2001 E38 Full Screen NAV LCD Display Stuck

[HarryM]

I recently picked up a 2001 740iL. Overall pretty clean but a few quirks one might expect from an almost 8 year old car (and one has come to expect from BMW, realtive to electronics and such...). Anyway, when I push the button on the full-screen NAV display that is supposed to cause the display to drop down for access to the cassette player, nothing happens. No noise, no movement whatsoever....nothin'.

So I assume there lurks a cassette player behind the screen. Is there any way to "release" this manually? Is there a fuse to check? Anything to troubleshoot this issue?

Everything else about the NAV and radio and CD payer seems to work o.k. (well, I get a very loud screech on the AM radio, but that is a worry for another day...).

Any help, insight or direction is greatly appreciated!

[M.Wong]

That's one I have not heard before. Let us know if you find the solution. Good luck!

[crewdog843]

You are correct in your assumption that there is a cassette player behing the Nav unit...how to get it open is another thing. Does the icon light up 'red' when the key is turned on?

jake

[HarryM]

... Does the icon light up 'red' when the key is turned on?


Hmmmm...don't think so. Do you mean one of the three little lights up near the "eject" button? None of those appear to illuminate no matter what mode the radio, CD, or NAV is in. The power on light near the volume knob is the only light that comes on....

Thanks for the assistance

[crewdog843]

When you turn the ignition key to the first position, you will hear the bells....

Watch the three LEDs (or lights, whatever you would call them, plastic hash marks) to the left of the Eject button....the middle one should blink about 4 or 5 times, and then go to steady red.

If you don't see this light.....you may not be getting power to the unit/motor. You should get this light whether or not the radio is turned on.

It sounds like you may have a fuse which has burnt out.

jake

[crewdog843]

Bump.... any news to report?

....as we used to say in the flying business: "heard the lights, saw the bells, abandoned aircraft immediately....."

jake

[sealbeach740]

When you turn the ignition key to the first position, you will hear the bells....

Watch the three LEDs (or lights, whatever you would call them, plastic hash marks) to the left of the Eject button....the middle one should blink about 4 or 5 times, and then go to steady red.

If you don't see this light.....you may not be getting power to the unit/motor. You should get this light whether or not the radio is turned on.

It sounds like you may have a fuse which has burnt out.

jake

Do you have a phone in your 7? I believe those 3 LEDs next to the 16x9 screen slide out button/cassette eject button are for phone status/information.

[crewdog843]

No phone in car, only a useless cord. Makes one wonder sometimes, where do all those phones go when these cars get traded in....why would someone keep an otherwise useless phone.

I don't like talking on the phone while I drive, so it is no big deal, and besides, there are much more stylish phones on the market these days.

I will have to take a look at my downloaded driver's manual (which was also missing in my car) to see what really gives with respect to those lights. I just assumed that the one red light which remains on was to provide a visible locational reference at night for replacing the cassette. Hmmmm.

jake

[PatrickfromATL]

I have the '99 E38 w/ smaller screen, but I have those 3 lights and mine are for my phone connection. I installed a bluetooth system, and if it's not paired, the light remains red. After pairing the light goes off.
I'm pretty sure that your lights are for the preinstalled phone system.