NON LED tail light flicker

[toybreaker]

first off I haven't checked my battery, it is less than 18 months old. However first check when I get home tonight will be to put the multimeter on it.

I have an M5 cluster, so it does not have the light out indicators it just says check brake lights.
All the bulbs are fine. I replaced them anyway ($7 why not?) still flickers. right, then left, then right, then left..... didn't time the interval.
Oh i do have an aftermarket stereo installed and its internal amp is failing, they both started about the same time...... New stereo will be here today or tomorrow....

I am not good with electrical or electronic troubleshooting. I can do it, however my attention span for tedious sh!t I do not enjoy is very low.

pointers or an avenue of investigation would be appreciated.

thanks!

[777300ER]

So you switched from a low cluster to a high cluster? I don't think I've ever seen someone do that.

[toybreaker]

I did not switch anything. I bought it this way. the PO put a few select parts from an M5 into this car. the cluster is one.

I am going to check the battery and disconnect the stereo to see if either of those are the culprit.

The aftermarket stereo install wasn't done correctly anyway so replacing the deck is going to be hand over handing wires with a schematic to verify everything is connected correctly. Not going to be fun....

[777300ER]

You should see if the m5 cluster is coded correctly too.

[toybreaker]

Battery is fine, alternator is fine. unplugging aftermarket stereo made no difference.

[JimLev]

Do you have any corrosion on the metal strips on the tail light assembly?
Any possibility the wrong bulbs are in there?

[toybreaker]

I did not see any corrosion when I replaced all the bulbs, and I made certain they were the correct part number.

[geargrinder]

toyboy - that flicker sounds exactly like the cold monitoring function, which indeed sends a little pulse to each side like that back and forth. Are you sure there's not some LED replacement bulb the PO stuck in there somewhere, in addition to the bulb you replaced already? My reverse lights do that cuz I replaced w/ LED's. If they are indeed all incandescents then the coldmon pulse shouldn't light them up. Otherwise just brainstorming... there's those weird aftermarket emergency responder aftermarket light modules that do crap like that, was PO an EMT or something? But expect you'd have stumbled on the module or its switches or whatever...

[toybreaker]

There are no LED bulbs in the rear light fixtures. all old school incandescent still. I'll take some pictures and post up after work. there is some extra wires on the passenger side.
Like i have said multiple times electrical/electronic are not in my wheelhouse...

I have owned this car since march and this only just started, so it is a recent change with something, and I haven't messed with anything electrical until it said check tail lights

[JimLev]

The center brake light is tied into the right rear brake light check circuit IIRC.
Not sure that will help you, just throwing it out as something to check.

[toybreaker]

I appreciate that Jim, 2nd place I checked after the regular tail light bulbs checked out ok.
was hoping that was the issue when I replaced the normal tail light and turn signal bulbs

[toybreaker]

Some pics of the “wiring”

On both sides

Thinking PO had aftermarket leds and put the old stock ones back in?


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[toybreaker]

I do not like those piggy back wiring pieces.....

[amancuso]

It looks like the PO put CELIS LED tails on the car with some weird error cancelling devices. I'd rip all that crap out and reinstall the stock incandescent fixtures.

[toybreaker]

Well if he did he removed the LED tail lights before he sold the car.

My last 540I had aftermarket LEDs.... hmmmmm.....

I'll need to get my beater inspected before I tear into that, so If i get in over my head I have a "legal" vehicle to drive.

[amancuso]

What do these lights look like from the outside? From the back, these look like the OEM US Spec CELIS tails, as they have the flat connector seen in your pic. They use incandescents for the turn, brake and reverse light. Only the 4 lightbars in the center are LED.

[toybreaker]

I'll take and post pictures after I get the brisket in the smoker this afternoon.

[toybreaker]

I should have actually turned the damn things on and looked at them.
aftermarket led fixtures.... how do i fix this error? Only just recently started...

[geargrinder]

Thats what I suspected - the flash symptom described is too perfect to not be an LED thing.

Are you sure they are aftermarket and not proper facelift LED's? He might have used those crappy cancelarers because he tossed the OEM LED CELIS in but didn't understand why they were throwing errors... Why it just started is perhaps because the cancelarer crapboxes burned out and stopped interrupting the bulb check pulse.

That banged up sheet metal around the one side is ugly too! Whats up w/ dat!?

Last one - what is that ball of grey wire? Is that lamp cord? Let me guess - aftermarket sub wiring?

[toybreaker]

[QUOTE=geargrinder;29913837]Thats what I suspected - the flash symptom described is too perfect to not be an LED thing.

Are you sure they are aftermarket and not proper facelift LED's? He might have used those crappy cancelarers because he tossed the OEM LED CELIS in but didn't understand why they were throwing errors... Why it just started is perhaps because the cancelarer crapboxes burned out and stopped interrupting the bulb check pulse.

That banged up sheet metal around the one side is ugly too! Whats up w/ dat!? Bought it that way, not sure

Last one - what is that ball of grey wire? Is that lamp cord? Let me guess - aftermarket sub wiring? Exactly. Pioneer dvd head unit with aftermarket (fits in factory spot) sub. sounds great... all aftermarket speakers too, but they butchered the antenna wire instead of buying the adapter, So i don't get any radio stations....


I will disconnect and remove the housings on sunday after the "weather" and see if they are indeed aftermarket or OEM. The PO changed a lot of stuff with a combination of DINAN and M5 parts. Only thing I do not like are the M5 door sill plates, those have to go....

[toybreaker]

yeah, been busy with other stuff that has taken priority. They work as is so until the end of january I will not have time to take anything apart with the 540...

I am thinking they might be proper facelift OEM lights, the head lights are....

[amancuso]

There are 2 ways to deal with this. Go to junk yard, get proper pre-facelift tails and cut the L/R harness out and splice it into your car, install original tails. Done. OR deal with a bunch of coding things and probably swapping out the LCM and even more coding to get them to work correctly.

[toybreaker]

Finally got to dig in to this. After peeling the housing to body gasket back I found corrosion on the ground side of the passenger brake light housing. Took care of that with some brown, then red scotchbrite. Buffed the inside of the bulb housing too. Replaced all the bulbs again just for good measure.
No more check brake lights message, now on to the fog lights, and getting the M-pars refurbished.....