How to wire halos for 2004 e85 (spyder)

[jonnyd42]

I just got these in the mail:
http://spyderauto.com/product.php?id...-BMWZ403-HL-BK

My Z4 is a 2004 e85 2.5i with halogens and no fog lights.

Wondering if anybody has suggestions on how and where to wire the halos safely? They draw very little being LEDs (looks like 0.08A per headlight, or site could mean 0.16A per headlight - not sure) @ 12V. I don't want to solder my halo leads to the turn signal because I don't want them to flash when I use the signal. Ideally, I'd like them to be on when the headlight selector switch is one over to the right from the off position, in the daytime running light position. I'd also be fine with them being on anytime the car is on if that's not possible.

I read that some people with later e85 Z4 models are able to connect this to a separate parking light, but I don't have that - I believe I only have high beam, low beam projector, and a single orange bulb for turn signal and day time running (one click over to the right from off).

Current ideas are: fuse box, running a wire from the non-brake light tail light, and also the hot side of the washer pump motor.

[tekoo]

The amber corner lights (aka front sidemarker lights) turn on with one click to the right from off (or with auto on) and stay on as long as the light switch is activated (parking light, low beam and or high beam). I believe these are the ones you would want to wire to. They are supplied by power from pin 44(left) and 45(right) of the LCM traveling through a green/black wire on left and blue/black on right which terminate in the headlight socket on left and right (PIN 4). The rear bumper left and right side marker lights are actually piggy backing on these front corner lights and supplied by the same LCM pins (pins 44 & 45).


In on the following headlight socket diagram
Pin 1 is common ground. Pin 4 supplies sidemarker light.
42CD255D-D3AF-4BBD-A1B7-DC309B7233B2.jpg

This is the LCM wiring diagram. E7=Left headlight E8=Right headlight

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...si-roa/pBeOfm7

Not sure why you are trying to re invent the wheel. Angel eye lights (spyder and others) have “how to” videos and well documented installation instructions on many forums for the E85 Z4. Did you try google?

https://youtu.be/RK_EEMO0BL8

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...FL-or-SMD-LED)

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2953

[jonnyd42]

So the 2004 e85 z4 base model (US) has a dedicated corner light power line? I haven't pulled the headlights yet to look at the harness, but when I turned on the corner light and then activated the turn signal, it appeared as if it were the same light doing double duty.

[tekoo]

It appears that all light harness and sockets (between LCM and headlight socket) are standard but the headlight assemblies and LCM differ according to car model and upgrade packages (the number of functional pins in use vary depending on headlight type; in other words the internal harness of headlight assembly and the number of utilized pins varies between base, HID, US and European versions). Can you post few images of the sockets/connections and the harness at the back of headlight? Also can you try to load a short video showing the headlight’s different bulbs in play at different light switch and turn signal settings? I have US xenon headlights (my corner light is always on and doesn’t flash with turn signals; I have 2 other dedicated bulbs for turn signal that also function as parking lights) so I’m not very familiar with the base model but the wiring diagrams appear to be the same. It also makes sense as this allows for different upgrade options to the system (LCM and headlights) on the assembly line and after market without a need to replace the main harness.

You can also pull out your LCM and check if you have pins 44 & 45 or not!

[jonnyd42]

I'm out of town until early next week so I'll post as soon as I'm back! Yeah, it would make sense from an assembly line POV to have a uniform config for LCM and harness. I'm hoping those pins are there. I'd like to avoid having to check the LCM itself, because I think it involves removing dash trim pieces, right?

[tekoo]

It’s pretty straightforward and takes about 10-15 mins; pelican part has a great DIY
https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...eplacement.htm

LCMs also vary from one vehicle to the other depending on model, package and fog lights. There are 6 different LCM options for 2007 US Z4 E85 for example! Even if your harness is standard and has the needed wires you still need them to be powered up by a LCM that provides powered pins for these wires. Therefore checking LCM for pins 44 & 45 will have to occur at one point or the other. You can pull up the part # of the LCM using INPA and try to google for images. However I doubt that any images will be detailed enough to show tiny PIN numbers engraved in plastic housing!

In regards to the headlight’s sockets and wires; you can obtain images via the fender lining little access door at the front wheels (no need to pull the headlights out for the images as pulling the headlights out requires removing the bumper cover).

