BMW E36 Blog

I’ve published A sweet idea for your BMW angel eyes! before in which there was a video for a BMW E36 which has a fading out angel eyes. The fading effect looked very nice on that car and I promised back then that I’m going to search for a DIY that will help you guys create this effect on your cars too. Guess what? I have found that DIY and luckily, it seems very simple and straight forward.This DIY procedure was created by clumpymold from BimmerForums. I hope you like it.

One last thing, this DIY (Do It Yourself) is assuming that you have done the Footwell light for your BMW E36 . . . DIY! procedure although it not necessary. Anyway, you can check it out if you like. You may find it useful.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you :-).

The purpose of this modification is for the angel eye rings to fade on when the interior lights go on and for the angel eye rings to fade off when the interior lights go off. Since I have an aftermarket alarm, this is considered a “remote” feature.

You do NOT have to have an alarm nor angel eyes to utilize this write-up. You could have your city lights fade on/off whenever you unlock/lock your vehicle with your key as well. The possibilities are endless.

Anyway, without further ado, here is what you need:

– Wire stripper (I prefer using scissors)
– 4 male connectors (one pink, one blue, preferably)
– 1 female connector (pink, preferably)
– 3 wire taps
– 1 diode (I used a 2.5A 1000V one – 3pk @ Radio Shack $1.69)
– 3-4 feet of electrical tape (NOT PICTURED)
– electrical tape or heat shrink & lighter (NOT PICTURED)
– crimper
– screwdriver (Philips – standard size “+”)
– voltmeter (just in case)

I realized, after completing this project, that you do NOT need the two pink pairs of male/female connectors (center left in picture). In case you do not know, pink colored connectors are for smaller gauge wires whereas blue are for larger gauge wires. I’d recommend pink throughout unless you’re combining two wires into one connector.

I arranged the connectors and wire taps in essentially the format you’re going to be replicating (minus the two PAIRS of pink connectors).

Since I had everything above, the only thing I had to purchase for this DIY was the diodes. Total cost ~$2.00.

Summary:
What you’re basically going to be doing is connecting the two wires going to each side of the parking lights (i.e., your angel eyes) with one wire and connecting that wire to the positive wire of your footwell light (or dome light for you older model BMWs). It’s pretty much as simple as that.

Here’s a picture of my Bentley Repair Manual electrical diagram in case anyone was curious as to what I’m doing:

First off, remove the three screws holding the panel above the pedals. One is to the left of the steering wheel, another to the right, and the third is underneath on the left side (see pictures below). While doing that, remove that one screw holding the light switch in place (see first picture):

After you remove all the screws, grasp the left side of the panel and pull slightly outward away from the car. You’ll see this plastic tab which holds the panel in place:

You’ll then see this mess:

Now unplug (i.e., by squeezing) the black and white connectors plugged into whatever that funky circular thing is . Pull the plug connected to the footwell light (black plug) and disconnect your OBDII connector (if you have one). Pull panel towards the driver’s seat and set panel aside.

Now gently pull the headlight switch out. What you’ll see behind is one white plug for the fog lights and a round black plug for the main headlight switch (see picture below). Squeeze the white plug and disconnect. Remove the round plug by turning counter-clockwise (when facing the plug as if you were IN the dash). Set entire swith and vent aside.

What you’re looking for are TWO wires. One is GRAY/VIOLET and the other is GRAY/YELLOW. I found it is MUCH easier to gain access to these wires by sliding the round plug down towards the footwell light and pulling it out from there. Now once you get those two wires out, use two wire taps, one on each wire and connect them using another wire and a MALE connector on each end of that wire (I used two separate wires instead combined into one blue male connector instead and my GRAY/YELLOW wire already happened to have a connector from a previous install so ignore that). Then add another wire tap at the center of that new wire.

What I normally do when using wire taps is I make a tiny slit in the wire to increase the connection and then crimp the tap to that (see below).

