Tailgate wiring harness replacement??
04-09-2009, 07:41 AM
#11
Originally Posted by Whitestone' post='841606' date='Apr 9 2009, 01:03 PM
I had to take the rooflining down to get full access to the loom. You will have a break in the wires, but by moving them a little, you may have gained a couple of weeks working tailgate!!
WhiteStone.. thanks for your input to this. it is less difficult for E39. coz it is a boot lid as such.. but got to say.. well done and glad for you. i know what it is like a beloved motor isnt perfect as it should be with minor things like this...
Chesney72: do you have a E61? the wires going into the roof is a nightmere job. plus the wires is housing through the hinge, in fact 4 routing places, there is no obvious screw to release it off the hinge.. however, i am having a few days off this easter holiday, so i must get it done.. regardless i have to strip it all down, i rather earn that ?800 myself in a day than letting the dealer to do it.. i will take WhiteStone idea to get some spare cable just to release its tension. i will take some photos where it splits and post it here for all the E61 owner.. it is a nightmere.. still never regret buying this E61 though..
Thanks again for whitestone response...
04-09-2009, 10:38 AM
#12
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Anybody have any idea which wires go through which hinge?
I only need to locate the wires that operate the glass and the remote locking. I'm almost 100% sure the glass wire is through the RHS hinge as it was when I played with this loom that the glass started working again. No sure about the remote to the module under the roof spoiler though as there are a few connections on that module.
Gary, if you get it done before me then that would be handy. I'll do likewise if I manage to get round to it....and yes I have an e61
I only need to locate the wires that operate the glass and the remote locking. I'm almost 100% sure the glass wire is through the RHS hinge as it was when I played with this loom that the glass started working again. No sure about the remote to the module under the roof spoiler though as there are a few connections on that module.
Gary, if you get it done before me then that would be handy. I'll do likewise if I manage to get round to it....and yes I have an e61
04-09-2009, 10:40 AM
#13
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My Ride: E61 sold nice E91 335i Sport Touring now
Originally Posted by Whitestone' post='841606' date='Apr 9 2009, 01:03 PM
I had to take the rooflining down to get full access to the loom. You will have a break in the wires, but by moving them a little, you may have gained a couple of weeks working tailgate!!
04-09-2009, 03:20 PM
#15
Originally Posted by chesney72' post='842006' date='Apr 9 2009, 07:38 PM
Anybody have any idea which wires go through which hinge?
I only need to locate the wires that operate the glass and the remote locking. I'm almost 100% sure the glass wire is through the RHS hinge as it was when I played with this loom that the glass started working again. No sure about the remote to the module under the roof spoiler though as there are a few connections on that module.
Gary, if you get it done before me then that would be handy. I'll do likewise if I manage to get round to it....and yes I have an e61
I only need to locate the wires that operate the glass and the remote locking. I'm almost 100% sure the glass wire is through the RHS hinge as it was when I played with this loom that the glass started working again. No sure about the remote to the module under the roof spoiler though as there are a few connections on that module.
Gary, if you get it done before me then that would be handy. I'll do likewise if I manage to get round to it....and yes I have an e61
Chesney: i will keep you inform, i will even take photos as i go along and post it here of how i fix it. I am in a way glad that you have the same problem but in a way not. at least i am not alone.
my concern is that i can not get the wire out of the hinge metal tunnel. which you can see from the photo above posted.
SEETHIS
play attention to the small cliping on the sides of the truncking metal, top part and low part, carefully put a very thin metal ruler there to get it unclip. then you can have full access to the wire loop. and un wrap the protection ribbons to inspect cables. good luck, this is what i will do..
I had the speaker cover removed and saw the wire loops, it is extremely tight in space. my top part of my hand was cut many times trying to feel the cable. if the above is where the cuts are, we do not need to go into the interior roof to sort the problem out.
i thnk for my problem (number plate lights, rhs reverse light and rhs fog light) is on the left hand hinge.
04-10-2009, 12:53 AM
#16
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My Ride: E61 sold nice E91 335i Sport Touring now
Going to have a go today.
