F31 Brake light issue

F31 Brake light issue

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Discussion

LosingGrip

Original Poster:

7,976 posts

166 months

Friday 24th November 2023
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My left brake light isn't working. Sadly its not a simple bulb issue. I ordered a new case for it. 7313047 is the part number. Fitted it today and no luck.

Does anyone have any ideas on what else it could be?

bigdom

2,117 posts

152 months

Friday 24th November 2023
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If you discounted the bulb & fuse, next place would be the wiring harness.

LosingGrip

Original Poster:

7,976 posts

166 months

Friday 24th November 2023
quotequote all
bigdom said:
If you discounted the bulb & fuse, next place would be the wiring harness.
Would there be a separate fuse for nearside and offside? Offside works.

I swapped the nearside to offside and it worked. Strangely the offside worked when plugged into the nearside...

ian332isport

203 posts

238 months

Friday 24th November 2023
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LosingGrip said:
Would there be a separate fuse for nearside and offside?
No.

You didn't specify if it was front or rear.

Front indicators are driven directly from the Front Electronics module and rears from the Rear Electronics module. There are no fuses between the modules and the actual indicators.

If it was me, I'd be checking for continuity between the relevant lamp holder and the relevant pin on the relevant control module. I can provide wire colours/pin numbers if you provide vehicle model/age etc.

Assuming continuity is good, then it's more than likely a faulty module. If no continuity, you have a broken wire somewhere.

LosingGrip

Original Poster:

7,976 posts

166 months

Friday 24th November 2023
quotequote all
ian332isport said:
No.

You didn't specify if it was front or rear.

Front indicators are driven directly from the Front Electronics module and rears from the Rear Electronics module. There are no fuses between the modules and the actual indicators.

If it was me, I'd be checking for continuity between the relevant lamp holder and the relevant pin on the relevant control module. I can provide wire colours/pin numbers if you provide vehicle model/age etc.

Assuming continuity is good, then it's more than likely a faulty module. If no continuity, you have a broken wire somewhere.
Thanks it's a 2013 F31 320 Touring.

It's the brake not the indicator but assuming the above is still the same?

The bit that confuses me is I can remove the nearside taillight. Plug it in to the offside and it works.

Plug the offside into the nearside which did work and it doesn't work. To me the connection is all good as it works when the other one is plugged in.

So there is something within the taillight that is broken...but having replaced the holder I can't work out wtf it could be?

Huskyman

655 posts

134 months

Friday 24th November 2023
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If the light works when plugged into the other side then it isn’t getting power, or a ground is missing. What state is the connector for the light on the affected side? Any signs of corrosion on the pins?

LosingGrip

Original Poster:

7,976 posts

166 months

Saturday 25th November 2023
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Huskyman said:
If the light works when plugged into the other side then it isn’t getting power, or a ground is missing. What state is the connector for the light on the affected side? Any signs of corrosion on the pins?
Ah good shout...although the tail light works, would just one effected pin effect the brake light side of things?

ian332isport

203 posts

238 months

Saturday 25th November 2023
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LosingGrip said:
Thanks it's a 2013 F31 320 Touring.
Thanks.

LosingGrip said:
It's the brake not the indicator but assuming the above is still the same?
My bad. I thought I read it was the indicators. Same principal though.

Brake lights are driven directly from the Rear Electronics Module (REM). Left brake light should be a black/yellow wire that comes from pin 9 of connector 14B on the REM. For reference, the right brake light is a black/blue wire from pin 21 of connector 12B. You can find the REM on the right hand side of the boot, up above the battery. You'll probably need to remove the side trim to access it though. A174 is the REM. 14B is labelled '1' in the 2nd image below. 12B is labelled '3'. None of the fuses on the REM relate to lighting. They're for rear screen defogger, rear electric windows, rear wiper etc.




Using a test meter or test lamp, you should be able to test if the REM is providing the correct output. You can also test for continuity on the black/yellow wire to make sure the wire is intact.

It's not uncommon for the rear light connectors to melt, so have a good look at the connector before pulling anything else apart.

Huskyman

655 posts

134 months

Saturday 25th November 2023
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LosingGrip said:
Ah good shout...although the tail light works, would just one effected pin effect the brake light side of things?
Yes, it can be aa simple as that. Always look for the simple faults before diving in

LosingGrip

Original Poster:

7,976 posts

166 months

Sunday 26th November 2023
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Thank you everything, something to look at come rest days.


LosingGrip

Original Poster:

7,976 posts

166 months

Saturday 13th January
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Bit of an update for anyone else who has this issue.

I got a new bulb and put it in the old bulb holder. Still didn't work. Swapped it to the new carrier and it worked. Despite trying it with a new bulb before. Bit odd but I'm happy!