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Sillieidiot’s Lighting-related Troubleshooting Guide

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#1 · (Edited)
Got tired of typing these responses all the time in my PMs and threads. So I'm just going to write it out here and link to it whenever someone asks lol I didn't include anything that is already posted in one of the other sticky threads.

I tried to organize it so that lighting problems are listed front to back (i.e. headlight related problems first, then rest exterior, and then interior). Use the Find function to help find what you're looking for. I didn't write every conceivable symptom that can possibly occur though.

Here's a general bulb replacement guide for the e46:
- Low beam: H7 (halogen)/D2S (bi/xenon)
- High beam: H7
- Front turn signal: 1156/7507/7440 (04-06 coupes only)
- City light (non-US): 194/T10
- Fog light: 9006/H11 (02-05 325 sedans mainly)
- Sidemarker: 194/T10
- Tail lights (pretty much all of them including rear fogs/reverse): 1156/7507
- License plate lights: 39mm x 10mm festoon
- Footwell/glove box: 39mm x 10mm festoon
- Vanity mirror lights/interior trunk lights: 44mm x 10mm festoon
- All interior map lights/center dome light: 194/T10​

1) What do the light warnings mean?
a) Everyone knows what they look like so I won't post a picture. But the warnings themselves don't specify which bulb exactly is out.
i) Front warnings could mean either the front turn signal, low beam, or high beam bulbs.
Note: For non-US cars, city lights also use the same warnings.

ii) Rear warning could mean the parking lights, rear turn signal, or brake lights.
Note: On some model years, the license plate lights will have this warning.

iii) There are no warnings for the reverse lights, front/rear fog lights, or sidemarker lights.​

2) My bi/xenon low beam (left/right) is dead (or intermittently turns on), what is wrong?
a) First, you have to help us diagnose it by systematically isolating the problem.
Note: For 04-06 facelift coupes you want to start with the igniter first then go to the bulb because the igniter is located on the back of the bulb.

i) Swap the bulb by switching the bad bulb with the good bulb from the other side. If the problem switches side, it's the bulb. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
(DIY changing xenon bulbs for 04-06 facelift coupes: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=8288566#post8288566
For all other e46s: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=609544)

ii) Swap the ballast. You will need to remove your headlights to get to it. Again, like with the bulb, swap the bad side with the good side. If the problem switches side, then it's the ballast. If not, read the next step.
(Headlight removal DIY: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=9217044#post9217044)

iii) Since there are only 3 xenon components on the headlights and you ruled 2 of them out. It's the igniter.
(Use this link to identify the xenon components and how to take the headlights apart to get to the igniter: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?p=8554679#post8554679)​

3) One of my bi/xenon lights is dimmer than the other, is my bulb dying?
a) This symptom has a few possible causes.
i) I would check the connections and wiring. It could be a bad ground at the plug.

ii) One of your bulbs could be dying faster than the other one. If you have never replaced them before, it's time. OE bulbs typically have a lift span of 5-7 years. The light output gets severely diminished the older it gets. When you get new bulbs, your lights will improve as well.

iii) If after replacing the bulbs and it's still dim on one side, then most likely it's your ballast that is dying. When xenon ballasts get old, they lose power over time. I think they can go as low as 28w (35w is what the ballast is rated for when it's new/functioning correctly) before it will stop turning on the bulb.​

4) Both of my low beams are dim or have bad light output, it is supposed to be like that?
a) If you have never replaced your bulbs before, then you probably just new a new pair of bulbs. They will be much brighter.

b) If you have a ZKW bixenon headlight and it's still dim after you replaced the bulbs, you may be suffering from burned projector bowls. The only fix at the moment is to either retrofit new projectors, buy unburned ZKW projectors and replace them (will still burn later on), or buy a set of OEM AL/Bosch headlights to swap with your current ones.​

