BMW E30 / E28 Diagnostic Plug / Socket Pin Out Diagram

PIN:	WIRE SIZE:	WIRE COLOR:	APPLICATION:
1	1.5	Brown	Ground Distribution G101
4	0.5	Brown / Violet	Gauges / Warning Indicators,
			Coolant Temperature Sender
5	0.5	White / Green	Fuel Control,
			Injector Control Module (Fuel Rate)
7	0.5	White / Blue	Service Indicator,
			Service Interval Processor (Reset)
11	2.5	Black / Yellow	Start, Start Signal
12	0.75	Blue	Charge System, Alternator,
13	0.75	Black	Ignition, Ignition Coil
14	2.5	Red	Charge System, Alternator
15	1.5	Green / Yellow	Idle Speed Control,
			Idle Speed Control Unit

E34 5 Series 'Countryman' Touring X-Over Lifestyle utility concept... with pop-out tent...what?!

Well, I really have now seen it all. This is something I never expected to see from BMW, given their sporty, driver-focused image, but here it is... The E34 5 Series Touring utility camping wagon! Not only is it lifted with bigger tyres and sports obligatory 4x4 style two-tone paint, but it even sports a 'pop-out' camper roof and folding tent! This idea was only ever adopted in one vehicle I know of and that was the truly ill-received Pontiac Aztec some 10 years later, with the tent thing actually being one of its saving graces! You heard it from Bavaria first.

The concept is of the early 1990's, which means it also pre-dates Audi's 'Allroad' Quattro and Volvo's V70 XC / Cross Country, both of which were released and saw quite a bit of niche popularity, not to mention Subaru's ever popular Forester that seem to still be seen all over. The Audi and Subaru of course had 4-wheel drive as standard and the Volvo has it as an option, whereas the BMW would have still only been rear-wheel drive.. Can't imagine this would have been too good on a muddy camp-site field! It certainly wouldn't appeal stylistically to the same sort of younger BMW driver's who drift round ploughing up fields for fun anyway and perhaps doesn't quite fit with the BMW ethos overall, so I can see why it was overlooked and never made it into production. X-Drive all-wheel drive only became a feature in this millennium, which would have suited this thing to a tee and may have even brought it into production, but with such a limited market maybe the world has moved on.

Personally, I love it! Maybe I will recreate one from my E46 Touring! I challenge someone to beat me to it!

This reminds me, I really must get on a 'camping' trip in the 318i wagon when the epidemic is over and camp in the car, which I've been planning to do for a while now. I thought I was the only one eccentric enough to have such an idea... but no, some design team at BMW had the same notion, only over 35 years ago!

Will Smith had an E28 5 Series!

Of course he did! "The Men in Schwarz II!" He actually has a BMW Club USA enamel badge on his grille! They still exist... check them out here - BMW Car Club of America.

Perhaps he is picking up fares while dressed as a New York taxi cab??

"I'm the MC, he's the DJ and this is tha WHIP!" Big ups, Smith.

Other celebrity BMWs:
Easy-E 840i
Elon Musk E21 320
Britney Spears E36 M3
Bob Marley Bavaria New Six

Photo of E34 5er Production Line, Munich, circa 1990

Check out this BMW Munich factory photograph of the E34 5-Series in production during the quality-control process. It would have been taken around 1990. I wonder if the workers in the foreground by the Henna Red car are smiling just for the camera, or if they are actually just that happy to be doing what they are doing. I choose to believe it is the latter, but either way just look at the full compliment of moustaches...
As for the guy stood to the rear of the blue model behind - check out those grey slip-on shoes! I think he took these from pop-star Falco's personal collection. Der Kommissar ist on der floor! The shop floor that is... Clearly these were the days before 'Health & Safety' madness and mandatory steel-toe boots and hi-vis.
What a great photo and man, do I feel like getting an E34 sometime soon. Shame they are shooting up in value here in the UK.

E28 5er - Interesting unknown rear wing/spoiler... Hartge maybe?

A lovely barn-find shot of an E28 528e in the USA, but on closer inspection it sports a striking rear-wing/spoiler that I have never seen before. Who makes this piece? On first impression I would say one of the period Euro-tuner firms like Zender or Hartge, but after a bit of research I can't find an identical one. The chrome-trim makes it look as if the spoiler was fitted later on though and the car is not a tuner model. Perhaps someone can shed light on this spoiler's origin?

