'01 325Ci - screwy blinker

[jpilk99]

Hi all,

Occasionally, when I turn on the right turn indicator, I immediately get the "fast blink" and figure, no problem: figure out which bulb is out and switch it. But then, it turns to a normal blink. I check all 3 bulbs, and they are fine.

Kinda screwy, eh? thoughts? Contacts in the sockets seem good...

Jay

[randy72877]

Front turn signal sockets burn the center contact. Tail light ground connection is also a common problem.

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[MarcoZandrini]

The E46 sedans were built in South Africa. They suffer from bad grounding wires in the tail light harnesses. There’s a recall to repair the ground cable issue. Recalls never die. Go to dealer to see if the recall has been done in the car. If it hasn’t been done, schedule it to get it done. As noted, the front blinker sockets go bad on some cars. If it’s the cause of your issue see if the dealer will fix it for free (it’s called “good will”) or fix it for a reduced cost. Lastly, what brand of bulb is in the blinker that’s having issues? It matters.

[jpilk99]

The E46 sedans were built in South Africa. They suffer from bad grounding wires in the tail light harnesses. There’s a recall to repair the ground cable issue. Recalls never die. Go to dealer to see if the recall has been done in the car. If it hasn’t been done, schedule it to get it done. As noted, the front blinker sockets go bad on some cars. If it’s the cause of your issue see if the dealer will fix it for free (it’s called “good will”) or fix it for a reduced cost. Lastly, what brand of bulb is in the blinker that’s having issues? It matters.

I'm pretty sure I got Osram bulbs at Autozone. I did notice the bulb I pulled out of the front seemed to have the bottom ...cooked off; degraded. I made sure the clean the contact point(s)....

[randy72877]

I'm pretty sure I got Osram bulbs at Autozone. I did notice the bulb I pulled out of the front seemed to have the bottom ...cooked off; degraded. I made sure the clean the contact point(s)....

That's exactly what I was talking about when I said e46's "burn the center contact" on the front turn signal sockets. You will need a new socket and bulb. The contact is bad and it will happen again. What you did is just a temporary solution but should be fine until you get a replacement.

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