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335xi ground locations?
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02-21-2019, 10:20 AM | #1 |
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335xi ground locations?
In My 2008 335xi coupe all my lights flicker. Interior and exterior. Battery and alternator are good ... Where are the ground locations? I found the one by the battery and the two on the strut towers where are the others?
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02-21-2019, 11:37 AM | #2 |
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there's like a dozen or more. check out newtis.
might be an FRM module. personally I'd check your system with a voltmeter to see if the supply voltage is actually fluctuating. |
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02-21-2019, 01:02 PM | #3 | |
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First diagnostic step I would suggest (after testing engine on/off as described above) is to activate "Hidden Menu 9.00" as described in link below to display system voltage on your instrument cluster, and watch for voltage fluctuation as motor runs. Of course you can also read System Voltage parameter on a scan tool connected to the OBD II socket, or connect a voltmeter to the lighter socket. An old analog voltmeter might show rapid fluctuation better than a digital device: http://e90.wikifoundry.com/page/BC+hidden+menus Vary RPM while stationary in Park, and see what happens. Check ALL 12V+ Battery Connections and Chassis ground Negative Battery Terminal per this TIS circuit diagram for your Voltage Supply System: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...or-ibs/aeTiAe0 Please let us know what you find, George |
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02-21-2019, 08:14 PM | #5 |
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Just accesed the hidden volt meter. With just the ignition on the car was at 12.1 volts after starting the car it went up to 15. Fluctuate between 14.8 to 15 volts. Strange enough the lights flickered the hole time I was sitting there then I went for a drive and they started to work 100% normal. Came home sat there in neutral and they never flickered again. So at this point I'm assuming it's a bad wire connection.
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02-22-2019, 12:08 PM | #6 | |
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02-22-2019, 03:16 PM | #7 |
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02-22-2019, 04:35 PM | #8 | |||
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Of course the battery voltage BEFORE starting the engine is somewhere in the 12.0 to 12.7V range, and immediately goes up to 14.5 to 15.0 after engine start, as the alternator is charging as much as it can to replenish Starter draw. It seems to be MORE than a coincidence that your blower motor quit working at (about) the same time as your lights quit flickering. I would get the Blower Harness recall performed. Actually I would inspect the wiring harness BEFORE getting the recall performed as that circuit is BATTERY POWER (UNswitched) as far as the power supply via F88 to the Blower Final Stage Connector. I would PULL F88, inspect it to see if it blew, and NOT reinstall it prior to blower harness recall perfomance. See wiring to N2, Blower Output Stage, in this TIS schematic: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...bution/ufClUrJ My SWAG is that with that fuse pulled, you will have NO more flickering lights. For SURE, you will have no concern of electrical fire due to blower harness failure prior to recall -- IF you have pulled F88. George |
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02-22-2019, 09:18 PM | #9 | |
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02-23-2019, 09:35 PM | #11 | |
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1) Activate Hidden Menu 9.00 or attach a scan tool to read System Voltage Parameter while motor runs; 2) Change engine RPM to as much as 3,000 RPM, "blipping" accelerator pedal, to see if alternator RPM has any relationship to flickering lights. 3) Also try changing the "Electrical Load" on the system by turning off the headlights, turning blower or seat/window/mirror heaters on/off, and generally experiment with load conditions that cause or eliminate flicker of interior lights such as dome/reading lights, etc. 4) If you have NOT already done so, check BOTH battery cables to make sure they are snug on the battery terminal posts, and also check the Negative cable connection to the chassis to make sure it is tight & corrosion-free. Depending upon the "Refresh Rate" of a DMM or digital voltage readout, it may NOT pickup quick voltage changes reflected by flickering lights, and if you had an old analog meter to attach to the lighter socket or Jumpstart terminals, that might provide better diagnostics. In other words, even if the cause of the flickering lights IS voltage fluctuation, selecting the best tool to correctly measure the fluctuations may be the difficult part of the diagnostics. There IS an answer to this, it just will take some experimentation and creative testing to identify the cause. Please keep at it & let us know, George |
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03-01-2019, 08:26 AM | #12 |
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I just got my car back last night from the recal. He said the blower motor connector was pretty melted. They replaced that and replaced the blower motor resistor. The good news is I have heat again. The bad news is my lights still flicker.
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03-01-2019, 01:46 PM | #13 | |
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1) Erratic Alternator Voltage output (probably need Analog meter to test, as flicker may be too fast for digital); we're looking for a "dancing needle" 2) FRM internal fault 3) Loose/Damaged Power Supply wire or ground in the FRM voltage supply circuit or lighting circuit. It usually makes sense to FIRST test the things you can inspect or test YOURSELF, without throwing parts at it, or paying $$$ for diagnostics you don't have equipment for. So, going back to the title you gave this thread, "335xi ground connections" it is possible that the original focus was misdirected at individual bulb/ electrical consumer grounds as opposed to the FRM grounds. So looking at the FRM wiring diagram for your car, we see two possible grounds which if defective, COULD cause flickering in ALL lights, or at least in multiple lights on the same circuit, such as interior lamps, namely X173 & X10012 as identified in this circuit diagram and the two "Installation Locations": https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...module/heWpfsY https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...xi-cou/RJjERP6 https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...i-cou/FZ8VyJCH For those NOT familiar with TIS circuit diagrams, the Chassis Grounds such as X173 are Brown wires. Just to do anything you can do yourself without diagnostic equipment, you might check that those two ground Connectors are clean, dry, no corrosion, and chassis attachment is snug. Test Continuity to ground with Multimeter (Ohms) as you jiggle the connector as well as inspect visually. Use Electronic Contact Cleaner or even WD-40 on any corrosion, or even emery paper or light filing on any obvious rust, to get clean metal-to-metal contact. Ideally, if you have a Windows 10 laptop, I would invest $15 to $45 in a K+DCAN cable, download & install INPA (see BimmerGeeks.com for both), read (and save ScreenPrint as jpg file) ALL codes using "Functional Jobs" F4, F1, Read Fault Memory ALL Modules (Fehlerspeicher Lesen), and attach that jpg screenprint to a post here so someone can suggest next step. You will save a LOT of money if you can diagnose a fault of this type yourself without having to pay $100 or more just to have a shop read codes. There is a LOT more that INPA can do in addition to reading codes, but that is the place to start. Don't be afraid to try INPA just because much of it is in German. You can learn how to use "Functional Jobs" in an hour or less (just post here if you hit a snag), and with help from the Forum, you can do other diagnostics as required, a step-at-a-time, and you will have the same diagnostic tools that shops charge you hundreds to use on your vehicle. There WILL be times when a good Tech's knowledge exceeds the mostly entry-level info you will get here, but initial diagnostics is NOT one of those times. Please let us know what you find, George |
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