40 year old European headlight switch

[oilcan93]

I should have posted in this section initially. Mea culpa.... I took the Green Meanie out for a spin the other evening. Afterwards as I was pulling in I decided to adjust the brightness of the gauge lighting on the dash at which point the light switch just went limp and the bottom fell out onto the floor. Well, that's not good.....I wonder how hard it will be to find the headlight switch for a 40 year old European version of a German car? Apparently, pretty difficult. I and some of the guys on here have been looking for #61311353051 or #61311353769 for a bit to no avail. Well, actually I did have ONE report of a unit available. But at $300, I'm trying to explore other options first. One very reputable guy will sell me a different switch altogether along with the plug side and pigtail for around half the price of the real switch. All that remains to be done is splice the wires into my own harness which could be easy OR the color codes on the wiring may not match so some detective work could have to be done. That is beyond my capabilities so if I go that route, I may again seek the counsel of the all the experts we are lucky enough to have access to here to get it correctly installed. So, if nobody has any leads on the two options for real parts, does the option of adding the plug/pigtail of an altogether different switch sound like the most viable option? However, if anyone has a stash and would care to sell a switch or knows of somewhere to pick one up, I"ll definitely take you up on it. And thanks

 

[sfdon]

Its a tough world out there....
Having an Italian CSI makes it even more challenging.
Try Maxmillians and if no go I will run to la bodega for a switch......now you know why all your wires in the front were melted.

 

[DougE]

Is the switch for European cars different than those used on US cars? In the orange book they appear to be the same. If they are the same I likely have a good used switch. Contact me at [email protected] I can compare terminal layout number and position

Doug

 

[HB Chris]

RealOEM shows a different switch for Italian delivery coupes.

 

[oilcan93]

Is the switch for European cars different than those used on US cars? In the orange book they appear to be the same. If they are the same I likely have a good used switch. Contact me at [email protected] I can compare terminal layout number and position

Doug

Thanks for the offer, Doug! However, they are indeed different.

 

[John S]

Italina headlight switch

A search on Tomkinson BMW Parts shows 61 31 1 353 769 available for $116.79. They would probably have to order it from BMW in Germany which would require extra charges for freight. I've had good luck getting Euro only csi parts from them. My car is an Italian delivery csi too. Good luck,
John

 

[oilcan93]

I tried thompkinson, John. I was allowed to order it but they sent me an email the next day letting me know it was NLA

 

[bengal taiga]

One very reputable guy will sell me a different switch altogether along with the plug side and pigtail for around half the price of the real switch. All that remains to be done is splice the wires into my own harness which could be easy OR the color codes on the wiring may not match so some detective work could have to be done. That is beyond my capabilities so if I go that route, I may again seek the counsel of the all the experts we are lucky enough to have access to here to get it correctly installed. So, if nobody has any leads on the two options for real parts, does the option of adding the plug/pigtail of an altogether different switch sound like the most viable option? However, if anyone has a stash and would care to sell a switch or knows of somewhere to pick one up, I"ll definitely take you up on it. And thanks

Is the "different switch altogether" dimensionally the same so that it will fit in place of the original and from what year/make/model is the "replacement" switch?

Forgive my ignorance, but exactly how do the switches from the typical E9s differ from their Italian counterparts? Are there side-by-side pics available? I recall (years ago) someone else facing a similar conundrum with trying to make use of an Italian version switch on another model and everything being copacetic. But my memory could be faulty or the story could only be half-true. ? / ?

For comparison purposes, the shop manual depicts a 9 prong switch. Without viewing the two switches together, am I correct that the Italian version is only 8 prong? FWIW, switches from standard E21s appear to be only 8 prongs.

What is being lit differently between most models and those delivered to Italy? Or is it a question of wattage, a different load shedding relay? I understand some slight variation between Euro and North American versions, e.g., the low wattage city light and parking light functions, but what is the "Italian" difference beside certain obvious cosmetics? Is it addressed in any of the Italian-printed literature?

Uh Oh

For comparison purposes only




Part No. 61311353769 "seems" to have 8 prongs?

8 prongs??? (Does prong configuration differ from # 769??)

 

[oilcan93]

Excellent questions and all ones I went through as I was searching for the correct plug. You'll have to rely on some of the more experienced posters on here for answering most of them. But I will say I discovered there are numerous pin configurations as well as plug interfaces among US and the European versions. My plug is indeed 8 plugs and I ended up finding a new one that was Swedish version (#61 31 1 355 791) with the correct pin configuration and interface and for less than the price of my firstborn. Talk about a lucky/great find!

 

[jvrenaudon]

headlight switch

Oilcan93, Out of interest I grubbed around in my assortments box and I find that I have a number of headlight switches and that they fall into two distinct types. The first bears a manufacturer's number 1 350 151.3 and has nine pins each 6 x 9.75mm and the second bears no number, has eight pins each 4.5 x 7.5mm. The first is fully-enclosed whereas the second's rheostat is partially exposed. The first's plastic base is black whereas the second's is brown. The terminal configurations are quite different, as you can see in the attached photo and the numbers are in reverse orientation. Are either of these of any use to you? They are all derived from European e9 models but I have no idea as to the precise years of origin or country of registration. Please note that I rarely check PM's so if you want to get in touch best email me at [email protected]. I am unable to test these switches out with any degree of confidence but they bear no signs of mutilation and the actions seem ok. Regards, John.

 

[HB Chris]

I am told that earlier cars had the fatter spade terminals. Same switch is used in 2002 and e21.

 

[Honolulu]

I used a Bavaria light switch in my coupe, but had to swap a pair of connectors. It's fiddly to do so but the switch works as it should and what more could one want?

Well in the case for some, apparently it has to be the real thing or nothing. To each their own, and good luck with it.

 

[oilcan93]

No, I'm not a purist like that. I would've actually used whatever I could get to work that was at least period correct. I did have some options but tried to find something that was a listed part for the coupe.
But on the "not a purist" bent, I'm actually thinking of changing the wood on the interior from french oak to the Hawaiian wood, Koa, that I'm very fortunate to have access to here, since a significant portion of that trim needs to be repaired. Thoughts on that?

As an update I did purchase a completely new Swedish switch yesterday (and not even the latest number) #61 31 1 355 791. Thank goodness for friends and eBay

 

[Honolulu]

Koa would be nice, as would many of the good selection of veneers available today. A little study of vacuum bagging techniques plus the selection of a proper adhesive would make veneering a dash in koa a relatively simple matter. But surely Maui has a sufficient supply of woodworkers who would be qualified to do this.

Veneer is readily available online, as are adhesives and many choices of materials to finish it with. Product with marine qualifications come to mind, the better to resist UV attack/degradation.

The real trick, I think, would be in removing and reinstalling the dash, and if I were to consider a re-veneer, I would insist on doing that myself. That's maybe why I haven't done dash work.