[tekoo]

Another alternative to the corner light as a power source would be the original fake factory halo bulb (see image).
385E8264-B5E9-481C-BC44-FFB5797A8495.jpeg
This bulb also powers up and stays on with any headlight activation and is perhaps more universal among different E85 models than the corner lights. It’s powered up by pin 3 in the headlight socket (see image) which is connected with a white/green (left headlight), white/blue (right headlight) wires to the LCM (Pins 35 & 8 respectively ) I believe.
A54981C0-8C53-4B20-BE1C-41566B84CBB8.jpg

[jonnyd42]

Gonna take off the bumper and look at this tomorrow. By the way, I should add a small resistor in series with the LED halos, huh? I'd be willing to bet they don't have one already, and I'd definitely like to avoid burning them out with a voltage fluctuation.

[tekoo]

I would follow the manufacturer instructions to the letter. Spyder actually was founded based on the Z4 E85 halos and have probably served hundreds of customers over the past 10-15 years.
Here is the link to the instructions :
http://www.spyderusa.com/spy/images/..._led_guide.pdf

Your part is just to identify the one wire that turns on and off with the switch. All you need is a multimeter and some hints to make finding it easier (which I attempted to provide you with).

After successfully plugging in the spyder headlights if you get a dashboard light then you can contact the company for advice and start thinking about resistors. Other than that I would stay away from reading too much info on multiple forums and complicating things.

I would also stay away from unneeded modifications and deviation from the factory electrical circuit as this can lead to serious electrical shorts, fires and ECU/K-BUS damage and errors.

Good luck!

[jonnyd42]

Please find attached some of the pictures of the harness & receptacle, as well as a video showing some of the different states (the turn signal & DRL state one to the right). It appears I don't have parking lights, as I mentioned in my original post. This is the reason why I was asking about wiring alternatives, since I want to be able to use the halos when the headlights themselves aren't on.

What are your thoughts on adding a fuse, resistor, and switch in the glove box? I removed my glove box and the bottom panel that connects to the shoe air vents, and I'm not sure how to get the fuse box itself out. It seems pretty stuck in there.

Video:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=15r...j7CIwTjaurU0zJ

headlight_male.jpg
headlight male

harness_female.jpg
harness female

corner1.jpg

corner light

corner2.jpg

[tekoo]

Ok don’t worry about amber light. Why is your factory halo bulb not on in the images? Can you turn it on and see what position the switch will be in when it’s on? Also can you post images of the headlight from the inside with the back cover off?


edit
————

Also make note of when the REAR bumper sidemarker lights turn on (what switch position)

[jonnyd42]

You mean the projector headlight? This car did not come with halos.

The switch has to be either in "auto" or all the way to the right for the main headlight to come on. I can post pics of the inside later when I'm home!

[tekoo]

These may be aftermarket headlights. Can you see if you can find a HELLA stamp on the front or back of the headlight assembly?

[jonnyd42]

Yup there is a hella stamp!

[tekoo]

Every Z4 E85 should have one fake factory halo on each side (see image)
E59C504F-C03D-425B-8FB6-4A38CD3CB387.jpgC4A68E37-DCF0-4FBC-A151-BA968C39BF99.jpg
Can you open the headlight and post images of the inside and the part number?
Also you will need a multimeter to test the headlight socket (female). If you don’t have one you can find it at Walmart, autozone or any of these stores.

[jonnyd42]

So the side corner lights (little round red ones) go on with the selector switch one to the right. This is the same one that only turns on the amber lights on the bottom but not the headlight itself. Also, these headlights do not have halos like yours do. I'm not sure if yours is a European model, or is the HID model, but mine is a US spec with no halos. You can see this pretty clearly in the picture I posted. The inner one (high beam) has what looks like a clear ring but it's on the inside and doesn't light up on its own.

Vid showing changing the selector and turning on the rear side light:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bds...ew?usp=sharing
Here are some shots of the inside of the bulb from earlier.
IMG_0267.jpg

IMG_0268.jpg

IMG_0270.jpg

IMG_0271.JPG

[jonnyd42]

Here you can see they are actually Hella headlights:
IMG_0266.jpg

[tekoo]

Okay;
1- you must have pin 44 and pin 45 since the rear side markers function the same way like mine (they feed off the same LCM pins as the front corner lights that you are missing).
2- Your headlight has the H7 halogen bulb on one side, what’s the second smaller bulb next to it? Can you pull it out and post images? The bulb in your 3rd image with the white and brown wires. When does that light turn on? (You can access from the fender liner if the bumper is back in place)

Edit
—————

The bulb in this image (see image) with the brown and white wires should be your factory halo bulb. I need you to uninstall this bulb and post images and test its functions without unplugging it. I need to know if it works the same way like your rear sidemarkers (turns on with one click to the right from off and stays on)
730FD79D-3896-4B9E-B010-6BC6C0F2852F.jpeg

[tekoo]

1-If the bulb with the white and brown wires is your high beam bulb then i will need you to uninstall and take images of your front side corner bulbs (little round red ones) and the attached wires. I need to know how many wires are connected to it and their colors.