Hartge lay claim to a few E28 aero-parts and a I can find a couple of similar rear-wings, pictured below. The upper one is a rounded type and I am not sure is definitely made by Hartge though the badge suggests it is, and the second pic shows a Hartge developed E28 with their own rear-wing fitted, very similar to the one at the top but not quite as tall and curved on the top-edge not flat. It could well be that it is a similar version of this same spoiler and still made by Hartge, but I cannot find it.

Bought an F10 530d!!

Guess there's only so much one can do to the E60, so I splurged on a 12-plate F10. Loving it. Still got the E60 though for now...

Look at them kidney grilles.

Got the 17" 10-spokes, all with brand new run-flats. The ride is sublime, but may throw on the 18" 7-spokes from the E60, or may even go for 19' Ms... time will tell.

Love the super-bright rear lights and the tail-pipe. If that blasted DPF has one silver lining, it's them pipes.

E60: Front 12V Socket spring mechanism assembly.

PROBLEM:

• Mechanism has collapsed and 12V socket will not pop up out of housing.
• Ash-tray has been removed during work on car and has fallen apart.
• Coins or other objects have jammed in the mechanism and are stopping it from operating.
• The 12V socket is jammed up and ash tray will not close.

As with everything on the E60, even the mechanism that pops the 12V socket up and moves the trim around in over-designed to death. There are two springs in the assembly. A main flat-coiled spring that lifts the 12V socket up when the ash-tray is slid open and a small one that operates a tiny trim-flap that fills the gap created as the socket rotates up. You know, so everything looks neat!

These come out really easily when the ash-tray is removed from the fascia, or when things get jammed and the ash-tray is forced shut, but it is quite confined under there and the springs should not get lost. Be careful not to push them under the foam-trim at either side while retrieving them.

The main spring is on a spindle running through the socket housing, with a screw at one end. The protruding arm faces forward and tenses against a lip in the plastic. The screw will need removing to get the spring back into place, so do not over-tighten it when refitting so the socket still rotates freely.

The smaller spring slides onto the plastic stud on one side of the front socket hinge and the two protruding arms should be in a V shape pointing upwards and sit in the grooves on the hinge and trim-flap, as pictured.

** For a guide on removing the dash and fascia trim required to get to the ash-tray see THIS POST. **

E60: Side Window Anti-Trap Function Disabled - easy fix!

This is a very common fault - the chime tells you that 'Side window anti-trap' is disabled and reminds you of it every time you start the car. Each window has height sensors and if something stops it from closing smoothly or it gets stopped half way up then the auto open/close is disabled for that window until reset. Literally anything can cause this, it is way over sensitive, even a bit of dirt or tree-sap in the window runner is more than enough. Sadly, it is not self removing and requires the up and down position for the window to be reset manually, but thankfully this is an easy task and does not require plugging-in to remove the fault message.

FIX:

* This must be done from the affected window switch itself, not the driver's door panel. *

1. Locate the affected window by testing the 'one-touch' up and down function for each window separately.

2. Open window so it is in the fully down position, release the switch, then press and hold the window-down button for 5 seconds.

3. Close the window so it is in the fully up position in the frame, release the switch, then press and hold the window-up button for 5 seconds.

The window will now auto-open / close again and the message will have gone!


** FOR E39: **
This fix does not apply to E39 models with anti-trap function. The E39 has a crush-sensor in the window frame and will not show a message on the console, so if you have a window that has lost one-touch functionality then the sensor is faulty and will need replacing.

E60: Horrible dash rattle - loose Strut Brace.

If there is a loud rattle from behind the dash on your E60, the sound of two plastic surfaces creaking against each other like tectonic-plates, or a cracking noise that sounds like the windscreen is flexing, then the strut-brace is loose. 

This is the alloy bar that bolts across the front suspension turrets and also to the firewall in the middle, which cuts down on chassis-flex as the front wheels move around. The E39 didn't have one and the E60 doesn't need one, but it's there and if one of the bolts come even slightly loose then it produces a rattle inside the dashboard like no other. It is not easily identifiable as a loose component in the engine-bay by ear as the noise is so internal and you may find yourself, as I did, spending forever adjusting panel fit inside the dashboard and cable-tying wire connectors with no joy. Rest assured it is a loose bolt on the strut-brace.

