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Brake/turn signal/glove box lights, Wipers, Horn,CC go out intermittently? FIX INSIDE

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    Brake/turn signal/glove box lights, Wipers, Horn,CC go out intermittently? FIX INSIDE

    Story time:
    My e30 has always been plagued with a very dangerous predicament - the brake lights would go out randomly.

    The car's PO documentation shows that this issue had been "known" since 2009 (!!). I use quotations because it wasn't until I acquired the vehicle that I discovered the brake lights would go out - all the previous POs documentation thought it was merely the turn signals, and not everything else (horn, wipers, etc) along with it. So for 10 years, they stuck their arm out the window for turn signaling whenever the issue would pop up - the whole time not knowing that the drivers behind them were flying blind without knowing when the e30 would stop. I seriously cannot believe this car was never rear ended. And I'm incredibly thankful the car ended up in my way-too-OCD hands.

    Anyway, without a clue of where to begin, and very little information available about this issue anywhere, I stumbled upon the C114 connector under the fuse box. Pin 8 of this connector powers up the following: Brake lights, Turn signals, Glove box light, Wipers, Washer, Horn, CC. Definitely related to my issue. So, for a year and a half, I'd pull over to the side of the road immediately when the turn signals wouldn't work, and would open the fuse box, finagle C114, test that everything worked again, and would drive off until it would occur again (typically once or twice a month). I did notice the connector didn't seem to be seated very tightly, and thought maybe I'd have to epoxy it one day. I never really looked at it closely because the wiring under that fuse lid is so tightly wound, it's nearly impossible to unplug things.

    Well, today, out of pure frustration with it and realizing if I ever sell this car 50 years from now, it will be a huge glaring point that the brake lights sometimes go out, I decided this time to unplug C114 to get a look at it (it's not a comfortable experience). Turns out, there's a long tab on C114 that "plugs" into the underside of the fuse lid, which holds it securely. This tab had bent 90 degrees at the base. I bent it straight and guided C114 back into the underside of the fuse lid, and it's seated tightly now. I do not think I will be seeing this issue again.

    I wish I could take pictures but it really is incredibly tight under there. I had maybe half an inch of room to work with and fixed it blindly, just feeling with my fingers under the fuse lid. I hope this helps someone - I wish this was available 12 years ago for the 1st owner to have seen.
    Last edited by midnight_marauder; 06-05-2021, 12:00 PM.
    📸 @joyfilledpursuit
    📖 John 3:16-18
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