2-I also need to see the wires attached to the back of female socket (harness female as you call it). The image need to be a bird view showing the front of the socket in relation to the wires in the back (need to figure out what wire color is supplying each pin in the socket)

3-Then we will need an image of the spyder wiring/back/plugs

4-Then you will have to tell me if you do have a multimeter or not and when you will be ready to test!

[jonnyd42]

The one with the white and brown is the high beam - you are correct. You want me to remove the corner bulbs?

I do have a multimeter. It's analog and super old but it should work fine. Thanks for all your help so far!

[tekoo]

Yes corner bulbs please. Post an image of your multimeter also including where the terminals are plugged in

and images of the wiring and inside of spyder headlights follow wires from socket/periphery to the respective bulbs if you can.

[jonnyd42]

Haven't pulled the corner bulbs yet but here is the first round of photos. Spyder photos will follow.

Can't find a part number yet on it. Will keep looking, but I did find this:
IMG_0291.jpg

By the way, based on the pinout you provided earlier (8 pins), here is what my mapping looks like judging by the image I took below from inside the headlight enclosure. Keep in mind that this is by pointing the camera downward after putting it into the enclosure, so the top wires will correspond to the pins 1-4 on your diagram. You can verify this by looking at the picture of the headlight's male end and seeing that the top row has the single plastic triangle guide piece pointing in, whereas the bottom has the two pointing in. Here is a marked up reference just in case that's confusing:
annotated.jpg

pin1 = thick brown wire, I believe this is GND
pin2 = yellow wire, goes to the projector headlight
pin 3 = white wire, goes to the high beam
pin 4 = n/a
pin 5 = blue wire, appears to go to amber corner light farthest to the left
pin 6 = blue wire, appears to go to amber light farthest to the right
pin 7 = brown wire, looks like GND for the amber lights
pin 8 = n/a

Here is a shot looking down at that male connector. The big brown one corresponds to my labeled pin 1:
IMG_0289.jpg

On the car's end, here is a shot of the female connector harness from the bottom. You can tell that it plugs into the bottom because it has two of the guide triangles that match up with the bottom of the male side (row holding pins 5-8)
top.jpg

Here is the top with the single triangle:
top_r.jpg


By the way, I removed my glove box as well as another plastic area where the air vents are, and I can clearly see the plastic nipple/passthrough that BMW uses for electronics to go through the fire wall. There are extra nipples that can be cut (they're sealed at the ends right now) for wires to run through. Another idea is to just add a fuse tap to the box that's hot when ignition is on, and then run it through this plastic passthrough to the engine bay in order to connect to the headlights. This may be the solution.

I tested each of the ports on the female (car) end today with respect to GND with the multimeter in the following states:
S1: corner lights on: one click to the right
S2: headlights on: all the way to the right
S3: headlights on & turn signal on
S4: corner lights on w/ turn signal
S5: just turn signal w/ no lights on

No pin was steady 12v except for the headlight itself during these tests. I did not test high-beam. Corner lights appear to oscillate with the turn signal. I've always wondered why my turn signals are so bright - I guess it's because there are two bulbs contributing.

[tekoo]

I actually need to figure out the wire colors on the harness female more clearly with respect to the pins .
All I can see is
bottom brown yellow white
top brown green blue
I can’t tell if any wires are striped (and if so what the second color is) and I can’t tell where the empty pins are in respect to the wire sequence of the harness female (in other words I can’t tell which side is exterior vs interior of the socket and wires)

We need to make sure the images all belong to the same side headlight (please note which headlight this is) so we don’t get confused from mirror imaging.

So according to an educated guess from this diagram (diagram flipped to match actual image orientation)
7AF36CBE-D5E0-457A-99DB-8CF93FB4021C.jpegwhen compared to these images9E84DF33-39E6-47F8-A1E0-B18BB722BD64.jpeg71E5D439-F44D-4BD6-B481-221356989140.jpeg the conclusion would be:

pin 4(corner/front sidemarker in HID) & pin 8 (Power to HID reflector in HID) are missing and no wires apparent at back of plug in halogen
pin 3 (female brown?)is power to High beam in halogen (power to halo bulb in HID)
Pin 2 (female green?) is power to low beam in halogen (power to ballast in HID)
Pin 1 (female blue?) is common GND in halogen and HID
pin 7 (female white?) is ground for amber in halogen (ground for ballast in HID)
pin 6 (female yellow?) is power to inner blinker in halogen (power for blinker 1/parking in HID)
pin 5 (female brown?) is power to corner parking/blinker in halogen (power for blinker 2/parking in HID)

In regards to the tests you performed, the results don’t make sense. You will need all tests to be performed with the engine running.

