ordered via PM

[wokke]

Email sent, thx.

Please resend. haven't gotten it.

[wokke]

Email sent, thx.

Please resend. Haven't received it.

[AMOHAN]

It has been mentioned before but I thought a '97 would not have the problems. How wrong I was.
This is what I found.

and this

and more

the complete loom toasted

So the shops for a new soldering iron, some wire and after sketching the circuit dismantled the connector.
This took three days until I discovered the secret release key to allow removal of the pins from the connector. (Thanks Max Lumens)

The centre wheel with the numbers must be turned anti clockwise to release pins.
The new temporary connector wiring

and the complete new temporary loom until new replacement arrives.


This has been for me a challenging & time consuming repair but very satisfying and might just have saved a fire.

Where i could find the large 7 pin headlight connector, I need these connectors

[850BMR]

It has been mentioned before but I thought a '97 would not have the problems. How wrong I was.
This is what I found.

and this

and more

the complete loom toasted

So the shops for a new soldering iron, some wire and after sketching the circuit dismantled the connector.
This took three days until I discovered the secret release key to allow removal of the pins from the connector. (Thanks Max Lumens)

The centre wheel with the numbers must be turned anti clockwise to release pins.
The new temporary connector wiring

and the complete new temporary loom until new replacement arrives.


This has been for me a challenging & time consuming repair but very satisfying and might just have saved a fire.

Hi, how did you get the 7 pins from the plug once you moved the release key, i cant seem to get mine out either forward or backward? Please help.

[argonaut]

I know this is an old old thread - I'm getting my car ready for use again.
I've found that the headlamp wiring is FUBAR. Does anyone know where I can get hold of a pair of wiring looms?
Thanks!

[toomanyparts]

Mr. Thomas ENGL has them on his website.

[hurtwj]

Mr. Thomas ENGL has them on his website.

Can can you send me the website

[toomanyparts]

http://www.engl-production.de/scheinw-kabelsatz.html

Thomas is very helpful and will gladly help non-German buyers. Always had good experiences with him. This is only really good for Euro headlights.

For US lights, hit up Max Lumens on this forum. Also a great guy.

[nzmoko]

Reliving the euro headlight dread - and at 60,000km. Easily solved with a new loom from Thomas. Downside is, the loom comes with all connectors in place so my question is, how to get those wires with connectors attached through the grommet hole?

[nzmoko]

Solved. Silicon spray