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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Discuss problems you have had or are having with your Z4
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MD99
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by MD99 » Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:21 pm

Hi Folks, any steer on why I have this issue on my E85 / 2005 Z4 .The front near side indicator glows steady state on unless the headlights are on main beam.

Example:

No IGN on
If I switch the side lights on, the front near side indicator ( both bulbs) glow ON ( not flash) .
If I switch ON IGN ( not start) then during the power up routine, the glowing indicator light goes out, for 5 seconds, then comes back on .
If I switch on the main beam ( ie dip headlights) the glowing indicator goes out and stays off. Normal flash works now.
The same happens when I have the engine running.

Any help or thoughts appreciated.

mr nurburgring
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by mr nurburgring » Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:27 pm

Sounds like you have a side light bulb out.

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thanatu55
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by thanatu55 » Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:32 pm

I noticed mine glows on the passenger side but only faintly. It indicates fine and it's LED, I'd be interested if anyone has any answers for this too.
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MD99
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by MD99 » Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:40 pm

I took out the side light bulb on the glowing indicator side in case it was affecting it, but no the same I am afraid.

MD99
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by MD99 » Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:49 pm

Just to clarify, I mean both indicator bulbs contained in the headlight assembly glow, ie being powered in a steady state of on, full brightness.

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NickDE
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by NickDE » Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:51 pm

Side light bulb gone. The car compensates for the safety risk of the missing light by putting the indicator on constantly instead. With dipped beam on there is no need so the indicator is off again.
If you like the effect pull both side light bulbs out.
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MD99
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by MD99 » Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:13 pm

Ah I see, that makes sense of why the indicator light goes out during IGN on and canbus "boot up" time, then thinks a sidelight bulb has gone. Will try some other sort of sidelight bulbs, and clean the sidelight bulb holders. Both appear to be on but maybe they are not pulling enough current to show as working the the ECU ? So as somebody said a bad earth may be to blame on the side light circuit. Will sandpaper the sidelight bulb holders. I assume these cars use a switched earth system to energise the lights and other functions?

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thanatu55
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by thanatu55 » Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:55 pm

NickDE wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:51 pm Side light bulb gone. The car compensates for the safety risk of the missing light by putting the indicator on constantly instead. With dipped beam on there is no need so the indicator is off again.
If you like the effect pull both side light bulbs out.
Mine is the actual side indicator as in the one on the side of the car. Would this still be the case?
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by Ducklakeview » Tue Sep 26, 2017 10:17 pm

I know when I was swapping my halo (facelift xenons) bulbs for LED's, that when I pulled the halo bulb connector plug off, with the ignition on, the indicators in that light light up. Went back off when bulb plugged in, including the new LED I put it down to the system checking the bulbs and one being missing..

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thanatu55
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by thanatu55 » Tue Sep 26, 2017 10:32 pm

Ah ok I've done quite a lot with my headlights, retrofitted halo's as dlr's and chasing indicators, which involved resistors to balance the LED's with the Canbus. Plus I've replaced every bulb on the car with LED's. So it could be that somewhere along the wiring I could have miscalculated?

I also get when I turn the ignition on my driver side headlight indicator will flash three or four times and then everything goes back to normal.
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by Marlon » Tue Sep 26, 2017 10:46 pm

I had similar issues trying Canbus side lights - ditched them and the indicator light corrected itself, although bizarrely it took a few days to clear.
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by Ducklakeview » Tue Sep 26, 2017 11:13 pm

The system is very sensitive to both the loads of the bulbs when on, and also their resistance when off. You should have mentioned it when you were at mine, I could have had a look at the LCM functions when I had the launch connected. Recently had one that had been to a garage twice for an indicator fault that they couldn't cure, and suggested he needed a new LCM. I spent an hour on it and tracked it down to an incorrectly inserted indicator bulb holder!

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NickDE
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by NickDE » Fri Sep 29, 2017 10:22 pm

thanatu55 wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:55 pm
NickDE wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 8:51 pm Side light bulb gone. The car compensates for the safety risk of the missing light by putting the indicator on constantly instead. With dipped beam on there is no need so the indicator is off again.
If you like the effect pull both side light bulbs out.
Mine is the actual side indicator as in the one on the side of the car. Would this still be the case?
That's just weird. Way beyond my knowledge....
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Front NS Indicator Glows ON if headlights not on

Post by BMWZ4MC » Fri Sep 29, 2017 10:45 pm

I've had an intermittent LCM fault for about six years. Sometimes an angel eye fails to light, occasionally one of the Xenons. On one occasion, I had a permanently illuminated indicator that persisted even after the ignition was switched off. It cleared by disconnecting the battery over night.
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