ok so i bought my 330i second hand and i didn't realize it right away but it has after market angel eye clip on, but they don't turn on. they are wired to the headlights so it looks like they should turn on when the headlights are on. do the aftermarket angel eyes burn out quick? the car is an 02. Does anyone know how i can test to see if they are dead? because if the wiring is good ill just buy another set and just rip out the old ones and put in the new ones with everything set up.
The aftermarket Angel eyes will still have wires that needed connected to the cars wiring harness. You will have to trace these wires to where they connect. Depending on how they are spliced, you will need to isolate the rings from the cars harness and simply apply 12 volts to the wires. You can attach jumper cables to your underhood remote battery posts and then clip the other end of the cables onto the wires coming from the light rings to test. Be careful to not let them touch. You may have to cut the wires, strip and test, or perhaps disconnect some plastic automotive splices and test. Either way, this is the easiest way to determine if the rings alone are to blame. In my opinion, the rings are connected to side marker light wires so they illuminate before the headlights, acting like daylight running lights. If the light rings are bad, then you can replace them as you see fit.
are you sure there isnt an on/off switch somewhere? i installed aftermarket AEs and put the switch underneath the dash; its not labeled so sometimes its hard to find
thanks, the wires are pretty well spliced into the light wires so i would have to cut the wires leading to the AEs and test it i guess.
i looked under the hood and i dont see a wire going from the engine compartment to the the car cabin. also i dont really know what to look for but i thought it would be a button or switch. i am going to look again.
Your easiest solution is to trace the wires back from the light rings themselves. I know that sounds like the obvious, but.... Also, I didn't take into account that they would have a remote switch to operate them (thanks Paul). I assumed, to make them as original as possible, they would be wired to come on when the parking lights are switched on. Simply splicing into those wires would accomplish that. If they are switched individually, I would bet there is an inline fuse to check as well. Since you stated "they" don't come on, I would be more inclined to suspect wiring than the odds both have burned out simultaneously. Again, to test this and rule out they are bad, apply 12 volts to the rings directly. If they work, you know it is the wiring, fuse (perhaps) or the switch (if it has one). If it were me, I would splice the light rings directly into the parking light harness on each side so they operate as the OE units do. Further, if you leave your lights on, the warning gong will chime. That is my opinion only, you do what you want, obviously. Hopefully you will find it is something simple like a fuse or switch. Even if it isn't something easy and obvious, re-splicing is not that difficult.
what is that button under the hood on the left side next to the positive battery remote terminal, that is wired to the headlight wires? does have anything to do with the lights?(if you were standing in front of the car looking under the hood) also what is the parking light? is that the choice on the dial between the off and the head light on option? if it were a fuse that was burnt out wouldn't it affect the headlights coming on too since the AEs and headlights are wired together?
Answering your questions in order below.... 1. No idea what wires you are speaking of under the hood. I am not that familiar with your specific model, but wiring is wiring and troubleshooting techniques are the same. Perhaps a photo of the area you are speaking of under the hood would help. 2. You are correct, the "Parking Lights" are indeed the lights, excluding the headlights, that illuminate when the switch is put in position 1, just before the headlights come on. 3. The headlights are on their own circuit and have their own fuse. If the AE are wired directly to the headlight harness, with or without an inline fuse, then yes, if the headlight fuse in the cars wiring system blows, they will all go out. If the AE wires have a fuse installed between the cars harness and the rings, it can blow independent of the cars wiring causing only the AE's to go dark. Does that make sense? Basically, you need to think of the AE's as a completely separate system and determine if it, alone, is faulty. From there you can chose your path as to how to repair, replace or reinstall the system.
ok so i just have to open up the fuse box and see if i can find a fuse for the AEs. thanks for you help. ill post up a pic of that button soon
NO .... You stated the AE's were aftermarket, installed by the previous owner. There will NOT be a fuse in the cars fusebox for your AE's. The fuse, if there is one, will be part of the wiring that came with the AE kit and will be part of that wiring harness. It will be between the light rings and the wiring splice into the factory harness, and no where else. If your park lights work and headlights work but the AE's do not, then something with the AE's wiring, fuse or units themselves is bad. That is why I am trying to get you to isolate / disconnect the AE's wires from the car harness and apply 12 volts to check them directly so you can determine what is working or not working. Step one is to check for obvious fuses, then isolate the AE's and check with 12v power. If this does not make sense, a quick trip to any independent repair shop will be your best. They can probably diagnose this problem in 10 minutes, or less. I understand that this is not easily understood by everyone which is why I recommended the independent Shop as a last resort. P.S. That button is probably a hood switch for the factory security system. It tells the alarm if someone is trying to open the hood and triggers the alarm.
^thanks, i completely understand that the fuse should be between the AE and the end of the end connection but there is none. i have looked up the other AE kits and how they were installed and one of then had the wire running through the fuse box with the fuse in the wire but not connected to the actual box. i am just going to cut the wires and test the AEs
One last thought before you cut wires. See if you can remove the bulbs for the AE and test there to see you are getting power. Also most volt meters prongs are sharp enough to punch through the insulation on wires. Leaveing such a tiny hole that you don't need to worry about it much. You can always put a small piece of elec tape over the hole.
here are some photos of the wiring. its the same on both sides so i see no fuse or wire going to a switch its just connected.