I sent 2 enquiries to BMW customer services over the last 2 weeks. I had hoped, even though I kind of knew it was a waste of time, that they would accept it's a design fault and cough up to have it repaired. I was very dissapointed that they didn't even bother to reply so I couldn't help but send another:
"I've filled out 2 of these forms spaced over a week appart regarding a fault with my remote locking. I've not had any response. I was good enough to take part in your dealer survey last week and gave the dealer a good review but you are unable to get back to me even with a 'sorry but we cannot help'. I will have the wiring loom repaired locally and see no reason to ever grace a BMW service centre again as its clearly not worth the extra expense if BMW don't admit liabilty for faulty design."
I doubt they'll reply but just sending it off has vented my frustration
I sent 2 enquiries to BMW customer services over the last 2 weeks. I had hoped, even though I kind of knew it was a waste of time, that they would accept it's a design fault and cough up to have it repaired. I was very dissapointed that they didn't even bother to reply so I couldn't help but send another:
"I've filled out 2 of these forms spaced over a week appart regarding a fault with my remote locking. I've not had any response. I was good enough to take part in your dealer survey last week and gave the dealer a good review but you are unable to get back to me even with a 'sorry but we cannot help'. I will have the wiring loom repaired locally and see no reason to ever grace a BMW service centre again as its clearly not worth the extra expense if BMW don't admit liabilty for faulty design."
I doubt they'll reply but just sending it off has vented my frustration
04-10-2009, 06:51 AM
#17
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My Ride: E61 sold nice E91 335i Sport Touring now
Success!! I managed to fix the loom and get the glass and remote locking working again.
I took a few photo's. Not sure how helpful they will be but I'll upload them later. I had the additional problem that the glass didn't open so I had to pull the wiper off and the trim inside the bootlid to get it open so I could get the roof spoiler off!
I found 3 broken wires and 1 that was close to breaking! I used a simple wire connector to bridge the gap and will see how that goes.
I took a few photo's. Not sure how helpful they will be but I'll upload them later. I had the additional problem that the glass didn't open so I had to pull the wiper off and the trim inside the bootlid to get it open so I could get the roof spoiler off!
I found 3 broken wires and 1 that was close to breaking! I used a simple wire connector to bridge the gap and will see how that goes.
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glyph (09-23-2019)
04-10-2009, 11:54 AM
#18
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Ok a very rough DIY guide to removing the loom from the tailgate. NOTE this is for the part of the loom going to the Aeriel Diversity module which has the wires for the remote locking and tailgate glass amongst others.
It may be handy for those wondering how the wires come out the hinge? There are a couple of points with no pics but I'll try to explain best I can and maybe when gary does his he can add the pics I missed.
Start off from inside the boot and remove the speaker cover (RHS in my case). Its easy enough to pry out with your fingernails but be careful notr to break the plastic lugs.
Then you need to remove the speaker. There are a lot of torx bolts but you only need to remove 2 as they are the only ones holding it onto the roof.
Then remove the 1 torx bolt holding the loom in place.
Now you need to remove the roof spoiler so you can unplug the loom.
1 - Open tailgate glass (if its still working unlike mine!! If not then thats a whole other DIY as its a pain to get open manually)
2 - There are 4 bolts holding the spoiler on. Equally spaced and under little plastic caps that come out easily with fingernails. Remove these.
3 - Lower the glass and then firmly work the spoiler backwards to slide it off the locating lugs.
4 - I then unplugged the washer nozzle which is on the LHS
5 - Unplug the connector on the RHS (think its the high lever brake light)
6 - There is another plug that goes into the aeriel diversity module. Pull the plastic cover off this and unplug this connector then place the spoiler safely to the side.
7 - Unplug the connectors to the ADM
Now you need to strip the hinge after releasing it from the tailgate glass.
1 - With the glass lowered there is an 8mm bolt holding the hinge securing plate and 2x 13mm nuts holding the hinge together. Be carefull here as you need to remove the 13mm nuts but the hinge is spring loaded. It can be held with your hand but just be warned. Should be self explanitory how the plate gets removed and this releases part of the hinge containing the wires.
