No Dash Lights On My 89 525i

[ShawnSki23]

I just replaced the head unit on my 525i. When i started the car and turned on the lights, i noticed that i had no dash lights at all. When i turn the lights on, they flicker really quick then nothing. Checked all the fuses under the hood. All good. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanx

[Bill R.]

either grounded that wire thinking it was a ground or you have left it loose and its flopping around grounding, each time it grounds the dash lights will go out... Its intended to go to the light on the radio so that that light is dimmable just like all the rest of the dash lights.




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QUOTE=ShawnSki23]
I just replaced the head unit on my 525i. When i started the car and turned on the lights, i noticed that i had no dash lights at all. When i turn the lights on, they flicker really quick then nothing. Checked all the fuses under the hood. All good. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanx

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[Phatty5BMW]

I'll have to look out for that when I do mine. Are you hardwiring the head unit btw??



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QUOTE=ShawnSki23]
I just replaced the head unit on my 525i. When i started the car and turned on the lights, i noticed that i had no dash lights at all. When i turn the lights on, they flicker really quick then nothing. Checked all the fuses under the hood. All good. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanx

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[Kalevera]

I'll have to look out for that when I do mine. Are you hardwiring the head unit btw??



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QUOTE=ShawnSki23]
I just replaced the head unit on my 525i. When i started the car and turned on the lights, i noticed that i had no dash lights at all. When i turn the lights on, they flicker really quick then nothing. Checked all the fuses under the hood. All good. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanx


DON'T cut the original harness. Use the converter. It's a BMW OEM part.

Have a look in Steve's (SRR2) electrical archives on the forum. I sent him the part number a few weeks ago.

Let me reiterate that: if you have the pre-universal wiring harness (basically a bunch of spade connectors), BMW sells a convertor to allow the preservation of the connectors. Buy it; don't cut the radio harness.

I think Bill's on the money, as usual, with the diagnosis of the problem. The dimmer lead is grounded out.

best, whit

[ShawnSki23]

im pretty sure i capped it off, ill check it out though. thanx

[ShawnSki23]

Thanx man, i checked for voltages and found that i had the ground wire on the dimmer. It's all good now. But i have another problem now, i couldnt find the ignition power wire. i have 3 wires left over, a white one, a purple one and one with a blue plug on it. i checked for voltage and im not gettin anything on any of them but the last one. It's only puttin out 6 volts though. is this normal, and if so is it the right wire. thanx again.