If you know wiring take a look!

[Link]

BIG PROBLEM:

So I was looking at my fuse box and noticed I had a blown fuse, I looked up what is was and it is my cigarette lighter and power antenna. So I did some investigation with a voltmeter and found out my cigarette lighter power wire is grounding out somewhere. So I followed the wire to a wire plug above my steering column and un plugged it to check which side of the wire was grounding out... and to much dislike it is the body side of the plug, not the cigarette lighter side.

I will be reading through ETMs after I post this to see if I can find out what is going on. Any suggestions would be AWESOME.

Another piece to the puzzle is my power windows do not function lately.. not sure why. They did when I bought the car but not sense I put my interior back together.

Thanks!

[bangn]

for your power windows, make sure the breaker switch is plugged in, if so unplug it and join the two wires to see if its a switch fault, if you have a blown fuse from the window circuit pull up the centre console and check out the wiring to make sure it has not become pinched or jammed under the bolt down points of the console, I have had this issue before and a wire had become stuck under the bracket that is held by the plastic nut.

sounds like a pinched wire for your cig lighter issue

[StereoInstaller1]

What year/model car?

What fuse was bad?

I assume fuse 28, right?

First thing is unplug the antenna...but #28 runs the antenna and lighter, so unplug your lighter and your antenna, see if the fuse stays good.

[Link]

1991 318i

Yes fuse 28.
I made sure the breaker was hooked up for the windows, but I will bypass it with a wire to see if it is a faulty switch.
I already have tried unhooking both lighter and antenna and it still blows the fuse, which is why I began using a voltmeter to figure out the issue.

Does anyone have any guesses where the harness could be getting pinched?

I read through the ETMs and it appears the c204 is the plug the red/yellow cig lighter wire runs to and is pin 9 of the plug. Not sure why I looked this up.. but now I know the next spot the wire runs is to the fuse box so I guess that is "helpful".

Lets get some more thoughts going on this please! Really would like to put my interior together.

[DIIRTY-30]

I'm not 100% on this but can't you blow the fuse/wiring if you jump a car and don't pull fuse 28?


Edit: Nevermind I'm thinking of fuse 21 sorry.

[StereoInstaller1]

There is no known "common failure" point for fuse 28.

You are waffled, man...get to work. Time to start tracing wires, hooray!

You did see that there is no connection between fuse 28 and the windows, correct? That is unrelated, unless you somehow got something backwards in the console wiring...which is where I would start.

Good luck

Luke

[Link]

Fixed! Dumb problem, I had crushed a wire when installing my driver seat.

[StereoInstaller1]

Fixed! Dumb problem, I had crushed a wire when installing my driver seat.

Yay! You would not believe how many crushed wires I have fixed in 32 years as an installer...even new cars, straight from the factory.

[DIIRTY-30]

There is no known "common failure" point for fuse 28.

You are waffled, man...get to work. Time to start tracing wires, hooray!

You did see that there is no connection between fuse 28 and the windows, correct? That is unrelated, unless you somehow got something backwards in the console wiring...which is where I would start.

Good luck

Luke

Was thinking of the warning thats posted on the fuse cover. Whoops.

[bangn]

Fixed! Dumb problem, I had crushed a wire when installing my driver seat.

told ya! was it the same bit of loom for the power windows too? or does that still not work.

well done to finding it that simply, I would of ripped the dash out and started from scratch.

[StereoInstaller1]

told ya! was it the same bit of loom for the power windows too? or does that still not work.

well done to finding it that simply, I would of ripped the dash out and started from scratch.

Please don't tell me you are one of "those guys"....I get to fix so much of that hackery, I swear..."lighter dont work, lets rip out every inch of wire!"

LOL...typical hack wrenches suck, I wish most mechanics didnt touch wire.

[bangn]

depends on how much of the interior was removed. If he only removed the seats then obviously the logical thing to do would go tracing back to that work area. However if the whole interior was stripped, then its anyones guess. I would be starting with the centre console and working my way forward checking wires in that path. If nothing can be found then dash out.

I wouldnt be so fast to judge, the problem with people like you is that knowing a trade for so long is that everyone else is beneath you as well as everyones workmanship.

everyone diagnoses issues in their own way, and for what way works for them. If its justifiable then do it, if thats what it takes to fix the problem. Im never scared to unwrap tape, and in BMW's case.. Wrap it properly because its not double wrapped and its fallen off over the course of 20 years of heat and dirt.

sometimes I wish auto electricians didnt touch wire, let alone mechanics. Lazy waffleswaffleswaffleswaffless who just wire point to point without a care of path, presentation or even insulation.

[StereoInstaller1]

depends on how much of the interior was removed. If he only removed the seats then obviously the logical thing to do would go tracing back to that work area. However if the whole interior was stripped, then its anyones guess. I would be starting with the centre console and working my way forward checking wires in that path. If nothing can be found then dash out.

I wouldnt be so fast to judge, the problem with people like you is that knowing a trade for so long is that everyone else is beneath you as well as everyones workmanship.

everyone diagnoses issues in their own way, and for what way works for them. If its justifiable then do it, if thats what it takes to fix the problem. Im never scared to unwrap tape, and in BMW's case.. Wrap it properly because its not double wrapped and its fallen off over the course of 20 years of heat and dirt.

sometimes I wish auto electricians didnt touch wire, let alone mechanics. Lazy waffleswaffleswaffleswaffless who just wire point to point without a care of path, presentation or even insulation.

Not at all...in fact, if you check the stats, I am the one out helping others, trying to make it understandable...maybe you should be slower to judge