My electrical was rigged!

[h82crash]

I've searched the threads and found some stuff. But I have Q's and dont want to bump some ancient thread.
I just got a new e30 home (really a parts car for my other e30). 89 325i. Runs well, all lights work. Windows work because the PO jumpered the #8 to #17 fuse with a piece of speaker wire. What doesn't work: mirrors, vent fan, a/c, windows, central locks, tach. No fuses are blown. Sound like a ground issue?
Also the car has an alarm. I looked under the dash and the alarm harness is unplugged from the unit. Maybe why my locks dont work. Help!
Tom

[StereoInstaller1]

Tom, you can find your electrical manual here: http://www.wedophones.com/BMWManualsLead.htm

Check the troubleshooting section.

Luke

[h82crash]

Thanks for the link. I got my meter out and checked the fuse box. The fuses that have power with the key on are 4,5,6,8,9,10,12, and 21 thru 28. That's a lot of dead circuit's. I checked the fusable link and its good also. Everything seems to be connected in the engine comp. Anyone have any ideas, pls chime in.

Tom

[dlmrun2002]

take your time

I'd say follow Lukes lead. Just slowly pick away at the messed up wiring and try to get it all back to normal working on establishing wire connections as per factory and getting all the fuses powered up and feeding the right circuits. Just do a little or a single fuse at a time. Be patient and use your meter for everything it is worth.

dlm

[h82crash]

I do appreciate the encouragement, Thanks.

A few more checks; I cannot verify power to fuses 3,7,17 thru 20. All other circuits are working.

[h82crash]

update

It came down to the old k5 and k7 relays not powering up, Played with the ground wire at the starter solenoid and got the stuff to work with the key on, as it should. Now here's what is strange, as soon as I start the car, the circuits quit working again. WTF???

I turn it off then just turn the key to on and alls well again. Its dirving me crazy!

Any clues?

Another update. Almost there, the terminal post 30h on the starter solenoid was loose, then just fell off. I ran the ground wire to the solenoid terminal that feeds the starter. I found that 30h was just connected to that post. The only thing that still doesn't work is the central locking system. Whew!

BTW, what engineer was on crack when they designed the starter mount. Did he think the starter was not a part that would need replacing? Even VW has lugs that keep the bolts from rotating!

[StereoInstaller1]

Cool, man, glad you found some answers.

On the central locking, does any of it work? Will the trunk or passenger door do anything?

If not, under the left front speaker is your central locking module. I think it is yellow/blue and green/blue for lock and unlock signal wires, they take a ground pulse to activate the relays.

This module is a fairly common failure, primarily form water. Check and make sure none of the "lock inhibit" wires are stuck on ground, that will (obviously) keep it from locking.

Door cylinders still work?

Luke

[h82crash]

Thanks Luke, I haven't gotten into the lock system yet. Nothing works on it and the driver's door lock is jammed. I can't push the manual lock down. As I said before, when I pulled the lower left dash cover I was horrified to find an alarm system. Knew it had one because of the alarm horn under the hood but I wasn't expecting the bird's nest by the steering column. Is that small square button on the console the lock inhibit switch? I don't know what it is.

[StereoInstaller1]

No, the lock inhibit is like the one that keeps you from locking your door when it is open, not a visible switch, per se.

Pull your door panel off and remove your door lock actuator. Close the latch using a big screwdriver (so the door can lock) and see if your locks work then.

#1 cause is frozen door lock actuator.

And yeah, shitty alarm installs piss me off. I love installing alarms, mine look and work great...but 99.999% of the other guys do shit work.

I wish they would realize it makes all of us look bad!

[h82crash]

After playing with fuses and the door actuator, not frozen but very stiff, I got the locks to work from the trunk. All the locks work from the trunk but neither door lock switch activates the system. There's so much sheet metal in the door in the area of the lock that its a pain to access so I didn't spend much time today, cause I was hangin out at the AutoX!

So it might be the switches in the doos? Thanks for the help.

[houstonh]

Luke, I am about to fly you down to Dallas to work out all my gremlins!!!

thanks for the wonderful link. I can't wait to dig into my Central Lock hell issue.

I too had the ghetto alarm (already ghetto cut out with exposed wires), but I guarantee I have cleaned even more ghetto fabulous wiring than mr crash in my Damn e30.