2 - The lower part of the hinge needs to be released now. I have a pic of this and you can see its a common BMW type retainer kind of like a rawl plug with the pin in the centre keeping it in place. These can be pry'd out carefully then the hinge is free.
3 - The hinge is in 2 halves and I decided to split it by wedging it with a flat bladed screwdriver.
4 - I then taped the wires together and pulled them through the speaker hole
5 - When I took the sheathing off you can see the broken wires clearly!!
Fix the wires and put it all back together.
It may be handy for those wondering how the wires come out the hinge? There are a couple of points with no pics but I'll try to explain best I can and maybe when gary does his he can add the pics I missed.
Start off from inside the boot and remove the speaker cover (RHS in my case). Its easy enough to pry out with your fingernails but be careful notr to break the plastic lugs.
Then you need to remove the speaker. There are a lot of torx bolts but you only need to remove 2 as they are the only ones holding it onto the roof.
Then remove the 1 torx bolt holding the loom in place.
Now you need to remove the roof spoiler so you can unplug the loom.
1 - Open tailgate glass (if its still working unlike mine!! If not then thats a whole other DIY as its a pain to get open manually)
2 - There are 4 bolts holding the spoiler on. Equally spaced and under little plastic caps that come out easily with fingernails. Remove these.
3 - Lower the glass and then firmly work the spoiler backwards to slide it off the locating lugs.
4 - I then unplugged the washer nozzle which is on the LHS
5 - Unplug the connector on the RHS (think its the high lever brake light)
6 - There is another plug that goes into the aeriel diversity module. Pull the plastic cover off this and unplug this connector then place the spoiler safely to the side.
7 - Unplug the connectors to the ADM
Now you need to strip the hinge after releasing it from the tailgate glass.
1 - With the glass lowered there is an 8mm bolt holding the hinge securing plate and 2x 13mm nuts holding the hinge together. Be carefull here as you need to remove the 13mm nuts but the hinge is spring loaded. It can be held with your hand but just be warned. Should be self explanitory how the plate gets removed and this releases part of the hinge containing the wires.
2 - The lower part of the hinge needs to be released now. I have a pic of this and you can see its a common BMW type retainer kind of like a rawl plug with the pin in the centre keeping it in place. These can be pry'd out carefully then the hinge is free.
3 - The hinge is in 2 halves and I decided to split it by wedging it with a flat bladed screwdriver.
4 - I then taped the wires together and pulled them through the speaker hole
5 - When I took the sheathing off you can see the broken wires clearly!!
Fix the wires and put it all back together.
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Sixracer (11-11-2019)
04-11-2009, 11:13 AM
#19
Originally Posted by chesney72' post='842006' date='Apr 9 2009, 07:38 PM
Anybody have any idea which wires go through which hinge?
I only need to locate the wires that operate the glass and the remote locking. I'm almost 100% sure the glass wire is through the RHS hinge as it was when I played with this loom that the glass started working again. No sure about the remote to the module under the roof spoiler though as there are a few connections on that module.
Gary, if you get it done before me then that would be handy. I'll do likewise if I manage to get round to it....and yes I have an e61
I only need to locate the wires that operate the glass and the remote locking. I'm almost 100% sure the glass wire is through the RHS hinge as it was when I played with this loom that the glass started working again. No sure about the remote to the module under the roof spoiler though as there are a few connections on that module.
Gary, if you get it done before me then that would be handy. I'll do likewise if I manage to get round to it....and yes I have an e61
Once again thanks Whitestone for your cut and join concept and scrap yard spare cables idea.
04-11-2009, 11:28 AM
#20
Originally Posted by chesney72' post='843383' date='Apr 10 2009, 08:54 PM
Ok a very rough DIY guide to removing the loom from the tailgate. NOTE this is for the part of the loom going to the Aeriel Diversity module which has the wires for the remote locking and tailgate glass amongst others.
It may be handy for those wondering how the wires come out the hinge? There are a couple of points with no pics but I'll try to explain best I can and maybe when gary does his he can add the pics I missed.
Start off from inside the boot and remove the speaker cover (RHS in my case). Its easy enough to pry out with your fingernails but be careful notr to break the plastic lugs.
