I give up.

[Dan in NZ]

This outside temperature sensor has driven me mad. I did the obc retrofit many months ago, new obc and indicator switch went straight in. At the time I went to plug in the outside temp sensor, but the connector wasn't there, so I left it until recently. I studied the electrical troubleshooting manual, and located the wires for the sensor... The two wires are present at the obc connector, then according to the ETM, next stop is at the connector for the sensor itself.

I took out my foglight and the tow-hook cover, felt around a bit, and crawled under the car to look up. No connector. I removed the front bumper, still no wires to be seen. Traced as many wires as I could to their respective locations. No connector... Just now, I took out the plastic cover behind the headlights, and felt along the thick bunch of wires, tracing every branch of the loom to the lights, indicators, headlight adjustment motor, auxillary fan, coolant level sensor.... you get the drift. I've even taken out the indicator and looked into the gap, hoping to see a wire coiled up somewhere...

If the wires start at the obc connector.. where the hell to they end up!!!

So now I'm just going to splice a pair of wires into the harness at the obc, run them to the front bumper, and be done with it.

[myles]

Im not sure at all, but I have a feeling that my obc temp sensor wiring goes through the same connector that the fog lights go through. The connector is a round one just behind the bumper, under the left headlights.

HTH

[netmgr]

best way i think, is to not trust technology and to go with the, is it frozen method....silicon a glass of water to you car hood, obviously goes without saying the glass needs to have a top otherwise this would just be silly...and if it freezes then you know to take it easy as its frosty out there...otherwise take it as red that you can floor the sucker and not wrap it round a tree as quick...

just an idea!

[Dan in NZ]

best way i think, is to not trust technology and to go with the, is it frozen method....silicon a glass of water to you car hood, obviously goes without saying the glass needs to have a top otherwise this would just be silly...and if it freezes then you know to take it easy as its frosty out there...otherwise take it as red that you can floor the sucker and not wrap it round a tree as quick...

just an idea!

It's really the "DING!" "-37" every time I start the car that annoys me.

[Dan in NZ]

Im not sure at all, but I have a feeling that my obc temp sensor wiring goes through the same connector that the fog lights go through. The connector is a round one just behind the bumper, under the left headlights.

HTH

Thanks, i could never find this connector. It looks like my foglight wires come from the same part of the wiring loom that all the headlights come from. I know some 7-series have this connector too. The electronic troubleshooting manual has two wiring diagrams, pre- and post- 2/89, so perhaps this connector was eliminated in the newer harness.

Oh, when you say left, do you mean left as if you were driving, or left looking at the front of the car??? I know the drivers left headlight area quite intimately now, but never bothered to look at the other side...

[myles]

That looks right to me. My 88 & 89 wiring diagram shows X71 connector, which is the one that I was talking about, but the 90 diagram doesn't show X71 for the temp sensor or the fog lights. So they must have dropped that connector after the earliest E34s.

That was left from the drivers seat (I could have said the passenger side but that would just confuse the left/right drive thing a whole lot more)

[Paul in NZ]

Dan what is the manufacture date of your car??.Mine is 12/89,do you want me to have a look?

[kentish]

Hi Dan, I retrofitted a digital clock in my 518i E34 last year. The connector is located next to the condenser or the radiator and is attached to it with some plastic stuff. Its yellow in color. If you are in front of your car, its locted to the right side. It was a real pain to get it out there as it was stuck and there was a lot of dirt to it.Its at the headlight level behind the plastic grill

hope this help you .

Kentish
540iA

[Dan in NZ]

Hi Dan, I retrofitted a digital clock in my 518i E34 last year. The connector is located next to the condenser or the radiator and is attached to it with some plastic stuff. Its yellow in color. If you are in front of your car, its locted to the right side. It was a real pain to get it out there as it was stuck and there was a lot of dirt to it.Its at the headlight level behind the plastic grill

hope this help you .

Kentish
540iA

I am forever indebted to you... At first I couldn't see it through the grill, since it was almost completely blackened after 14 years, but I opened the hood and looked down through the small hole, and there it was... It was tied to cable for the horn, just underneath the sheetmetal at the front edge of the hood. I couldn't pull the connector free, and didn't have the time to dismantle the whole front end of my car, so I just carefully bent out the grill beside the headlight, reached in with my hands and plugged the sensor in (sounds simple, but actually took about 45mins). Sitting in front of the radiator I'm sure it's not too accurate, but just been for a three hour drive and it was close enough... Whenever I have some free time, I'll take the whole front grill off, and try to get the cable free.

I knew it was there somewhere! No more "DING!!!" 'temp -37' every time I start the car.