5) I just installed Bi/xenons (or PnP HID kit), but there is an error (or flickers a bunch of times then turns off). What do I do?
a) There are a few things you can do. I'll start with the most recommended option, as it's the OEM way to do things and go from there
i) You need to get your car "coded/reprogrammed" so that it can accept xenons. You can do this by either going to the dealer, Indy bmw shop, or post a thread and see if one of our regional fanatic coders can do it for you. You can program the car yourself as well, but it's best if you research about it to see if you want to attempt it (it could really mess things up if you don't do it right).
Note: For some model years (generally 03+), when you code the car, you will lose your inner high which has been relegated to "flash to pass" duty. So you will not have high beams. For more information see next question.

ii) You can buy warning cancellers from a vendor. Here is one from TRS: http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=238

iii) If you have some soldering/electrical skills. You can DIY your own warning cancellers. See here: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=506677&highlight=diy+capacitor+mod

6) I got my car reprogrammed for bi/xenons and lost my high beams. I need them, what now?
a) Again, there are a couple of things you can do. I'll start with the easiest.
i) You can get them turned on by someone with knowledge of programming with NCS Expert. You'll have to make a thread to ask if anyone in your area can do it.

ii) If you installed OEM bixenon headlights, you can retrofit the bixenon function to get the shutters working. See here: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=377921&highlight=diy+bixenon+function
The original author of the DIY is here: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46813

iii) If you just have single xenons, you can do a variation of the bixenon retrofit. Instead of connecting them to the bixenon shutter plugs, you would connect them to the high beam plugs instead.​

7) Both my bi/xenon headlights would blink/flicker sometimes. How can I fix it?
a) Most likely this is related to a grounding problem in the tail lights. BMW did issue a recall to get these fixed, but some owners might have not done so. Here is a DIY for it (search "tail light ground fix" for others): http://www.e46fanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=796718

b) Also check all the connections going to your headlights.​

8) I put an HID kit in my fog lights, now when I turn it on, the cluster flickers and sometimes resets, any known fixes?
a) The fog lights were not intended to drive xenon lights like the low beams are. You should use an accessory wiring harness. Make sure you get a quality harness with a good relay. Some cheap relays still cause feedback.

b) The other problem is probably the crappy ballast you are using. It's drawing too much power at startup. A better quality ballast would alleviate the problem; however, I would still recommend you install the accessory harness regardless.​

9) The auto-leveling function isn't working?
a) Check the connections. Check for breaks in the wire, which occurs often as well as making sure everything is secured correctly.

b) Check the leveling sensors that are located on the control arms on the passenger side. They could be broken.

c) If it's not a or b, then the auto-leveling motors could be bad.
Note: On the facelift coupe, the auto-leveling arm is kind of weak. So if you hit a pothole or something, that could be broken. The only fix is to get the leveling arm from a parts headlight or buy a new one.

10) The adaptive function isn't working correctly, what should I do?
For 04-06 coupes only.
a) There are a couple of things that can go wrong
i) if they are going in the opposite direction that you are turning the steering wheel to, most likely you accidentally swapped the ALC unit (smaller silver box) when you took out the headlight or installed angel eyes. They are side specific, just swap it back and you should be good.

ii) If the little green light on the LCM (when the switch is in auto) is blinking and it doesn't turn at all. Most likely there is a problem with the ALC unit itself. The only way to diagnose it is to get it scanned, and then go from there. If you need to buy a new one, keep in mind that you will need to reprogram them to work on your car.​

11) My headlights are aimed too high/low, how do I re-aim them?
a) See this DIY: http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=613022&highlight=diy

b) For the facelift coupes, instead of knobs, you have little screw holes (either use a Phillips or an Allen wrench). One is located near the radiator support. There is a semi-circular cutout for it. That is the up/down adjustment. The left/right adjustment is located on a hole that is near the turn signal.

