Right Side Running lights out..

[BS87]

OK, this is odd. Today, i drove home, and parked the car fine. I get back in a few minutes later, and i get the lights on the check panel for the rear lights & license plate lights. I get out and look around, and not only is the rear parking light out, ALL the right side lights are out-just the parking lights though. Blinkers, Brakes, and Reverse lights work fine. I dont think it is a fuse, because the running light and blinker in the front is the same light (the dual filiment bulb), and the blinker works, just not the noremal running lights. Any ideas? What gives? :?:

[EtaSport]

Check all grounds/wires.. Also check connectors. Sounds strange that all of those lights went out though, which leans more towards grounds and not connectors, but you just gotta check it all sometimes. At least your check panel works!
My e28 will tell me that the license plate lights are out when they are on, and jsut recently my eta has been telling me that my brake lights are out when they are on. What a perdiciment... Good luck
jon

[Sean]

My brake light dummy light is continually going off, I have just begun to ignore it. But, I guess one of these days it'll be true, so I should probably fix it.

I feel its not worth the hassle - a car made in 1987 is lucky to have a technology that an E30 has. This car will never feel like an 80's car to me. :)

[BS87]

My brake light indicator is always on when i start the car- i just tap the brake pedal and it goes off =) Anyway, i also just noticed that all of my gauges fail to light up also... hmmm

[Sean]

Yeah, that's right, mine does turn off when I tap the brake too. I forgot that. 8)

[bmwguru007]

its supposed to be like that guys :P

[BS87]

Yeah, well that may be true, but i dont think its normal for the running lights to bug out.

[DaN]

I would turn on the running lights and check for power and ground at each fixture. If you don't have one or the other, get a diagram a trace through the circuit.
Have you checked the fuses anyway?

[BS87]

Yes, fuses are all fine. When its not nipple-freezing cold out i'll check all the grounds. now i just need to freaking find my bentley...

[Bryson]

are your interior lights working?
I'll bet you that you shorted something and blew a fuse, sometimes fuses can be visually perfect and be blown. The same thing happened to me, but I lost both front parking lights, the right rear, and license plate lights, along with interior lights. It turned out to be the wrong screw holding in the license plate lights... it drove through a plastic sheild and created a short. Don't be so quick to dismiss the possibility of a short. Is there anything you've been recently working on to do with lighting(not necessarily parking lights)? Electrical shit can be a pain in the ass, good luck

[BS87]

Nope, havent been doing any electrical work. Just to be sure i visually check *all* the fuses, and they are all fine. the only interior light that doesnt work is my instument panel, and i think it has something to do with the fact that you can dim it using the headlight knob. Hopefully it wont be cold tomarrow and i can really get into it.

[precision tuner]

are your interior lights working?
I'll bet you that you shorted something and blew a fuse, sometimes fuses can be visually perfect and be blown. The same thing happened to me, but I lost both front parking lights, the right rear, and license plate lights, along with interior lights. It turned out to be the wrong screw holding in the license plate lights... it drove through a plastic sheild and created a short. Don't be so quick to dismiss the possibility of a short. Is there anything you've been recently working on to do with lighting(not necessarily parking lights)? Electrical shit can be a pain in the ass, good luck

that happened to me to i ran a wire from the left parking light to the right that way both would be on so i wouldnt get pulled over when i did that they all came on plus the int.its been that way since. if the wire comes out it happens again

[nando]

My brake light dummy light is continually going off, I have just begun to ignore it. But, I guess one of these days it'll be true, so I should probably fix it.

I feel its not worth the hassle - a car made in 1987 is lucky to have a technology that an E30 has. This car will never feel like an 80's car to me. :)

replace your brake light switch (it's under the brake pedal) and that will go away. it's like a $6 part.

[EtaSport]

replace your brake light switch (it's under the brake pedal) and that will go away. it's like a $6 part.

seriously? is that all? I thought it was some elaborate job so I just ignored it too. I'll have to look into this sice I already know my clutch switch is out.. I can start the car with the clutch out and in gear.

[BS87]

OK, the licence plate lights were shot to all hell, so i'll be replacing them anyway. but i check them both for continuity, and htye were all around the 5 amps that was marked on them. Before i went tearing around hte car, checking all the wiring, it started to snow, and i called it quits. I had planned on using my bentley, but thats lost, so does anyone have a link to some sort of wiring diagram, or something like that, so it might make my task a little easier?