The problem is steel bolts going into alloy threads on the strut-tops, which become loose easier and are more prone to damage if overtightened or the strut-brace is removed and refitted a lot. BMW are aware of the problem and they're official fix is detailed in this PDF [http://5series.net/forums/attachments/e60-discussion-2/37844d1190387791-cracking-sound-e60-dashboard-sib_511304.pdf], but they will charge a premium for this and probably replace the brace.

The strut-brace attaches in three places, with two bolts in the centre joining the firewall and one either side on the strut-tops. They have E10 double-hex heads. Two of my four bolts were loose - one of the centre ones, which just kept spinning and needed coaxing out, and the O/S strut-top. This would get near tight then skip and go finger-loose again. The strut-brace was so loose this side that it could be moved around by hand at the end with the bolt in place.

Quick Repair Options:

• Heli-coil - This is the recommended or 'pro' way. You can get a hell-coil kit for £10-£20 and it basically winds a new stainless-steel thread into the old one so the original bolt tightens straight back in.
• Drill out and re-thread - This is cheaper and dirtier as it just involves boring out the hole with the damaged thread to a larger size and using a die to re-thread it to accept a larger bolt. This is what I did, drilling the offending hole in the O/S strut-top out to 9.5mm and threading it using an M10 tap. I then used a short M10 bolt (17mm) with a large knurled collar to keep that end of the brace nice and tight.

---

This did NOT fix the rattle?

If you're strut-brace is not loose and the noise is still there then it could be two other things:

• Axial tie-rod / Track-rod end failing - Yes, when the axial tie-rod / track-rod ends start to fail it does produce a rattling / cracking noise from behind the dash, just like a loose strut-brace. No one would ever guess this defect would make this sound where it occurs, but there you go. I suspect this was the cause of the rattle in my E60 after all, though never had chance to replace the part before I sold it and the guys buying it both agreed the noise was something steering-rack related. 
• Loose trim - If the sound is definitely originating behind the dash then loose trim or structure is likely your culprit, though this is quite rare. E60s use alloy design and the body absorbs a lot of flex, so when stuff behind the dash does become loose the sound is amplified in the cabin. I am sure when this does happen, every case is different so there is probably a lot written about it online. Best of luck tracking it down. 

---

This is a common fault and there is plenty of information on the forums:

http://5series.net/forums/e60-discussion-2/cracking-sound-e60-dashboard-45017/

http://www.bmw-driver.net/forum/showthread.php?t=44948

http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/80790-a-slight-knocking-noise-from-the-dash/

http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/17634-rattle-from-dash-on-start-up-from-cold/

E60: Replacing headlight-washer caps / hinges!

Despite how it looks, you can't replace them with the bumper on. This is best done while the whole front bumper is off the car, but thesis the quick and dirty method, of course.

1. Lift each cap out of the bumper on the hinge and remove them by depressing the clips at the back and sliding the lugs out of the hinge.

2. Remove the screw holding each corner of the bumper to the wing using a 10mm wrench.

3. Pop the corner out of the wing and bend it out enough to reach behind the headlight-washer cap.

4. Remove the hinge / lever by bending one side out and unhooking it from the outer lugs, the other side should then come away easily.

5. Remove the spring by squeezing the coils towards each other and unhooking them from the inner lugs.

6. Fit the new spring as a reverse of removal.

7. Lift the spring up forwards and fit the new hinge / lever as a reverse of removal, then release the spring ensuring it is tight against the flat-bar on the hinge.

8. Refit each corner of the bumper.

9. Lift the hinges / levers out of the bumper and fit the caps.

E60: Bumper damage + fix!

Calamity! As I was reversing out of where I was parked at work on Thursday, the edge of the front bumper caught the corner of a kerb I didn't even know was there. Parking at work has become mental lately, with a big influx of new drivers who start at 7am, so those of us in at 8 are being forced to park further and further up the lane and now into a gravel clearing that belongs to the Woodland Trust. During a short phase of image-adjustment my company lined the lane with brand new kerb-stones, but as it doesn't own the clearing the kerb ends suddenly at the exact boundary point. This has now been well overgrown with long grass and, although the kerb is barely 6-inches on our side, a dip makes it about 10-inches on the far side. That's the side my front-bumper hit as I reversed round to drive out.

