[99E36]

New to Bimmerfest, not sure how to operate the site correctly just yet so I figured easiest way to learn would be to just post. Im having electrical issues with my E36 323is that seem to be progressively getting worse and I cant seem to properly diagnose the issue. It started as and power draw when I was on a road trip such as high beams, turn signal, power windows, brake pedal, would cut signal from stereo to speakers and would occasionally reset stereo and Driver information display. Recently it is getting to the point that after driving my car, I shut it off for apprx 10 minutes and go to restart and there is no power to car at all, most recently this morning, and the power didn't come back on until I decided to open my door and reclose it and in doing so power was restored!! and information would be much appreciated!!

 

[hornhospital]

Welcome to Bimmerfest!

Check the battery cable connections. They can appear to be in good condition and actually have high resistance connections. The heat they generate in the joint while the alternator is trying to recharge it can raise the resistance even more. It's simple to pull the clamps, clean the clamps and posts and reattach them. Also check the ground cable connection to the chassis. Remove, clean and reattach. If that doesn't fix the problem, we can move on to other areas.

 

[99E36]

Are there any other chassis grounds other than the one that I understand is right next to the AC compressor?

 

[99E36]

Ok, so that seems to have worked!! Thank you very much for that!! Now on to one more issue that I've been having. When you close my doors it drops rpm's down below 400 for a split second then comes back to a clean idle. Any idea what might cause this?

 

[hornhospital]

It's the window drop feature trying to cycle the window down and back up as it's designed to do on the coupes (and maybe the convertibles, too :dunno: when you open and shut the doors ). The window motors can draw a lot of amperage when they do that if the motor is weak and the window glass is hard to move due to lack of lubrication. It's the draw on the alternator that makes the idle drop.

 

[99E36]

So you think maybe the window motors are trying to crap out on me maybe? Because it also has an issue with the auto roll up, you can hit the second detent on the button but the window only goes up a couple of inches before its stops and drops back down an inch or so.

 

[bliger7gz]

So you think maybe the window motors are trying to crap out on me maybe? Because it also has an issue with the auto roll up, you can hit the second detent on the button but the window only goes up a couple of inches before its stops and drops back down an inch or so.

Iirc, if the control module senses that the load increases too much it considers it as something being in the way of the window and cancels the roll up command. Say if you got your arm through the window it won't get crushed.

What you could try is lubing up the window tracks and sliders. Also re-sync the window positions.

 

[MisterM52]

also if you can please check your trunk wire harness, many people have had similar issues due to the wires that are broken and shorted, do a google search on that, you will need some extra wire, heat shrink and soldering iron and that should be fixed within 30 mins.

Check your Engine Ground Strap, its near the exhaust side, connected to the engine mount and engine. Also check your alternator and other major connectors, check the main DME Relay (white one in the middle next to the blue fuel relay. And maybe if you have some sort of immobilizer relay with alarm, often aftermarket installations end us using a constant 12V instead of powered. But yea check for a few things, a multimeter will be helpful!