[MarkKennedy]

Hi,

my name is Mark and I am located in Frankfurt / Germany.

I recently bought a P38 and need some help.

The license plate lights are always on, as soon as the battery is connected.

The driver seat (Left-hand drive in my case) does not work. The passenger seat works well.

All interior bulbs have been replaced. and the car came with a second battery. I guess this means there are been an issue for a while.

The pre-owner did a lot of work on the car and then just gave up on it.

The car has been converted to coils by the way. I need to make the car road-worthy again, so I have not been able to drive it yet. The engine seems to start and run fine also when the battery has been disconnected for a while.

I have now disconnected the bulbs from the license plate lights so I tomorrow can check if car still kills the battery or not.

So I do I best go about solving the problem regarding the bulbs? I dont want to be disconnecting the battery all the time.

Best,

Mark

 

[95classiclwb]

lighting is controlled by BECM, lights staying on in my experience had been due to internal failure of becm. I may be wrong but you may need to have your becm repaired.

 

[Escape]

If the car has been converted to coils, changes are other stuff is bodged instead of repaired as well. So you'll need to trace the wiring from the bulbs, maybe they're no longer controlled by the BECM but connected to a permanent live.

Filip

 

[MarkKennedy]

Thanks Escape. How would you go about this?

I guess the BECM might have an issue then. Can you tell me, how if I can test it?

I am about to order the Nanocom, will it be able to tell me if the BECM has an issue?

The electric seats are also controlled by it, or?

I also saw the preowner removed all the interior bulbs and as I got the car it has a spare battery in the trunk, so I guess he had some problem with the lights before.

Can you give me some tips on how this can be tested and repaired?

 

[MarkKennedy]

If this is a Problem of the BECM, I guess the only thing that can be done having the BECM repaired by a specialist. Right?

 

[Richard_G]

Getting it repaired or swapping the power board from a breaker if it is the BeCM. First you need to confirm that though. If you unplug C325 (called C1283 on later cars) from the BeCM and the lights stay on, someone has been messing with the wiring, if they go out, then it is likely a BeCM power board fault.

 

[pwood999]

Does it have trailer socket fitted ? Maybe someone wired it wrong.

 

[MarkKennedy]

Hi there.

Yes it has a tow Hook installed.

Is that a Common problem when they habe eben fitted?

Ok. I will disconnect that pin and See what happens.

The interior bulbs have been removed. I guess they also were on all the time.

What pin are they on?

Then same procedure, remove and see what helps?

The driver seat also does not work. That's also BECM, right?

 

[Richard_G]

Right side interior lamps also get power from C325 and are powered from fuse 15. Try pulling that and see if the licence plate lights go out. Although all of the wiring is there for the tow bar electrics, there is no telling how someone wired it if they didn't know what they were doing.