Here is a couple of pictures off my own car (H = horizontal, V = vertical):


Horizontal close up:

12) What about aiming the fog lights?
a) It's the same process pretty much, just much lower. On most e46 bumpers, you have to take off a cover and there you will find a hole (similar to how it looks on the 04-06 coupes) in which you can use a Phillips screw driver to adjust. On some model years, it's not possible to aim them at all.​

13) Sometimes one of my front turn signals shows a warning (or fast blinking) but the bulb appears to be fine?
a) Check your connections. Something could be loose at the plug. Clean the contacts with electrical contact cleaner.

b) The metal tabs might not be getting a good connection. Get a flat and pry them up a little so that they touch the bulb better.

c) The bulb holders tend to melt as well. If that is the case, just buy new ones and it should fix the problem.​

14) My angels aren't working correctly, what is the problem?
a) You have to be more specific than that. But here is a list of a few things that could be wrong and how to fix them.
i) One of the rings don't work
1) The connection from the ring to the inverter/LED driver might not be properly connected. Check them to make sure they are.

2) The ring itself could be defective. If so, warranty them if you can, otherwise buy a new one and reinstall.​
ii) Both the rings on 1 side don't work
1) If you CCFLs, then most likely the inverter is toast. Get a new one or better yet upgrade to LED rings to increase reliability.

2) For LED angel eyes, the LED driver/resistor packs could be bad. Just warranty/get a new one.
3) Also check the connection from the relay harness that connects to the inverter/drivers.​
iii) All 4 rings don't work
1) Check to make sure the power/ground is properly connected. Clean the connections and reinstall.

2) Check the Fuse. It's a 5 Amp one if you need a replacement.

3) If the rings come on with the interior lights but not when the engine is running. Check the ECU tap. If you didn't solder it, then the tap could have gotten loose, or the trigger wire part is loose. Just redo the connections.

4) If none of those are the problem, then it's probably the relay itself. Replace the relay.

5) In very rare cases, this can be the result of an LED interior light install. If that happens, then you need a resistor in the footwell for the LED bulb. Or you can just use a regular incandescent bulb. See link in 20a.​

15) One of my low beams won't turn on (but the headlights and all xenon components work fine after testing) after installing angel eyes (or any other lighting equipment [although in rare cases, it could happen without having installed anything])
Primarily a symptom in 04-06 coupes

a) If it was the angel eyes that were last installed. Check the ground wire on the relay. Often time if that is not getting a good connection this is the symptom.

b) If another lighting equipment was installed, uninstall it (just disconnect it, don't have to completely take it out). And see if it fixes it. If it does, then either there is something wrong with your install/wiring or the product itself is defective (can be defective and still work. Our cars are just more sensitive to these things).

c) If nothing was installed:​

i) It could be a bad ground wire somewhere in your car. This is extremely hard to find. First try to "reset" the car by taking off the ground battery terminal in the trunk. Since this is a ground wire, this could be your culprit. I usually leave it off for a few minutes.​

1) The other couple of known places for bad grounds are the headlight plugs (both low/high) and the official BMW ground point which is located behind the headlights.​

2) Otherwise, good luck in your search for that ground wire. There are tons of them throughout the car.​

i) Try unplugging the LCM for a bit and putting it back. There have been some confirmation that this works..​

ii) Check the Red/Black/Green wires that connect to the igniter. Often times they become brittle and crack, or completely severed.​

1) If the insulation on these wires brittle and crack. The remedy for this is to pull the wires out of the connector and use heatshrink to wrap them up. If you don't know how to do that, you can get by with just electrical taping it.​

2) If the wire is severed completely. Best bet is to take the wires out of the connector and solder them back together and heatshrink it. If you can't do that, then you can try using wire connectors. It will be a tight fit.​

16) There is a warning light for the tail lights, but all the bulbs are good. What is the problem?
a) This is related to the tail light ground problem. See question 6a.

b) Try cleaning the contacts and bending the tab up if possible.

c) The bulb holder traces itself could be melted. If so, replace it with a new one.​

17) My brake lights stay on all the time, what is the problem?
a) This is an emergency feature that BMW implemented. It usually occurs when there is a break in the wiring somewhere. It'll be hard to look for that so I would recommend taking it to a shop.