Then you need to remove the speaker. There are a lot of torx bolts but you only need to remove 2 as they are the only ones holding it onto the roof.
Then remove the 1 torx bolt holding the loom in place.
Now you need to remove the roof spoiler so you can unplug the loom.
1 - Open tailgate glass (if its still working unlike mine!! If not then thats a whole other DIY as its a pain to get open manually)
2 - There are 4 bolts holding the spoiler on. Equally spaced and under little plastic caps that come out easily with fingernails. Remove these.
3 - Lower the glass and then firmly work the spoiler backwards to slide it off the locating lugs.
4 - I then unplugged the washer nozzle which is on the LHS
5 - Unplug the connector on the RHS (think its the high lever brake light)
6 - There is another plug that goes into the aeriel diversity module. Pull the plastic cover off this and unplug this connector then place the spoiler safely to the side.
7 - Unplug the connectors to the ADM
Now you need to strip the hinge after releasing it from the tailgate glass.
1 - With the glass lowered there is an 8mm bolt holding the hinge securing plate and 2x 13mm nuts holding the hinge together. Be carefull here as you need to remove the 13mm nuts but the hinge is spring loaded. It can be held with your hand but just be warned. Should be self explanitory how the plate gets removed and this releases part of the hinge containing the wires.
2 - The lower part of the hinge needs to be released now. I have a pic of this and you can see its a common BMW type retainer kind of like a rawl plug with the pin in the centre keeping it in place. These can be pry'd out carefully then the hinge is free.
3 - The hinge is in 2 halves and I decided to split it by wedging it with a flat bladed screwdriver.
4 - I then taped the wires together and pulled them through the speaker hole
5 - When I took the sheathing off you can see the broken wires clearly!!
Fix the wires and put it all back together.
It may be handy for those wondering how the wires come out the hinge? There are a couple of points with no pics but I'll try to explain best I can and maybe when gary does his he can add the pics I missed.
Start off from inside the boot and remove the speaker cover (RHS in my case). Its easy enough to pry out with your fingernails but be careful notr to break the plastic lugs.
Then you need to remove the speaker. There are a lot of torx bolts but you only need to remove 2 as they are the only ones holding it onto the roof.
Then remove the 1 torx bolt holding the loom in place.
Now you need to remove the roof spoiler so you can unplug the loom.
1 - Open tailgate glass (if its still working unlike mine!! If not then thats a whole other DIY as its a pain to get open manually)
2 - There are 4 bolts holding the spoiler on. Equally spaced and under little plastic caps that come out easily with fingernails. Remove these.
3 - Lower the glass and then firmly work the spoiler backwards to slide it off the locating lugs.
4 - I then unplugged the washer nozzle which is on the LHS
5 - Unplug the connector on the RHS (think its the high lever brake light)
6 - There is another plug that goes into the aeriel diversity module. Pull the plastic cover off this and unplug this connector then place the spoiler safely to the side.
7 - Unplug the connectors to the ADM
Now you need to strip the hinge after releasing it from the tailgate glass.
1 - With the glass lowered there is an 8mm bolt holding the hinge securing plate and 2x 13mm nuts holding the hinge together. Be carefull here as you need to remove the 13mm nuts but the hinge is spring loaded. It can be held with your hand but just be warned. Should be self explanitory how the plate gets removed and this releases part of the hinge containing the wires.
2 - The lower part of the hinge needs to be released now. I have a pic of this and you can see its a common BMW type retainer kind of like a rawl plug with the pin in the centre keeping it in place. These can be pry'd out carefully then the hinge is free.
3 - The hinge is in 2 halves and I decided to split it by wedging it with a flat bladed screwdriver.
4 - I then taped the wires together and pulled them through the speaker hole
5 - When I took the sheathing off you can see the broken wires clearly!!
Fix the wires and put it all back together.
Well done.... good job.. thanks for sharing your information.. i feel good that i save ?800.
All in all, both of our problems are the same design fault. Shame to the design team that they have not got them fixed even for some more recent models.. Happy MOT.
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Sixracer (11-11-2019)