active headlight fault - help please!
01-18-2012, 08:55 PM
#1
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My Ride: 04 545i
6spd m/t
Sport, Cold Weather, Logic 7
Hello,
This has been a problem on my car for 6 months, I am finally getting down to it as my diagnosis equipment is working now.
First, in INPA, selecting active headlights, adaptive light control, I believe activate (f6?) then I believe range of motion (f5?), I found the left headlight to work, and the right headlight not to.
I then read the files off the step motor controllers (SMC) using NCS expert and saved them in a safe place.
Next, I pulled the headlights out and inspected the step motor controller on the rhs. Everything looked OK. I swapped the SMC's side to side, reprogrammed them using the correct .man files for each side, and fired up INPA again. Once again, only the LHS light worked, confirming the problem is not the SMC. To double check, I programmed blank .man files to the SMC's which made no difference (as I understand the module may be 'coded' by writing a blank .man to it, or the .man file recovered from that side earlier?)
I noticed the plugs on the headlights are identical on each side. I decided to try and swap them side to side. The RHS headlight (now plugged in on LHS) still did not function using INPA, but the LHS headlight (plugged into the RHS) still functioned. This confirms the wiring is OK. It also makes me suspect the lights get the same signals on either side, but rely on the coding within the SMC and the grounded pin on the SMC module to decide how to steer the light based on the input signal.
Both lights self level correctly. I popped the rear cover off the RHS light, and found no evidence of corrosion or water damage (though, this headlight has had condensation in it in the past. Now I park underground and the light stays dry). The brass worm gear, driven off a motor mounted directly below the project assembly seems to control the steering of the light and the mechanism is not sticky.
Am I correct to believe the steering motor is the culprit?
This has been a problem on my car for 6 months, I am finally getting down to it as my diagnosis equipment is working now.
First, in INPA, selecting active headlights, adaptive light control, I believe activate (f6?) then I believe range of motion (f5?), I found the left headlight to work, and the right headlight not to.
I then read the files off the step motor controllers (SMC) using NCS expert and saved them in a safe place.
Next, I pulled the headlights out and inspected the step motor controller on the rhs. Everything looked OK. I swapped the SMC's side to side, reprogrammed them using the correct .man files for each side, and fired up INPA again. Once again, only the LHS light worked, confirming the problem is not the SMC. To double check, I programmed blank .man files to the SMC's which made no difference (as I understand the module may be 'coded' by writing a blank .man to it, or the .man file recovered from that side earlier?)
I noticed the plugs on the headlights are identical on each side. I decided to try and swap them side to side. The RHS headlight (now plugged in on LHS) still did not function using INPA, but the LHS headlight (plugged into the RHS) still functioned. This confirms the wiring is OK. It also makes me suspect the lights get the same signals on either side, but rely on the coding within the SMC and the grounded pin on the SMC module to decide how to steer the light based on the input signal.
Both lights self level correctly. I popped the rear cover off the RHS light, and found no evidence of corrosion or water damage (though, this headlight has had condensation in it in the past. Now I park underground and the light stays dry). The brass worm gear, driven off a motor mounted directly below the project assembly seems to control the steering of the light and the mechanism is not sticky.
Am I correct to believe the steering motor is the culprit?
01-31-2012, 03:14 PM
#3
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My Ride: 04 545i
6spd m/t
Sport, Cold Weather, Logic 7
I tried the activate headlight sequence in inpa. Both headlights drive to the right correctly, but the RHS headlight will not center again. The stepper motor is free turning. Since stepper motors are a symmetrical design, I now believe the motor is fine and the position encoder is the problem.
Might try to find a spare position encoder / sensor and then rip that bitch apart. I'm a little apprehensive!
Might try to find a spare position encoder / sensor and then rip that bitch apart. I'm a little apprehensive!
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