E36 (1995 325i) Technical Problems - BMW Forum

bimmer_boy · 04-05-2004, 03:31 AM

First of the problems is the brake lights. I have seen brake light problem faq's and etc but I beleive those are just for the message that appears on your screen telling you they are failing when they are really not. Mine are. It's as if they stay on, so when I hit the brakes for the lights to come on they can't get any brighter. My spoiler light and 3rd brake light in the bottom of the window stay on whenever the lights are on. When I press the brake there may be a SLIGHT difference in lighting if any. I must stress SLIGHT!

The other problem I am having is a sound my car is making when I put it in Drive or Reverse. At first I thought it was a belt but I sprayed the belts with some dressing and had it looked at by a few people and they think it may be the water pump or the pulley itself? I'm not sure how to describe it..

It's almost like a high pitch squeek, but when I put it in park or neutral it quiets down a lot. When I'm driving the car it seems to go away but then I start to hear random chirping. Any ideas?

Thanks.

Furious · 04-05-2004, 03:39 AM

well bimmerboy what you seem to have here is a bad connection on the bulb situation and a seized pully on the belt situation.

if you have aftermarket taillights, they are notorious for bad connections, if they are OEM, its also not uncommon to have the same problem. check the tails closely and look for corrosion. you could also have a fault in the wiring itself. , ive seen it before. do a search regarding taillghts and you ll get a bunch of answers.

the pully situation is another thing that is kinda common, i just recently had this issue in january. my upper idler pully seized.

bimmer_boy · 04-05-2004, 03:44 AM

How much did the fix on the pulley situation cost you?

Also, would the tail lights effect the fact that the spoiler and 3rd brake light stay on even when im not braking? What would cause that?

Furious · 04-05-2004, 03:51 AM

well i did it myself. and i also replaced the tension pully because it was going out the door as well. all together it cost me just over cost on parts.

bimmer_boy · 04-05-2004, 03:57 AM

how much were parts? and could you write up a faqs? or is there one available? thanks a bunch

Furious · 04-05-2004, 04:03 AM

hmm an FAQ , maybe later on i will do so. takes a while to write it up and also i need to reference stuff from under the hood so i can get it right. as for parts. in canadian it was like 60 bucks i think for the idler pully and the tension pully. but im not sure.