1998 520i BMW Problems

quiff001

Hi Guys

I have a problem with 3 things in my car, one is turning on the fog lights they won't seem to stay on the switch keeps turning back, and the other problem is the out side temperature gage it is in Fahrenheit and I want to change it to Celsius, also there is a red light on the right bottom hand side of the dashboard they stays on all the time is this my air bag light and if it what do you suggest,

Thanks guys

Voodoomelon

The foglight dial is designed to flip back after you turn it. When you turn it first time, the foglights will turn on and the dial will return to the previous position. To turn them off, repeat the process.

In regards the temperature, have a look in your manual to change the setting to Celsius. What does the red light on the dash look like, what symbol is it? Again, these warnings are shown in your manual.

If you dont have one, here is an online manual:

http://www.e38.org/e39/BMW_E39_Radio_OBC_MID_Manual.pdf

Fey!

The red light is more than likely your airbag light; there is a cable under the drivers seat which tends to snag and turn on this light, which has to be reset. I got this cable soldered by BMW and never had another problem with it (not sure if it was a BMW approved fix!!). The cable itself is cheap; it's the fitting and light reset which becomes costly!

No idea how to change the temperature readout; never an issue for me.

As for the foglights, the switch in a '98 e39 has 4 positions (off, front on, rear on, both on). It didn't automatically flick back until the later e39 facelft in 2001; the switch may have been changd after (the facelift switch was designed so that the foglights couldn't be left turned on; if your fogs were on, you had to switch them on every time; much better).

Seth Brundle

My 1997 foglight switch has 4 positions - off, front, rear, both. Were I to turn it from none to any of the others it stays there until I change it again. Maybe it was changed in 1998.

The airbag light looks like the one in the bottom right of this pic (nice speed )

Voodoomelon

Nice temperature more like!

Seth Brundle

Thats just a sensor fault and not some nutjopb driving at 160mph on ice

galwaytt

kbannon wrote: »

Thats just a sensor fault and not some nutjopb driving at 160mph on ice

...ah now, why go an spoil a perfectly good Thought Police-potential thread ??

oth, it does say Alpina on the speedo, so maybe it is real...?


...although, at -40deg outside.............

....which reminds me: got an email from my brother in Siberia, this am. Temp there today: 0 deg C. Yep, 6 deg WARMER than here !!

v300

kbannon wrote: »

Thats just a sensor fault and not some nutjopb driving at 160mph on ice

Looks like he's only getting 11 MPG too !

Seth Brundle

v300 wrote: »

Looks like he's only getting 11 MPG too !

Were he to slow down to 160mph he would surely get 12mpg! Ignorant sods driving at speeds like this never think that they are killing our planet!

SouperComputer

galwaytt wrote: »

...ah now, why go an spoil a perfectly good Thought Police-potential thread ??

oth, it does say Alpina on the speedo, so maybe it is real...?


...although, at -40deg outside.............

....which reminds me: got an email from my brother in Siberia, this am. Temp there today: 0 deg C. Yep, 6 deg WARMER than here !!

-6 is roastin! -26 this weekend over this side of the Atlantic, let me tell you how fun that is changing the head gasket on a car in a half-heated garage. -5 felt like a heatwave in there haha.

11MPG for 160MPH is pretty decent if you ask me!

Quiff01, the Airbag light might just be the sensor pad under the passenger seat, hard to say without a code scanner though.

quiff001

Thanks every one for there help