electrical snafu

Hello again. It seems that my right side parking light circuit has a slight hitch. The fuse has blown twice before at about six month intervals and I simply replaced it and went on. Now the fuse has blown again but continues to blow when I turn on the lights. This leaves me with no right side tail light and no amber front running light. I don't drive at night as a result but we're planning a trip next week.
Is there an easy way to diagnose the source of the short ( if indeed it is one). I'm not too crazy about electronics but I would give anything a try if someone could lead me in the right direction.
The car is a '95 525iT E34 M50 w/Vanos
Thanks
budshaw

If you had a sedan i'd direct you to the wiring harness on the left of the trunk lid mechanism.
Since you have the wagon, i'm not familiar with (or even if it it has the same) failure mode.

Check wiring harness for chaffing where the wire may be occasionally grounding itself.
Check the lamp receptacles for corrosion.

Some info that may help:
http://www.bmwe34.net/E34main/Mainte...s%20wiring.pdf

http://shark.armchair.mb.ca/~dave/BMW/e34/

very common touring problem is the wiring gets worn around the hatch, remember the E34 touring was one of the first wagons BMW made after the E30 and 2002. open the hatch and look in the top right hand side.

also could be a worn out bulb, try replacing them with new ones

Firstly, thanks for responding. Been working on it last two nights. Thought i had it fixed then when I closed the hatch , # 5 blew again. I removed the plastic panel from inside the hatch to get a better look. I've thoroughly inspected all visible wires and harnesses and nothing untoward stands out. I've inspected all the sockets and changed all the bulbs. After reviewing the schematics, it seems the only functions protected by #5 fuse are the license plate lights and right side parking (running) lights. It shows a relay in that loop but I don't have a clue where to find it. All I've really done after the visual inspection is just sort of tugged at and moved wires around. I'm getting ready to go hit it again and if don't succeed, it would be great to find a new and useful thread or two to help me along.

once again , thanks for your help.
budshaw

an auto electrician may be your best bet. id be taking it there if i had spent two days on it.

in the touring, the key place to look is in the upper right hand corner of the hatch, this is where the wiring transfers from the body to the hatch.

could be one of your numberplate bulbs is faulty too?

After feeling along the main wire group that comes into the hatch on the right side, I found a spot that was totally crushed and almost flat. The trouble spot was inside the black woven "protector" and from the outside looked fine. Upon baring the wires I found three that completely severed and two that were frayed!

What a great resolution to potential serious issue. Oh the satisfaction!

Thanks once more for all your input and support.

budshaw

Congrats