1995 E34 525i Trunk Sensor Broken??

[cybereclipse]

First of all, I'd like to say hi to all the guys here at bimmer.info
so HI!

second: I have a problem with my trunk lights. It seems that everytime i close my trunk, my lights inside the trunk stay on??? Does anyone here happen to know where the switch or whatever controls the trunk lights is located??

Thanks In Advance

[DaveVoorhis]

The switch is immediately to the left of the latch mechanism in the trunk lid. You can see a pin on the latch plate on the trunk floor that actuates it. The carpet will have to be partially removed to gain access.

Mine failed last year -- I opened it and found the contacts jammed with corrosion and the metal slider broken. I repaired the slider and packed it with grease to keep out water. No problems since.

Wait... If your trunk is closed, how do you know the light is on?

[Martin in Bellevue]

Peeking in from the center rear armrest area?

[cybereclipse]

hahaha
The car usually sits for a week or two becuase its a weekend driver. But after a few dead batteries, i had looked over the car from front to back and had not found one thing that was broken or that could be wasting the battery slowly. The only thing left was the trunk light. So i left a handycam inside the trunk and closed it. I then reopened it and watched. Turns out that the trunk light stays on no matter what.

[cybereclipse]

ok well, i took apart the latch and i found the switch, but the switch doesnt have a problem. When the trunk is near closing, if you push the switch in, the light turns off and when its out the light satys on so that works fine. But when you open the trunk all the way, the light turns off regardless of the switch.
Are there any mercury switches in this car??

[DaveVoorhis]

There's no mercury switch, but the wiring in the trunk harness may be worn or shorted from the trunk opening and closing.

[cybereclipse]

so should i just replace all the wiring from the trunk to the car????

[Felixdacat]

Find where the wires are showing, cut it, slide some heatshrink tubing over the wire you cut, and solder them back together. Use the heatshrink to cover the splice.

[cybereclipse]

im guessing that the wire are the ones on the left side of the trunk strapped to the trunk struts

[Felixdacat]

You are correct. I had the same problem with my 89 535i. I found the wires pinched. Inside the individual wire sheathing, was where the break was. So there was no bare wiring showing, making it a little hard to find the short.