Using a longer piece of wire (~2-3′), crimp a male connector on one side and a female connector on the other side. Plug the male side into the open/free wire tap above (at the center of the wire connecting the two wires). For the female side, you’re going to use a DIODE to prevent the interior lights from coming on when using your parking lights. I used a FEMALE connector on the CATHODE side (grey stripe) and a MALE connector on ANODE side. BEFORE crimping the connectors, slide a piece of heat shrink over it (these suckers get HOT!) or you can use electrical tape afterwards. Connect as follows (the diode in the picture below has blue connectors because I already heat shrunk the diode I was going to use – so use PINK connectors as the diode’s wires are pretty thin):

Finally, add another wire tap to your POSITIVE (i.e., RED) wire connected to your footwell light (I used the long one that is attached to my lighted door sills since they were easier to access). Connect your diode (male connector) to this wire tap. Now plug the headlight switch back in and close your door. Test and make sure this modification works. Turn on your parking lights and make sure your interior lights do NOT go on. Arm/lock and disarm/unlock. If all works well, tuck the wires away carefully and replace the panel. Install is reverse of removal.

Here is a wiring schematic for this procedure:

This is a video clip for the final result video

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.

I have found this DIY (Do It Yourself) procedure that will help you to replace your BMW E36 spark plug. I know that you may think this task is very easy. But I think this article has some great information about spark plugs and about the oil that may be leaking inside your engine. So, read it carefully, I’m sure you’ll find it interesting.

Concerning the type of spark plugs that you should use for your E36, I prefer going with the Bosch spark plugs for my BMW, but again it’s up to you to decide which type to use. NGK is another good alternative, but I still prefer Bosch over it.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you :-).

You can read the full article here

 

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.

First of all, I want to start this post by welcoming our new friend Sean C who filled his information recently in the Welcome BMW E36 blog readers! post. For those of you who didn’t read that post yet, please do and let us hear from you. Simply, just fill your information in the comments box at the bottom of that post and you’re done. Very easy isn’t it?

I think everyone of you guys will love today’s post as it will show you how easy it’s to install foot well lights inside your BMW. I know that many of you will try to do it because it looks great on your car. If you’re anxious to see the end result of this procedure, simply skip to the end of this post to see a photo of the car at night while the foot well lights are on. I hope you like this DIY and thanks for Jarozila who created the original write-up.

For those of you who like to fix their BMW car(s) by themselves, I recommend you to get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual which is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I got it and recommend you to get one for yourself as it will save you too much time and money while fixing your car.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you :-).

The BMW parts I used were:

63 31 8 360 588 Lamp (2x)
61 13 8 377 072 Socket Housing (3-pin connector) (2x)
61 13 0 005 197 Bushing Contact (4x)

If you take out your dome light and take a look at the wires you will see a Brown/Red wire (power) and a Brown wire (ground). These are the wires to use if you want the new foot well lights to work with the dome light switch settings.

Using these wires the foot well lights can be set to come on with the dome light when you open the door and they fade out, or you can turn them on with the dome light.

I did not want to run wires from the dome light down the side pillar, so I thought I have to be able to find the wires when I remove the glove box. I found a Brown/Red and a Brown wire and I exposed the core to see if these would work – THEY DID.

It was then just a matter of connecting a few wires into these two cables, making holes in the panel under the glove box and steering wheel, and connecting the lights.

I really like how it looks and it will make it so much easier to find things if they drop on the floor. Was also easier to vacuum with the lights on.

This is where I found the red/brown and brown wires that looked like they went up the back and into the side pillar going up to the dome light.

This is a picture from underneath to show the new wires I connected. I also put in two wires to run over to the driver’s side. The two black wires go the the foot well light, the red & brown wires go over to the driver’s side.

This is the light inserted in the hole I cut on the passenger side.

Foot well lights off during the day with my car in an open car port.

Foot well lights on also during the day in the car port.

Here’s a picture of how it looks at night

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.

For those of you who don’t know what an immobiliser is, it’s simply an electronic device that is designed to prevent cars from being hot wired and stolen easily. If a car has an immobiliser installed, this means that the thief will need hours and hours + very good knowledge about cars to be able to get that car to work, or he may simply choose to knock on your door and ask you to give him a hand to fix your car LOOOL 🙂 as he may think it’s not working and needs some fixing. For those of you who are looking to protect their cars from being stolen and care about their car safety, the answer is easy, install a car immobiliser.

I have found this post here which talks about the process of installing an immobiliser for your BMW E36, so I thought I’d post it here in order  for you guys to follow and protect your car. If you’re interested in getting a car immobiliser, you can take a look at this immobiliser on eBay.

