PSA: Wiring Clarification for Z3/318ti Antenna Base Users
OK, so most of the DIY's I have seen posted for swapping in a Z3 or 318ti antenna base seem to either omit a very important detail, or have it wrong. This is about the white / red power wires on the stock harness in the white plug. You absolutely do NOT want to plug it in so that the red wire is connected to the antenna base. That is a constant-on wire and the antenna base draws enough current to kill a new battery in about 2 weeks (as I discovered when I got back from vacation). Like, DEAD dead. Drove for 45 minutes and barely had enough juice back in it to re-start it.
Anyway, you want to connect the white wire which is the switched 12V signal. It's connected to the switched 12V line in the E36 according to those wiring diagrams, and so it should be in the E30. You can pretty easily pop the metal terminals out of the plastic housing and swap their positions or you can just chop the connector off, tape the end of the red wire and crimp a terminal onto the white one.
Anywho...just thought I would post this since I got it wrong when I did the antenna conversion.
Anyway, you want to connect the white wire which is the switched 12V signal. It's connected to the switched 12V line in the E36 according to those wiring diagrams, and so it should be in the E30. You can pretty easily pop the metal terminals out of the plastic housing and swap their positions or you can just chop the connector off, tape the end of the red wire and crimp a terminal onto the white one.
Anywho...just thought I would post this since I got it wrong when I did the antenna conversion.
