XENON FIX BY RICH 328
Xenons getting you down? Tired of that "Low Beam Failure" on an OBC that was once so cool? Annoyed with your speedo and tach going crazy when you turn on your headlights, along with other strange electronic bugs? Well, have no fear, there is a solution!
Disclaimer: This worked on my 1998 328is. This is intended as a guide, and I am not responsible for anything that happens.
The solution lies in rewiring your headlights. The electronic chain works like this: You click the switch in the car, which in turn closes a relay (circled in green), which sends power thru the left and right light fuses (circled in blue) to your headlights. However, if you have check control, then before it hits the headlights themselves, the computer takes a look at the current demands (too much..aka a short..or too little..aka burned out bulb) and alerts you if something is amiss.
In terms of installing xenons themselves, there are many write-ups, and I don't think it is necessary to repeat. Read the other write-ups, read mine, and add the two together.
1. DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL. Usually I say to hell with this, but in this case we are working in the fuse box, and asking for trouble if there are live wires in there.
2. Open the hood, and remove the four torx screws that hold the fuse box together.
3. Try to carefully open it as much as you can. Looking underneath the relay for our low beams, you will see the two wires that make the relay close, the current input, and output. The output wire will go to the two fuses. (On my car this was a thick white wire/blue stripe; green circle)
4. Look at where the fuses are. You will notice the one wire that inputs the power (mentioned above), then the two output wires (blue circle). On my car they were yellow/red and yellow/gray.
5. Cut the wire tie so you have some additional access to thee wires. Cut them so that you have enough to work with, but don't cut them so close to the car you cannot undo this later. Tape off the two ends that lead toward the car.
6. Get some good 16 gauge wire, and run one line from the fuse box area to the driver's headlight, and another across the engine bay and over to the passenger's side headlight. Then connect one wire to one of the output wires (from the fuses), and the other wire to the other. Solder and shrink tube, etc. (Note: Each fuse is labeled drivers or passengers side, connect them appropriately). You have now completely cut out the OBC from the circuit.
7. Close the fuse box, guiding the wires thru the grommet on the left side. Make sure nothing is caught, as the fuse box is a tight fit.
8. For each headlight, use the new wire as the hot leg, and retain the original ground. (This probably goes into your 9006 connector right into the ballast. With this wiring method, I think it is unnecessary to use additional relays and power sources)
9. Reconnect your battery once all the wiring is complete.