E39 Electrical problem

[Phillip Visser]

Can any one help my 528i e39 strated movig the steering wheel up and down while you drive and switching the interior light on, The horn, speedcontrol and radio also stoped working and the airbag light came on any ideas?

[winters97E39]

definitely sounds like an electrical short somewhere..did the car get wet anytime recently in the engine bay, or inside? How about anything new, electrical components, radio, etc?

[Phillip Visser]

no nothing of the sort where can I find wirring diagram for E39 I think it may be a earth problem?

[winters97E39]

only complete one I know of is in the Bentley manual...if you dont have one of those already and you plan on keeping your e39 a while, I would highly suggest getting one. It is two volumes, about $120 for the set, depending on where you get it from.

[darkhorse737]

looks like winters has got you covered on this one ;-) i'll just watch... :-)

TIP:
1) check and make sure you don't have any blown fuses; and,
2)for all those accesories to go bad at the same time, the common denominator is... a ground wire that came loose or broke.

[ozarkmark]

This happened on my '98 540i this afternoon although for a short period of time. At first, the cruise shut off, then the airbag light came on, and the radio controls finally stopped working. I also noticed the illumination was dim. When I pressed the horn, it didn't work and the illumination went out but came back on.

Any ideas on this? I know it is a short somewhere since everything came back on in an instant and the airbag light went off. Where should I look first?

[biguglyfabrications.com]

needs an electrical side of the ignition switch.

[ozarkmark]

Bingo! Yep it is the ignition switch. Thanks!

Here is exactly how to test this out and replace!!!!

Ignition switch replacement. Jim Cash rules. - The BMW 5 Series (E39) Message Forum