b) The other thing it could be is a bad LCM.​

18) I installed LEDs in my license plate lights, they keep dying and there is a warning light. What should I do?
a) Unfortunately, you may be one of the few unlucky e46 owners that have warning lights for the license plate lights. You can try using high power LEDs to circumvent it as there is no way to put resistors in the trunk handle. Or you can just stick to using regular bulbs.​

19) I have DEPO/EE LED tail lights and they aren't working correctly, help?
a) That's to be expected lol Not the best quality.

b) It could be one of the resistor/capacitor packs that have one bad. Unfortunately, they don't sell them separate so you'll probably have to buy a new set.

c) The LEDs themselves could be bad due to heat/improper design. If you have the skills, you can open them up and replace all the LEDs yourself. Otherwise, buy a new set.

d) Pretty much whatever problems you have with them, you're SOL.​

20) There are missing/bad LEDs on my OEM LED tail lights, what can I do?
a) Unfortunately, not much. They rarely go out in the first place. So unless you have the skill to replace the LED yourself, you'll have to buy a new tail light.​

21) I bought some LED interior lights but they don't fit in through normal install procedures. Can I open them another way?

22) Installed LED interior lights, but now they don't turn on when you lock/unlock. The map light bulbs work fine though?
a) The ones that turn on when you lock/unlock are on a separate circuit. Most likely, you need to put a resistor on one of the 5 locations for them to turn on. The 2 most likely places are the footwells and the center dome light. The size of the resistors can be found in my DIY linked in question 20a.​

23) The LEDs in the vanity mirror lights don't turn on?
a) Are you testing them with the key in the on position? They don't turn on otherwise.
b) Otherwise, check the fuse. It's on its own separate circuit too. Most likely that is the cause.​

24) Why do my angel eyes not work after installing LED interior lights?
a) See question 13a.​

That's all I could think of that I commonly answer. I did the leg work for a lot of these problems already. If it's not in here, you can just post in here or a new thread and someone will probably answer it.
 
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#8 ·
Sillieidiot,
This has been super helpful through my trouble shooting process.
I've narrowed my issue with my bixenons to this: The passenger side is out until i disconnect the battery and reconnect it. Once i shut the car off, then turn it back on, the right low beam won't turn back on... :banghead:
Per my mechanic, I had the LCM replaced and did the ballast myself. Originally the light never worked at all. Now i'm stuck. :hmm:
 
#9 ·
Re: Sillieidiot’s Lighting-related Troubleshooting Guide

Ive been told by dealership mecs never heard of that. When I push my stalk forward my high beams wont come on however when I pull it to flash they work. I replaced the stalk with an OEM one and nothing changed. I read alot of these forms and I think its the LCM but I really need to avoid going to the dealership. Just wondering if you know any other things I might try before giving up and take the risk going to the dealership. Cause I dont have plates and its about 50 miles away.
Thanks,

Sent from my Torque using BimmerApp mobile app
 
#13 ·
Ive been told by dealership mecs never heard of that. When I push my stalk forward my high beams wont come on however when I pull it to flash they work. I replaced the stalk with an OEM one and nothing changed. I read alot of these forms and I think its the LCM but I really need to avoid going to the dealership. Just wondering if you know any other things I might try before giving up and take the risk going to the dealership. Cause I dont have plates and its about 50 miles away.
Thanks,

Sent from my Torque using BimmerApp mobile app
basically question 6 would answer your question.
 
#10 ·
1. If the brights not come on when you flash, the "flash to pass" feature needs to be disabled using something like NCS Expert. This will have both Bixenon and Halogen brights come on for high beams.
2. I was able to go with all interior lights LED without resistors by disabling the shut off on error feature for interior lights using NCS Expert.
 
#15 ·
The flash to pass works fine but when I try and turn them on nothing happens.
That means you are set up for Bixenon. That is normal operation. When you pull the stalk towards you, the halogens flash on till you release it. When you push the stalk away, the Bixenon shutters lift putting the HID on bright but the halogens are not energized.

