Have been chasing the same issues everyone has, dash indicator not working. Left mostly never worked, right conked out recently. I have checked grounds, contacts, etc. in the lights. External lights always worked fine and are uniformly bright. I built the pigtail setup and added an electronic flasher relay - dash indicator lit up, but stopped after 4 times or so, is very inconsistent but never stays lit. It works fine with the hazard switch so I know the indicator bulb is OK. Am I correct in thinking that with the electronic relay this narrows it down to the path between the relay harness and the dash light? What should I be checking? I find trying to read the three different wiring diagrams I have like reading sanskrit, not my strength. I'm using this relay:
yet another flasher thread...
- Thread starter Sean Haas
- Start date
I haven’t fixed the problem myself but I did take the original module apart and figure out why it works with all the flashers on at once but not with the left or right individually.
e9coupe.com
I can’t tell if your aftermarket module would have the same pitfalls as the original. Can you link the pigtail method for me?
When I tackle this again I intend to just add a second relay to serve the indicator.
Turn Signal Woes
74 CS .. 3.3L dual webers with later 4 speed tranny .. when I got car, turn signals worked but the dash light would flash feebly a couple times and then stop. I redid the instrument panel and in the process I replaced the lamps with higher wattage lamps. Now turn signals work but the dash light...
e9coupe.com
I can’t tell if your aftermarket module would have the same pitfalls as the original. Can you link the pigtail method for me?
When I tackle this again I intend to just add a second relay to serve the indicator.
jmackro
Well-Known Member
Was the turn signal flasher in your photo - the EF-33RL - the one you installed? If so, I'm not sure that one is correct for e3/e9's. I have a EF33 (or it's CARQUEST equivalent, the 7312) in my e9, and it works great.
I thought the ef-33rl with added ground was intended to eliminate hyperflashing in LED installations?
reading the casing it states LED flasher.
reading the casing it states LED flasher.
jmackro
Well-Known Member
So are you saying that the EF-33RL should work for Sean's application? Do we know whether he has incandescent or LED bulbs? My coupe, with the EF33 has a combination of bulb types. I don't recall why I chose that model - I think a post in the 2002 forum that was referenced from here.
[IMG alt="sfdon"]https://e9coupe.com/forum/data/avatars/m/0/476.jpg?1580441044[/IMG]
Messages6,034Reaction score1,951Locationsfbay area
For my money I would spend the 10 bucks and go electronic......
https://www.bmw2002faq.com/articles.../retrofitting-an-electronic-flasher-relay-r56
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sfdon
Well-Known Member
Site DonorMessages6,034Reaction score1,951Locationsfbay area
For my money I would spend the 10 bucks and go electronic......
https://www.bmw2002faq.com/articles.../retrofitting-an-electronic-flasher-relay-r56
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Yes- you were part of that thread.
e9coupe.com
Blinker Issues
Hi Everyone. I just got a 1970 2500. The blinkers work, but the blinking light on the dash does not. At most, I’ll get one flash and when I engage the right turn signal, but nothing after. The stock flasher relay seems to be working. Any ideas?
e9coupe.com
americium
Well-Known Member
I hate it when that happens…
I was considering adding LEDs which is part of why I started this project, but for now I have incandescent bulbs, I believe it's compatible with both. Here's another thing that cropped up this morning - when I turn the interior fan on, the relay begins clicking although no lights are activated, from my quick check when I got into work the directionals still operate normally even if this is occurring. I also plugged in a "heavy duty flasher" that some on the 2002 site said worked better for them - with the directionals off it immediately began spastically clicking and something began to heat up (we all know electronics work via smoke and a bad smell, and if that gets out they don't work any more), and the dash lights began flashing, so I quickly yanked it out. It had the same X/L/P connector setup with no ground. So likely a ground issue somewhere?
I believe Don is right as to why the ground is on that unit (prevent hyperflash with LED.) For kicks I had unplugged the ground wire and it it didn't change how it operated (outside lights work fine, dash light only here and there.)
my pigtail setup is akin to this (this is for a 2002, not an E3, but you get the idea.)
Here's the relay that was in there, I believe the connections are:
Pin 87 - power, goes to X pin in new relay
Pin 30/51 - ground
Pin 86 - dash light, goes to P in new relay
Pin 85 - directionals, goes to L in new relay
I believe Don is right as to why the ground is on that unit (prevent hyperflash with LED.) For kicks I had unplugged the ground wire and it it didn't change how it operated (outside lights work fine, dash light only here and there.)
my pigtail setup is akin to this (this is for a 2002, not an E3, but you get the idea.)
Here's the relay that was in there, I believe the connections are:
Pin 87 - power, goes to X pin in new relay
Pin 30/51 - ground
Pin 86 - dash light, goes to P in new relay
Pin 85 - directionals, goes to L in new relay
This worked on my 2800CS
The blue squares are the end of the connector as you look at it.
The blue squares are the end of the connector as you look at it.
That’s not a flasher relay!!!
My first guess is that is the AC fan/blower fan changeover relay.
be careful- you are fooling around with some big amperage on this…
be careful- you are fooling around with some big amperage on this…
Yeah, not any more, I'm putting it back and yes I know what is the actual flasher relay now. That explains a whole lot. I work in my garage at night after kids are in bed and in the dark thought the plastic one said "washer" on it, but it's whatever is similar in german that relates to flasher apparently. I've managed to mostly avoid doing dumb stuff learning all this, but not in this case, luckily not with consequences...oh well. thanks for saving me!
Many thanks to the original poster on the 2002FAQ forum - @02hobiedave and @Dan Wood for his fine pin out chart (above). I purchased the EL-13 flasher from Autozone ($19) and pulled the three pins as Dan suggested. It worked like a charm. I did not want to create an adaptor harness so I just directly inserted the three pins into the new flasher after removing them from the original housing. To mount the flasher I gutted the original Hella enclosure and then ground down the round canister's base into a square. Dry fit it once. Then some JB weld. Looks like a stock flasher, but without the issues.
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Attachments
Adapter harness=H4 bulb ceramic socket, crack off the ceramic end to leave you with three male-female wire connectors.
DaveBeddows
Member
The relay in the original BMW design was able to detect the current going to the flasher bulbs. If the current was less than 2 bulbs would draw then the dash indicator would stop working usually on the second flash. This was to notify you that you had a burnt out bulb. When those relay's get old the internals that detect that current draw go out of spec. That is why they will work on Hazard because the current is pulling 4 bulbs. Is is also why going LED which do not pull much causes the dash indicator light to not function.
I have seen some people get around buying a new relay or installing LED's by simply putting a resistor across the circuit to increase the current just enough to trigger the second circuit in the relay that lights the dash bulb.
I have seen some people get around buying a new relay or installing LED's by simply putting a resistor across the circuit to increase the current just enough to trigger the second circuit in the relay that lights the dash bulb.
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By interior light not functioning what do you mean?