Electrical cutting out... recommended plan of action?

[saboism]

Great site here, glad I stumbled on it.

I'm having a problem that began a few days ago with my '90 525i...
It has an aftermarket stereo installed (not sure if that's related, it was installed before I purchased the car). What's happening is the stereo, control panel (where the time/date/trip meter stuff is displayed), window controls, etc. will all cut out and lose power. When this happens I can't operate the windows or door locks, and the interior lights won't operate automatically, but I can turn them on/off manually. To me it definately seems like some type of short, as when it all lights back up, the stereo is reset to defaults and the clock on the car display has "lost" time.

The first time I experienced this I actually thought I had a dead battery, as I parked and locked my car as normal visiting a friend, and when I went to leave that night I found myself to be locked out of my car. I then realized when I manually opened the trunk, the trunk light was working fine. A little while later, I was about to get a ride home and deal with the car the next day but decided to give it one more try, the doors opened right up. Since then, it seems to cycle on/off frequently and with no rhyme or reason, whether it's being driven or not.

I guess my question is, is there anything obvious I should check out before I bother contacting my mechanic? I've had the car for about 5 months and haven't had any problems with it.

Thanks in advance for any ideas, I figured the 5 minutes to post this question might be well worth it on the off chance it could be a "common" or "known" issue.

[ryan roopnarine]

is intermittent. depending on where the battery is located in your car, cost for the replacement is between .75 and $10.

if you want to post the last 6 digits of your vin i can go check which it is.

[saboism]

Battery is in engine compartment, passenger side...

Last 6 digits of VIN are B25092

Wow, I think I just found my new favorite internet forum! I'm impressed with the quick response... and here I was thinking I was about to go through some type of electrical nightmare. Though you may have opened the floodgates, as now I may be tempted to post a few of my car's other "quirks" that have been plagueing me, hehe.

Thanks again, especially if the high-end of $10 for the part wasn't a typo!

[ryan roopnarine]

last 7 digits, not 6. anyway, here's www.bmwe34.net solution to it,

http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/maintenance/electrical/fusible_link.htm

as most of the ppl on this board have the battery under the back seat. i gave you the varying prices because it will depend on the one you have in your car. i went to the dealer and they apparently have more than one for my 92 525i.......the board's choice supplier, bma.com, has em for about 80 cents or so....i live in a small town, so the dealership here wanted 8.95 for it, and worst of all, they didn't have it in stock, whereas in orlando, 100 miles away, has it for a bit less, and they had it in stock. oh, and about the electrical problems, i'd suggest you read bmwe34.net and see if they are already addressed there, along with many other problems that occur frequently on these cars.http://plaza.ufl.edu/rroopnar/untitled.bmp

[saboism]

last 7 digits, not 6.Sorry, that was GB25092
I should be able to just stop at a dealer, I'm in an area that multiple dealers are a hop, skip and a jump away.

I'll be sure to poke around the main site and read up on the info there.

Thanks again for all the help.