From dale_at_unofficialbmw.com Fri Feb 6 11:49:09 1998
From: Dale Beuning <dale_at_unofficialbmw.com>
Subject: Re: <E30> Blowing Fuse #23 After DIY Stereo Installation
To: storkt_at_ibm.net (Thomas J. Stork)
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998 11:49:01 -0800 (PST)

Did you figure this one out? I did the same thing on my '84 318i. You've grounded your wire from the dash lights going to the stereo. To figure out which wire it is, get a multimeter, and disconnect the radio, check all wires for voltage that varies with the brightness of the dash lights.
Be sure to check your headlight switch, I fried mine doing this. Get an '86 or newer switch as a replacement, it's an improved design. The circuit board has traces on both sides instead of just one.

Dale
The Unofficial E30 Homepage www.unofficialbmw.com/e30.html

> My "how difficult can it be?" attitude toward auto repair has gotten me in
> trouble (again). I put a new in-dash CD player (thanks, Santa!) in my '86
> 325es last week, and even though Crutchfield said it would be a very simple
> thing to replace the factory unit with the new one with the stuff &
> instructions they supplied, it wasn't:
>
> - - Not all the wires matched up perfectly for the standard harness
> they supplied: I had to splice two grounds--for the antenna and the main
> unit--to a single ground in the new harness. Other than that, though, it
> was a fairly straightforward matter of match-'em-up after checking for current.
>
> - - While the new CD player now works with no problems at all, fuse #23
> blows (the only time I've ever said something on this car blows!) the moment
> I switch on the lights. This is the fuse (7.5 amps) that controls the
> instrument panel lights, the right rear taillight, and the license plate
> lights.
>
> All of the bulbs check out ok, though, and none of the connections to the
> instrument panel was pulled loose when I pushed the unit in (I checked the
> connections today).
>
> Any ideas (or SWAGs, etc.) about what else it might be would be much
> appreciated.
>
> - - Tom Stork
> BMW CCA #131072
> '86 325es
>

--

                       |            Dale Beuning           |
                       |       email: dale_at_unofficialbmw.com     |
                       | web: http://www.unofficialbmw.com |
                        -----------------------------------

Dale -
[...] I did
get it fixed. A couple of responses properly identified the problem; one even said which wire to disconnect and cap (gray w/red). Thanks for the note, and thanks for setting up the homepage--I have had it bookmarked for about a year!

• - Tom Stork BMW CCA #131072 '86 325es