91 325ic odd problem with lights and interior electrics
Hey guys! I recently took the plunge and bought my first car to replace my hand me down riceburner, since I'm only 19. I chose an E30 (obviously) 325ci because of my dad's recommendations and constant talk of how they're very reliable cars and great projects. This is an Automatic as well, but I couldn't care less about a convertible being an auto. No one in their right mind is bringing a cabrio with such little structural rigidity to a track day or autox.
I like to consider myself a novice petrolhead. Love cars, but have infrequently worked on them. I wanna make this car a long term restoration project. Right now, my main concern is the electrics. There are a few minor things like replacing the oil drain plug and the vert rear windscreen, but something came up today.
So, after we turned the engine on, everything worked out fine. Car drove great. Steering is tight and on alignment. Still has good pull and the stereo was working fine. The dash computer that sits next to the stereo wasn't working, so I didn't mess with it.
Now, we go home to test the lights and electrics, made sure it worked, starting with the headlights. The person I bought it from jury-rigged them, including the stereo, pretty poorly. That, and they're angel eyes. Not a fan of AEs on anything earlier than an E36. I'd rather have yellow center lights and bottom panel lights than AEs.
The stereo freaks and cuts off the moment we pull the headlight plunger, and the dash starts smoking. As soon as we notice it, we turn off the engine and try turning off the headlights. Everything but the drivers side orange light turned off, so we tried fiddling with the headlight plunger. Nothing. We had to pop it off and take out the bulb so my battery wouldn't go out. Then, the FRONT drivers side orange light turned on and wouldn't turn off. We started the car again and now the headlights won't turn off when we mess with the plunger. They go on as soon as we start the car and off when we turn it off.
The last thing we could do is pull Fuses 21,22 and 23 in accordance with the fusebox diagram seen here:
We're taking it to a local mom and pop mechanic who has BMW experience to give it a thorough inspection and diagnosis, since I'm a novice. The odd thing is, it has a 10 year backlog of maintenance records in a file that I keep in the glovebox. It was meticulously cared for until the most recent owner. There's a faint tick in the engine, which might just be the valves needing an adjustment. It certainly isn't rod knock. I wanna restore this car to it's former glory, and I don't care how much money it takes. It's a brilliant car, and it has so much potential. To be so young and have such a legendary car makes me so giddy. And no, I'm not some yobbo trying to rice it out. I want it restored, and I want it factory. Barring a new exhaust, Bilstein shocks and some interior/exterior detailing.
Any advice for a new BMW owner would be greatly appreciated. :3
I like to consider myself a novice petrolhead. Love cars, but have infrequently worked on them. I wanna make this car a long term restoration project. Right now, my main concern is the electrics. There are a few minor things like replacing the oil drain plug and the vert rear windscreen, but something came up today.
So, after we turned the engine on, everything worked out fine. Car drove great. Steering is tight and on alignment. Still has good pull and the stereo was working fine. The dash computer that sits next to the stereo wasn't working, so I didn't mess with it.
Now, we go home to test the lights and electrics, made sure it worked, starting with the headlights. The person I bought it from jury-rigged them, including the stereo, pretty poorly. That, and they're angel eyes. Not a fan of AEs on anything earlier than an E36. I'd rather have yellow center lights and bottom panel lights than AEs.
The stereo freaks and cuts off the moment we pull the headlight plunger, and the dash starts smoking. As soon as we notice it, we turn off the engine and try turning off the headlights. Everything but the drivers side orange light turned off, so we tried fiddling with the headlight plunger. Nothing. We had to pop it off and take out the bulb so my battery wouldn't go out. Then, the FRONT drivers side orange light turned on and wouldn't turn off. We started the car again and now the headlights won't turn off when we mess with the plunger. They go on as soon as we start the car and off when we turn it off.
The last thing we could do is pull Fuses 21,22 and 23 in accordance with the fusebox diagram seen here:
We're taking it to a local mom and pop mechanic who has BMW experience to give it a thorough inspection and diagnosis, since I'm a novice. The odd thing is, it has a 10 year backlog of maintenance records in a file that I keep in the glovebox. It was meticulously cared for until the most recent owner. There's a faint tick in the engine, which might just be the valves needing an adjustment. It certainly isn't rod knock. I wanna restore this car to it's former glory, and I don't care how much money it takes. It's a brilliant car, and it has so much potential. To be so young and have such a legendary car makes me so giddy. And no, I'm not some yobbo trying to rice it out. I want it restored, and I want it factory. Barring a new exhaust, Bilstein shocks and some interior/exterior detailing.
Any advice for a new BMW owner would be greatly appreciated. :3
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