I was only doing 5mph and it only sounded like a bad scrape, but I didn't realise the full extent of the damage I'd done until I got home. The front-bumper was hanging off, the plastic under-tray has broken, the headlamp-washer cover and tow-hook flap were missing and a reverse-sensor had broken off. I returned to find the absent parts, but couldn't find the reverse-sensor. It had dropped down into the bumper, luckily not falling out somewhere while driving and best of all it still works, because buying another sensor so soon would be a tough pill to swallow. The rest of the damage is bad enough, but today I have re-fitted the bumper flush and glued the sensor back in. The only lasting scars from the accident is some cracked gel-coat on the bumper, pictured. It can't be rubbed-in with T-cut and would need re-painting, so I think when I can afford to do so I will buy an M-sport front-bumper, as long as I can find one already in silver.

This will teach me to be more cautious when driving over grass!

First, I took the 10mm screw out from the corner of the bumper, just inside the wheel-arch and pulled the bumper right out to get to the reverse-sensor. The plastic mount had snapped off with the sensor and superglue just wasn't doing the trick, so I headed to Halfords and bought an Areldite 'syringe', £5.49. It's pricey, but does the job every time. Next was to remove any snapped off bits of bumper from the wing. The bottom edge of the wing, where it meets the bumper shut-line, had bent round the threaded-clip and created a high-spot underneath that needed beating in with a hammer and chisel before the bumper could be re-seated flush and the screw replaced to hold things tight. Finally, another blob of Areldite sorted the headlamp-washer cover-flap, as the clips had sheared clean off the back of it. I would have gotten away with it being unnoticeable if it wasn't for that pesky gel-coat cracking! 

E39 530d: Air-Con Drive Belt Snapped - Fixed, now heatwave over...

With the recent heatwave I noticed my air-conditioning appeared to be struggling. It must have been over a year since I last stuck it on full snowflake mode and I know these things fade-off, but it had been working fine, so before I shelled out the £40 or so to get the system re-charged with gas, I figured I'd check the pipes and filters to make sure nothing was clogged up, as everything else had been round MOT time. Apart from a few errant sycamore seeds the system beneath the filters was like new, so a quick peer down the front of the engine showed the real culprit - the drive-belt had snapped and was wrapped like a snake, almost out of view, around a radiator hose.

I was surprised there is no warning-light on the dashboard or the climate-control unit for this, as there is with the alternator-belt, the air-con simply stops and the system functions like a normal blower/heater. With British summers being the way they've been, the belt may have been snapped a year or two ago and I've been totally unaware. It took our recent heatwave, and this is the first time it's been anywhere near 30 degrees for 5 or 6 years, to decide something was actually wrong. I think the most likely cause is all the time I spent running the car with the compressor turned fully off while the battery was in poor health, the constant resistance snapping the belt.

Naturally I would have gone straight to BMW for an OEM belt, but it was 2.30 on Saturday afternoon and they'd closed for the weekend, so I hit up Euro Car Parts, who had the right belt in stock at their new branch which is less than 2 miles from my house. It's an OEM quality part, made by Continental and came to £9.84, so I can't really complain!

PROCESS:

I fitted the belt in about 30 minutes, without raising the car, removing the fan or even moving it onto the drive, using a quick and dirty method, which is fine for the air-con belt, but wouldn't work for the main drive-belt covered in this post.

1. Remove the front-piece of the engine cover [the slim one covering the PAS-fluid filler] by undoing the two bolts on top and one down the left-hand side using an M4 allen-key.

2. Undo the six fastening lugs for the front engine-undertray using a crosshead screwdriver, bend the tray back, free the leading edge from the front-bumper and lower it out of the way.

3. Place the new drive-belt over the two main pulleys from above and wedge the belt over the tensioning-pulley so it doesn't slip off and can be accessed from beneath the car.

4. From below the engine, hold the belt in place at the tensioning pulley and use a 16mm ring-spanner to rotate the tensioning-pulley downwards on its spring-bracket. [An open-end spanner will slip off easily and there isn't quite room for a ratchet-handle without removing the fan.]