You will need to start in the switch OFF position
connect your ground to a secure functional ground in the engine bay (if you are testing the left harness you can use the jump start ground (see blue arrow, image courtesy of pelican parts).
E0377B52-BAB5-4354-84DF-C7F515A3D30C.jpeg
Please make sure your ground multimeter lead (black) is connected and secure in place with absolutely no movement during all testing stages (alegator clamp?). Also make sure your multimeter is set to measure voltage and wires plugged in the correct multimeter pins.
then use the above diagram as template and touch the metal part of each pin in the female socket with red lead of the multimeter while documenting each pin voltage on the template diagram (in the switch off position). Next you will move the LCM switch one click to the right (from off) and retake all the measurements.
If you are still not seeing voltage changes in this step then you will have to go back to the switch off position and repeat the whole experiment from start while probing the corresponding wires in the back of the pins instead. You may have to poke the insulation of each wire first with a sharp needle or something.

You should get a voltage reading from almost every pin at all times. Even if it’s not powered on (12-14 volt) at this specific switch position it should still have minimal current (~0.5 volt) an electronic signal supplied from the LCM for probing/cold testing to the correspondent bulb.

At the end you should have a table where you have the exact voltage reading for each of the 6 female pins in each of the 6 switch position positions/combinations (off, 1 click, 2 clicks, 2 clicks + high beam, off+ turn signal, one click + turn signal). When you are done with all pin measurements in all 3 switch positions. You will need to turn high beam on (while the LCM switch is all the way/two clicks to the right) and repeat all measurements. Then turn all lights off and move the switch to off position and turn on the side indicator (turn signal) to the SAME side you are testing and retake the readings again noting what pin is getting constant power and what is getting pulsatile power.
Next step is to move the LCM switch one click to the right and turn the side indicator on to the SAME side you are testing again. Document all voltage readings again and which pins have constant vs pulsatile signals.

If the voltage is still not changing you will have to retest with a different (more reliable) multimeter.

Its very important you follow the steps and the order closely so we don’t get false data. Also double check the pin sequence/numbers. Don’t forget to verify and fill in the harness female wire colors of each pin.

Dont forget the images of the corner light (little red bulb) and the wires feeding it

[jonnyd42]

Ok so just did the measurements with the engine on & with a new DMM. See table attached below. Based on your flipped diagram (the white one with the pin numbers), here is what they seem to be.

Pin 3: high beam
Pin 2: low beam
Pin 1: GND
Pin 7: GND
Pin 6: corner light + signal
Pin 5: corner light + signal

Since I don't have a scope, I can't verify the step waveform for the corner lights (pins 6 + 5 signal states). However, on the DMM it seemed to oscillate between 3.3V and 9/10V. The sampling rate of the DMM is obviously too slow for the rising and falling edges of the square wave, so it's likely 0V-12V and we have 3.3 and 9 as the measurements due to lag.

So it appears we don't have anything that will stay high while the signals are on. I believe this means I'll need to wire to something else as I have mentioned before.

Screen Shot 2018-11-08 at 2.52.33 PM.png

[tekoo]

The table looks good but couple of things don’t make sense.

1- If the car is running you should be getting 14V when a bulb is turned on (not 12 volt)
2- Your video showed the corner light stays on when the blinker stops blinking (while the other inner blinker goes off). However the corresponding measurements in the table are identical and don’t reflect something turning fully on or off. We can’t even identify which is corner and which is inner. We also still don’t know their wiring connections since the images are still missing.

All these wires are color coded and striped on the wiring diagram. We can’t differentiate them if we don’t know the accurate color combinations. Therefore we cant figure out where these wires go after leaving the female socket (or where they are coming from to be accurate).

I get the impression you are favoring the idea of running a random wire from the fuse box to a switch in the glove box. For me that would be a last resort due to many expected associated safety, functional, ECU problems in addition to unpleasant aesthetic appearance and non automated operation. In fact I would never purchase a BMW if I see the previous owner has performed such alterations as it would be pretty obvious the electrical system is pretty much a big maze/mess. But if this doesn’t bother you perhaps you should just go ahead give it a try and when you discover it was not a good idea we can resume our work. On the other hand if you like it then it’s less effort and time waste for both of us.