E39 - Cannot Select CD Player

[sting936]

Hi,

I have a late 96 E39.

Was doing some work on it and disconnected the battery and after reconnect, my CD changer cannot be selected from the Radio Unit anymore.

All are stock Radio, Cassette unit and 6 Disc Changer.

Press "Mode" on Radio unit and it will show "No Tape" but will not go to CD.

I have removed the CD unit from trunk and cleaned the contacts. The disc changer can also be heard shuffling the CD when loading.

Just wondering anyone here has encountered same experience and know of the remedy. Thanks in advance.

[da_bull]

I cant remember for sure, but it seems like there is a REALLY small reset button inside the door. Hold that down for about 5 seconds with all the cables plugged in. Should work, if not, dont know from there. Hope that helps...

[sting936]

Hi da_bull,

Thanks for the reply, but which "door" are u referring to?

[da_bull]

Sorry, the door on the changer, right below where you insert the cartridge.

[sting936]

Ok. Thanks. Will try to search for that.

Incidentally I say a little round metallic dot just to the left of the clock button on the Radio set, about 1cm away.

Not sure if it is a nick on the cover or is it some kind of a tiny reset button also.

I tried pressing using the tip of a pen but don't seem to see anything change.

Any idea what it is?

[da_bull]

you may need to get a paper clip to get in there far enough. can you post a pic of it?

[sting936]

I tried getting a small size screwdriver to dig in hard. Didn't move at all. I suppose it is just a nick in the facial.

I have been trying to find the "reset" button you mentioned but just couldn't seem to find it. The only button after the cover is the cartridge eject button.

Whenever I slot in the Cd cartridge (with disc), I can hear the changer trying to pick the disc. But this goes on for several times, like 6 times even though there are disc in slot 1,2. I am beginning to suspect whether the laser head is giving problem.


On another note, I was searching on the web and hit upon a thread in bimmerfest. One of them described a reset procedure:

- remove cartridge then the power from CD changer
- depress the eject button
- reconnect power while continuing to depress the eject button for 15 sec
- remove power
- release eject button
- reconnect power

I tried but it doesn't seem to work for me.

Am still lost as to how to get the darn CD changer back to work.

[da_bull]

Ok that is the reset procedure instead of a button. It'll do the same thing. Unfortunately, you may have to have it fixed/replaced. It sounds like as if its a mechanical issue.

As its an E39, you might want to think about an aftermarket CD player to put in the dash. That'll probably be cheaper than replacing yours. Unless you use your cassette, its a good way to go. Most of the newer ones have iPod controls, more power than the stock player, better AM/FM tuner, better CD player, etc.

Good luck with your decision.

[maxepotter]

Just download vlc. It's much better than the average media player since it plays virtually any video/audio file format out there and has already all the codecs preinstalled. There are lots of other near features too. If you don't know where to look then check out the vlc player download page.