Fault codes w/o stomp test???

[billkirk]

My early 1989 European spec E34 525i didn't have a bulb in the Check Engine socket when I bought it 7 years ago. Suspecting a prior owner removed it when preparing the car for sale; I installed a new bulb. It flashed all the time. I tried using the stomp test to determine the fault codes many times without any success.

I later read that only the US cars had check engine lights installed, the very early non-US cars had no bulb from the factory. If this were the case then how do you guys with non-US cars perform the stomp test?

I've driven the car over 150,000kms since with the bulb removed because it bothered some of my friends; since the car was running fine and all was apparently OK.

Now I've got a serious rough running problem, similar to when a mechanical ignition advance mecanism is stuck and won't advance with rising RPMs. Can anyone confirm the understanding I have about the stomp test being inapplicable for this car? Is there a connector in the test plug that if shunted to ground/earth through a 12volt test light will act as a check engine light for the purposes of accessing the fault codes?

Please, any insight appreciated.

Bill K. in Sydney

[whiskychaser]

I later read that only the US cars had check engine lights installed, the very early non-US cars had no bulb from the factory. If this were the case then how do you guys with non-US cars perform the stomp test?
Bill K. in Sydney

There is a fix for the older US cars here :
http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/trouble/engine_codes.htm
As you got the light to flash you may be in with a chance. Failing that you will need a code reader. I got interface/carsoft but the main dealer only charges about £40 for diagnostic check. Not bad if you only need it every seven years