Lonely Brake Light

[keenanfc]

Hello,

I have an 87 325i with an m20 and 5 speed from an 89 325i.
I only have one functioning running/brake light, and no reverse lights. (Haven't looked at the reverse light switch yet.)

Fuses are good
All new bulbs (excluding third light)
New brake light switch
light trays, turn signals, headlights, high beams, fogs are all good.

I’ve read about a ground point under the rear seats - is this worth cleaning/re-bolting?

I suspect its a wiring issue, possibly something unplugged that I’m unaware of. (I had to re-arrange a couple wires behind the ignition harness to make it run. PO swapped the car, which had an auto trans originally. Overall R3V has been a big help.)
It’s worth noting that I found a jumper wire connecting terminals on both taillights in the trunk, which I removed.
The wiring to the lights look good and not tampered with otherwise. But power is only flowing to one light bulb (one wire lighting up my test light.)

I’ve attached a few snapshots of plugs and wires that I’m curious about, under the kick panel. Does anyone know what these are and if they relate to brake lights? Unsure where else to look

[e30strokr]

I had a similar issue... no license plate lights and no rear driving lights ( on bumper).. and cluster lights along with panel light off


used headlight switch fix the license and rear lights issue...not the cluster or panel light...

btw some of those connections look like they are for the door chime speaker under the steering colum

[keenanfc]

I put in a different light switch recently, which didn't bring back my cluster lights. (I'll probably change the bulbs when I pull the cluster for odo gears.)

I didn't know the light switch affected rear lights as well, and may look closer there.

[cscracker]

#3 is the door chime plug. I don't remember what #1 and #2 are, but they're not related to brake or reverse lights. The brake light is controlled by the switch just above the brake pedal, and you should see the plug plugged into it. It's also tied into the cruise control if you have it - see the ETM for details. The reverse light switch is connected to the transmission, you can see one end of the wiring under the shift boot / center console area.