5. Push the belt over the tensioning-pulley so it forms a 'pair-of-glasses' shape, as shown on this page of RealOEM.com. Ensure the belt is still in place over the two main pulleys, it may take quite a bit of rotating the tensioner to achieve this, and release the tensioning-pulley.

6. Refit the engine-cover and undertray - you're done, cold air!

E39: Fitting CCFL 'Angel Eye' Headlights

Always wanted to get a set of these for my old 3 Series, but never managed in the end, so it seems like a worthy first mod for the 5. I'm sure you've seen the Angel Eye rings on modern BMWs and for older models without them you can buy whole replacement light clusters [£100+], or CCFL kits, which are rings that fit into you're existing headlight lenses. The latter are much cheaper, but they're fiddly to fit. They are approved by BMW though and are European E-Marked, so they're totally road legal. They were about £50 when I had my E36, so I'm glad to see they've nearly halved in a couple of years and I scooped mine from lightspeed_123 on eBay for £27.99 delivered! A bargain for the high-quality and finish of the kit - even the packaging was posh.

The kit didn't include any instructions though and it gets quite tricky fitting them, so after a lot of web trawling I managed to find some instructions for a similar kit fitted on a 3 Series, but with only limited references to the E39 5 Series. It served as a starting point, but with no dedicated guide for E39 readily available I've decided to jump straight out of the ScoobyLab into the fire, with my own How-To guide.

REMOVING THE HEADLIGHT:

1. Remove the 5 wiring-loom sockets from the back of each headlight.

2. Remove the 4 screws holding the light-cluster in place, located on the slam-panel and down the back of the cluster, using an 8mm wrench.

3. Pull the light-cluster forward from the inner side until the lug on the outer corner can be slid out and the cluster removed.

4. Slide off the strip of body-coloured trim and rubber seal from the bottom of the headlight.

FITTING THE RINGS/INVERTERS:

5. Remove the back of the headlight to expose the lenses by lifting the 6 clips with a screwdriver - 3 along the bottom, 2 on top and 1 on the inner edge, the last one is between the outer edge and the back of the corner-indicator - then gently prize the headlight apart.

6. Place the CCFL rings into the front part of the headlight and secure them with tape temporarily. Apply a blob of clear silicone-sealant to each end of the rings and another at the bottom. [If you're rings are one-sided, like ours, make sure the metal side is facing inwards.]

7. Connect the rings to the inverter by clipping the wires together.

8. Using glue, or sticky-pads if they come with your kit, secure the inverter box into the gap at the inner end of the headlight.

9. Run the 4 wires along the top of the glass and loop the rest round in the gap with the inverter until nothing is overhanging, then secure them with tape.

10. When the sealant has dried, remove the tape holding the rings and clip the back of the headlight back into place. Run the Red/Black wires from the inverter box through the drain plug on the inside corner of the headlight back, by removing the rubber drain spout, feeding the wires through the hole and then the spout as you replace it.

11. Replace the rubber seal and strip of body-coloured trim.

WIRING INTO THE EXISTING SIDELIGHTS:

12. Cut the wires to the sidelight socket and strip the ends. This is the plug with 2 round female sockets - the wires are Brown (-) and Grey (+) w/ a Blue stripe on O/S, Brown stripe N/S.

13. You'll need about 8" of wire reach from the drain-spout, so if necessary extend the Red/Black wires. [I just added two lengths of Blue/Brown 240v wire, used blue crimp-connectors to join them and sealed them with heat-shrink tube.]

14. Slide the two wires from the headlight through the 3mm hole on the edge of the radiator nearest the top and reverse the headlight removal procedure. Pull the wires from the inverter tight through the hole as the headlight is slid into its mount.

15. Connect the wires from the inverters to the sidelight wires using crimp-connectors or solder, then seal them with heat-shrink tube or electrical-tape. Plug the 4 remaining sockets back into the headlight and cover the old sidelight socket on the headlight with elec.- tape.

** It'll take about 60 seconds for the rings to reach full brightness the first time they're switched on.

Phew, a long process then, but worth it for the looks and the age it takes off the car I'm sure you'll agree!