You need to get the car programmed to turn on the halogens when you put the car on high beam. This forum discourages the posting of coding information but if you have access to NCS Expert or some other coding software, you can do it. Try a site like BMW coders or BMW coding.
 
#18 ·
yeah, it was hard to organize everything in a way that everyone would understand. i just basically organized it into questions that people would PM me all the time. seems the most common, but there were a lot of other variations i could have used.
 
#21 ·
I read through this list of questions and all replied posts, but didn't see an answer and couldn't find an answer using the "search" function. I have OEM xenon (not bi-xenon) so my lows take a D2S bulb. I assume they are running 35watt ballasts. I'm looking to upgrade to a 55watt ballast, but I can't find anywhere that sells replacement/upgrade ballasts for the OEM D2S application. Does anyone know where I can get 55watt ballasts for my OEM xenons? I've had my headlights out and apart before and the ballasts are shaped different than most "aftermarket" HID kit ballasts, otherwise I'd just use one of those.
 
#22 ·
i think you couldn't find the answer because that's not really a trouble shooting question.

there isn't an OEM ballast that does 55w (well you can get them supercharged, but it will cost so much that it's pointless). it's required by law to be 35w. aftermarket ballasts are the only way to go. and since you have regular xenons, you don't have to deal with the bixenon issues from going with aftermarket ballasts.
 
#23 ·
Hmm, ok I'm still a bit confused. I know there isn't a BMW OEM ballast that does 55w, but is there an aftermarket company that makes a 55w ballast that fits into the OEM ballast location? Basically I'm looking to remove the OEM ballast and replace it with an aftermarket 55w ballast. Otherwise I don't understand how it would work, being that I have OEM Xenons. Please correct me, because I know I'm wrong, but the way I'm understanding it if I were to buy an aftermarket "kit" I'd be running 2 ballasts? I've installed HID kits before. They come with the wiring harness (so you don't fry your stock wires) ballasts and xenon bulbs. The kits that I have used were plug-n-play so all you do is remove the factory halogen bulb, plug the wiring harness into where the bulb usually goes, the other end of the wiring harness goes to the ballast, then to the HID bulb. So, by that logic, since I already HAVE xenons with ballasts, if I were to unplug the xenon bulb, plug in the harness, then the aftermarket ballast and aftermarket bulbs I'd essentially be running 2 ballasts per light. I KNOW this has to be wrong. But I can't find a company that offers a 55w "replacement" of the factory ballast (basically so I'd remove the headlight, remove the factory ballast, install the aftermarket 55w ballast in the factory location and put everything back together) Do you know of anywhere that sells aftermarket 55w ballasts? Sorry if that doesn't make sense, I'm not really sure how to explain it.
 
#24 ·
there isn't one that goes in the stock location. technically you could do a custom install and use the factory location and do it that way, but that is way more work than it needs to be.

but by going with aftermarket, you would have to remove the stock ballast and the stock ignitor. then you just bypass all of that and install it like you would with halogens. you'll need to cut a hole in the back of the rubber cover to feed the wires going to the bulb.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Hmm, ok. I see. I've found on another website that said I could use D2S adapters. So I looked those up and they basically adapt the aftermarket ballasts to run our stock xenon bulbs. (NOTE: ALL IMAGES ARE SOURCED FROM GOOGLE)



So, since I already have a pair of aftermarket 55w ballasts from another vehicle, the only thing I would need would be an adapter to fit the ballast to the OEM wiring harness. I read the stock OEM wiring harness can handle the load of the 55w ballasts. If this is untrue I can run a seperate wiring harness, but I still have 1 last question. I don't really feel like pulling my headlight out and disassembling it to see what the connection looks like. but if I were to unplug the OEM ballast, what does the "plug in" look like that I'd need to adapt to? Basically my aftermarket ballasts have a "plug in" that looks like this:



So I'd need an adapter to go from the factory wiring to be able to plug into that socket.