For those of you who like to fix their BMW car(s) by themselves, I recommend you to get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual which is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I got it and recommend you to get one for you as it will save you too much time and money while fixing your car.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you :-).

So you want to install immobiliser like this one? if you know how to solder wires then i think you will qualify

Step 1: Open up fuse box, you will want to make thieves life as hard as possible. You need torx screwdriver. Unscrew two front screws, be careful, apply pressure, do not break torx pattern on heads. Also open drivers side under dash to get access to wires and screws that hold fuse box in place. Unscrew these 4 screws to get fuse box loose

Now you can get access to fuse box rear screws. unscrew them carefully. open the box

Step 2: Locate circuits that you will immobilise. For example, green/purple wire coming from fuel pump fuse (17)is ideal. Measure voltage on wire( test light or tester one lead grounded):
Ignition off – no voltage
Ignition on – no voltage
Crank and run – +12

When car running, cut the wire- if engine stops( after couple seconds ), you have found right one. You can connect it temporarily together to locate another circuit. Connect it to immobiliser as on its wiring diagram

Second circuit can be ignition for ECU. It is green wire going from connection point to engine harness connector outside fuse box. It has power when ignition is on. If you cut it engine will stall immediately, remember that there are couple wires in that connector cut the right one, if you miss, connect back and be more careful next time

Step 3: Connect it to immobiliser wiring ( connect now fuel pump wire too )

remember power comes from ignition lock and goes to engine harness: twin wires for immobilising, third ignition sense for immobiliser

Step 4: Power up immobiliser (red permanent power, brown ground)

Step 5: Solder all wires

Step 6: Cut sharp edges

Step 7: Isolate all connections

Step 8: Locate drivers side door switch wire near drivers side speaker (brown/gray/yellow).

Never connect immobiliser circuits on steering column. It is too easy to reconnect.

Step 9: Install LED and antenna into center console. antenna can be located anywhere where you want, it does not work through metal.

Step 10: Install led and antenna into center console. Antenna can be located anywhere where you want, it does not work through metal

Step 11: You’re done! 🙂

Wiring Diagram:

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.

First of all, let me welcome our new friend here Ricardo Mollinedo. Until now, we have received 8 responses from readers for the post Welcome BMW E36 blog readers!. Well, I still hope that I receive more response from the loyal readers of this blog. So, please if you are a reader of BMW E36 blog, please submit your information here (Welcome BMW E36 blog readers!). We will be glad to hear from you!.

Today’s post is about BMW E36 fog lights removal. I was thinking that this is a very hard task to do because I already tried it on my car and it was just hard. The problem is that the fog lights are in a very bad place that you can’t easily remove or change as my car is maybe 10cm above the ground. This means that every time I needed to change a burned bulb or something, I had to dig deep until I reach it.

It seems that this plan was not very good and that there’s a much easier way to do it. So, if you either looking for changing your burned light or want to change/clean your fog lights, this post is for you. I hope you find it useful.

For those of you who like to fix their BMW car(s) by themselves, I recommend you to get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual which is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I got it and recommend you to get one for you as it will save you too much time and
money while fixing your car.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you :-).

The fog lights on the E36 are prone to stone chips because they are so low on the ground and can also crack due to thermal stress if you go through a puddle of water when they are hot. Fortunately they are easy and not too expensive to replace. German & Swedish sell original quality replacements for 60$ or alternative ones for 40$.

Pictured below is the drivers side brake duct and fog light. To release the fog light all you need to do is insert a screw driver in the hole at the top and push the releasing clip forwards. The fog light will then pivot on the opposite side and come out.

The picture below shows the release clip on the left and the pivot point on the right of the photo.

If this plastic clip has broken then it is more difficult to remove the fog light. You need to remove the 4 bolts and 2 plastic rivets holding the plastic panel underneath to the bumper. You will probably have to force the rivets out and buy a couple more. They are only about 12p each from a dealer.
Once the panel is off then raise the wheel up a little by for example driving onto a kerb and put your head underneath.

The picture below is what you should be able to see. You will need to hook a flat bit of metal over the top of the bracket and down between the bracket and other side of the lever and then twist it.

The finished result. You might wish to replace the fog light the opposite side as well as you can see from my photo the old fog light glass discolors after a while.

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.