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shogun
06-21-2018, 10:06 PM
A message from E32Fan, the electric expert for the E32:
youngbimmer's recent tragic loss to fire reminds me to repeat my Fire Warning to all E32 owners! Our cars have an un-fused circuit, which can, and does, cause engine wire harness melting and possibly fires!
My 1992 735iL had suffered this harness melting failure before I bought the car, and I had to repair the repair work.

It is the WHT-YEL (WS/GE) Diagnostic Datalink RXD wire, which is jumpered to 12V by a link connecting Pins 14 - 15 inside the black Diagnostic cap D100 (X6002) in the engine bay.

BUT THIS LINK IS NOT FUSED! So a short of the WHT-YEL wire to GND anywhere in the car will cause the wire loom to melt! This likely caused youngbimmer's airbag to inflate, and his engine to start with no key in the ignition. It was a "short-fest" inside the wire loom!

See Pg 0680-23 and 0680-09 to 14.

The quick fix is to remove the D100 cap and leave it off! The permanent fix is to cut the Pin 14-15 shorting link inside the D100 cap, and solder a 100 ohm resistor across the cut.
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The message of youngbimmer some days ago: RIP Factory 5spd 735
I lost my 735i this morning. I was driving to Wegmans to pick up some bread, noticed a brake circuit OBC error and thought nothing of it. 5 minutes later, I noticed a burning smell and saw smoke start coming through my vents. I immediately got out and tried to get my dash apart, but couldn’t get it in time. Not three seconds after I duck out of the car, airbag explodes. By the time my knee panel was off, the fire was already everywhere, fire extinguisher couldn’t keep the fire down. I left the vehicle and called 911. By the time they showed up, car had started all on its own and lurched into somebody else’s car (still in 1st gear, no key in the ignition.). I frantically started pulling relays out of the fuse box till it stopped moving. But this point, fire department showed up and hoses the car.

Needless to say, I am shaken, and I will probably never entertain the thought of another vintage BMW given this very freak incident. Shame because we had just finished putting on new radiator and water pump yesterday. Sorry to leave you fellas, but good luck with your cars!
The cpl. thread is here https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2379261-RIP-Factory-5spd-735

shogun
06-29-2018, 09:35 PM
fix is now on my website under upgrades>>>>> Fusing the diagnostic plug, preventing short circuit fires, 2 versions, one with LED