Do you have a picture (or can you source one) of the OEM ballast "plug in"? I've searched Google but couldn't find one that shows where the wires connect to it.
 
#26 ·
ok, went out to my car and disconnected the wiring to the "low beam" which actually goes to the ballast. So, I saw the type of plug I need. I just don't know what it's called. It looks like a 9006, or the H7 but with slightly different clip positions. Basically you can see it to the right of the written word "flashing/" here:



It's the grey connection. Do you happen to know what "size" that is? I tried a wiring harness that I had laying around (9006) and it wouldn't fit but it was really close. So it looks like I just need a wiring harness that goes from that plug to adapt to my aftermarket ballasts, and those D2S adapters.
 
#27 ·
the stock connector is a 9006 connection. it should fit in the ballast you pictured. you might have to push it really hard though since aftermarket ballasts have variances in the size if their 9006 connectors (some a little small, some a little big). yes you will need those D2S adaptors. and yes you will also need a wiring harness to protect the LCM.

i would open up the headlights to remove the igniter and remove the OEM ballast since you're not using it.
 
#28 ·
Hmm, ok, then I'll try to push harder (didn't want to break anything) The ballast I pictured was just a random pull from Google, but the 55w ballast I have has the same type of connection. I planned to get a wiring harness anyways, after going to to my car and looking at the stock wiring, I wouldnt trust running 55w ballast on that. Not saying it couldn't handle it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially playing around with headlights. Is there any downside to leaving the OEM igniter and ballast in the housing (since nothing will be connected to it I don't really see the problem.) I figure if I leave everythign in the housing and I happen to have a problem with my 55w set up down the road (ballast goes out or what have you) I could disconnect from the 55w ballast and reconnect to the OEM ballast until I got the problem fixed. That's a lot easier than removing the ballast and igniter and then having to reinstall it should a problem arise. Unless there is a problem with leaving them attached to the housing. I plan to mount the 55w aftermarket ballast externally, probably somewhere under the fender (I'm not really sure I haven't actually taken a look to see where I have space) but I'm not going to put it in the factory location.
 
#29 ·
well the wiring could support it, however, it would kill the LCM.

the ballast, not really. the ignitor might get in the way of the autoleveling. since there is really nowhere to put the part that goes onto the back of the bulb. unless you want to just cut off the connector or forgo the autoleveling altogether. then it should be fine.
 
#30 ·
I disabled my aoutlevelling a long time ago. The passenger side arm broke, so whenever I would turn my headlights on and the car would do the initial auto level, it would always throw off my beam due to the broken arm, so I just undid both connections to the autolevel, then found a flat wall with 25' distance, and aimed my headlights manually. Haven't had a problem since. The arms and motors and everything for the autolevelling function is still installed, I just dosconnected the wiring at the top of the headlight.
 
#32 ·
I am new to the forum so I hope I am posting this question in th right thread. I have a 2005 325i with OE ZWK bi-xenons. Car is not quite 9 years old and about 88K. Recently the left high beamm shutter stopped lifting, but right side is working, as are all other lights / lighting functions. At first my shop said it was the LCM but after they replaced that and it did not fix it, they said it was the solemoid and that I would have to replace the assembly. Not wanting to invest over $1000 for a solenoid, especially when there are real mechanical parts that need to be replaced, I started loking for used assemblies (hard to find and still more than I want to pay) and then projectors. I have seen some on eBay and such in the $50 - $65 range. Question is can any OE E46 bi-xenon projector go into the ZWK assembly or does the projector also have to be ZWK? I know ther are aftermarket upgrades from reading this site but my preference is to keep cost low in a car that will likely only be used a few more years.
 
#33 ·
did you check the wires/connection that is used for the high beam activations? a lot of times it could just be a bad connection.

other than that, you would need a ZKW projector for it to work.

i might have a working solenoid sitting around somewhere you can buy off me if you want. i'll have to look for it.
 
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