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I recently wrote about the intermittent behavior of the brake light switch in my 1998 BMW 323is. So, I ordered a replacement part from Bavarian Autosport at the reasonable price of ~$18. The part was automatically identified for me based on information I supplied while navigating the site. So, I assumed it was correct. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case.

There are two designs for the brake light switch in BMW's E36 series: a four-pin switch, and a two-pin switch. I had ordered the two-pin switch when my car requires the four-pin switch. I'm a bit disappointed by this, and hardly consider paying the return shipping costs worthwhile for a part that cost less than $20. So, I ordered the correct part from Pelican Parts instead. They also feature an excellent write-up on how to perform the repair.

I think that doing your own auto repairs is great in non-emergency situations. In my case, I can stand to wait another week because the light failure is a rare occurrence. If I were to take the car into a garage, it would likely cost me upwards of $75 and I wouldn't learn anything about the workings of my car in the process. I understand there is a degree of inconvenience and risk involved in working on one's car, but I think that having a knowledge of how things work helps cultivate an appreciation for technology that we'd otherwise take for granted.

Here are some things I learned:

• A lot of trash can collect in the foot-well of a car.


• Laying inverted in the driver's seat of a sports coupe can yield a mind-altering head-rush.


• It's a good idea to disconnect wires from interior panels before attempting their removal.


• The PowerBook gets good WiFi reception in the garage. Crank up iTunes and let's party!

Posted by Scott at 2:17 PM | Permalink

For the last two years, there has been an intermittent problem with my 1998 BMW 323is where the car computer will report a "brake light circuit" error. On numerous occasions I've parked the car, checked the lights, and seen nothing wrong. The bulbs all function, and the brakes themselves are in excellent condition (I just had all-new pads and rotors installed a month ago).

I googled the problem a bit recently and learned that the term "brake light circuit" extends to the front of the car, and not just the back. Apparently there is a common problem with the brake light switch located in the driver's footwell near the brake pedal. When the pedal is pressed, the switch is triggered and the lights come on. If the switch is broken or intermittent (my case), the lights do not come on at all. This is pretty scary since it suggests that other cars aren't seeing my brake lights come on at times.

I ordered a new brake light switch (part # 61 31 8 360 420) from Bavarian Autosport for about $12 + shipping. There are some good repair how-to's on the web. I'll be receiving the part on Monday and will try to do the repair that same day. Driving with faulty brake lights in heavy traffic can be pretty disturbing.

Posted by Scott at 8:27 AM | Permalink

My repair to the climate control system in my 1998 BMW 323 is still going strong after about 8 months. I am very thankful that I came upon the on-line information that detailed how to perform the repair. Unfortunately, it was lacking a good photo of the failed capacitor. While going through my toolbox, I came across the capacitor (kept just in case) and decided to take a photo of it before tossing. For those interested in doing the repair, here's what to look for:

Posted by Scott at 6:31 PM | Permalink

In a previous post, I described a repair I made on my 1998 BMW 323is involving the replacement of the secondary air pump. The pump failure was accompanied by the triggering of a 'check engine' fault which has been on for far too long (over a year...). I became worried when the 'check engine' light remained active after replacing the pump. I verified that the pump did in fact work, so it wasn't a major concern.

Fortunately, the check engine light became inactive on January 15. I had replaced the pump on December 22, which means that it took about 3.5 weeks for the diagnostic system to give the "okay" to the newly-installed pump. I had hoped that the fault would be cleared automatically so as to avoid paying $30+ for a mechanic to use a blessed tool to clear the fault.

Posted by Scott at 1:09 PM | Permalink

As a follow-up to my previous post, I completed the installation of the secondary air pump replacement yesterday. It was very straightforward. I installed the vibration-dampening rubber posts on the pump, and then affixed the pump to the pump mount via the posts. The hoses and electrical connectors were all returned to their appropriate places on the pump. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to verify the results until this morning since the pump is activated only when the engine temperature is sufficiently cold (I think). I noticed that the deep engine note present during the absence of the pump was gone and the pump sounded like it was running. Everything seems to be back to "normal", woohoo!

The 'check engine' light is still active, so I'll need to reset it soon. My options are to have a mechanic use a proper reset tool, or to briefly disconnect the battery from the electrical system. The latter will likely require the radio code to be re-entered. Fortunately, I have the code and can simply punch it in. I might try this over the weekend. The total cost of the repair is listed below:

Posted by Scott at 9:51 AM | Permalink

My work in replacing the secondary air pump in my 1998 BMW 323is has been positive. Last Sunday, I performed about 80-percent of the total work involved.

This included replacing the non-return valve and gasket attached to the exhaust manifold. The valve is actually the cause of the pump failure; water got past the valve and entered the pump, which contributed to deterioration of the pump motor. This was pretty easy. I used a 10mm socket wrench with extension to work on the two nuts affixing the valve to the manifold.

The more difficult and frustrating steps involved removal of the non-functioning pump. The pump rests on three vibration-dampening rubber posts which are attached to a hard plastic mount. The mount is attached to the car chassis using three 10mm screws. The mount was easy to remove. The rubber posts connecting the pump and the mount were a subject of concern from the outset. Most of the how-to's state that these posts are extremely fragile and must not be subjected any torsion. I broke the first post in a matter of five seconds. The second post broke just as easily. The third and final post was broken by me in a fit of frustration.

To exacerbate the problem, the rubber posts are as expensive as they are fragile. The OEM replacement costs over $16 per post. Multipled by three, that's a total cost of at least $48. Fortunately, one of the how-to's suggested purchasing general-purpose rubber posts (McMaster part 9376K57) matching the OEM specifications. These are only $1.48 per post. I should be receiving the posts today, and will complete the repair this weekend.

So, for the last three days I've been driving my car with the new non-return valve installed and no secondary air pump. The biggest difference is the sound of the engine during the first two minutes of driving. It's a lot louder. It sounds like the mixture is extremely rich. I'm really hoping that the installation of the new pump will resolve the noise and 'check engine' light issues.

Posted by Scott at 11:34 AM | Permalink

When I bought my 1998 BMW 323is in 2001, I didn't expect to run into as many repair expenses as I have. Apparently they assume that most people who buy new BMW's pass them on to aspiring BMW owners who unfairly absorb the repair costs.

The reason for my complaint is the failure of the secondary air pump in my car. Two years ago, I was a bit perplexed by the gurgling sound being emmitted from the engine compartment in the first couple minutes of start-up, but wasn't overly-concerned. I've since come to learn that the sound was that of the demise of my secondary air pump. My first question was "Why are there two air pumps?" Excellent question. It turns out that the secondary air pump is used to increase compression in the engine compartment after ignition to combust more fuel in the catalytic converter, ultimately leading to a cleaner environment for the birds, fish, whales, and stuff. Oh, and a higher credit card bill for me. Total cost of the parts (to-date) is $356 (parts + shipping). The animals of the world had better appreciate this.

I know that I'll have to replace the pump soon in order to pass the California smog emissions test in a couple months. I've been delaying the repair for as long as possible. Clearly, it's not a mandatory component. Also, judging from the number of people complaining of similar experiences on the Internet, it's quite common for the pump to fail (usually due to water leaking from the non-return valve into the pump and leading to corrosion of the pump motor).

I've ordered the parts and will attempt the replacement of the pump and non-return valve myself. Hopefully I won't break anything in the process. That applies to me and the car. I'll be following a very well-written set of instructions posted to a BMW message board.

Posted by Scott at 4:54 PM | Permalink

A few weeks ago, I made a post on some problems I had been experiencing with the climate control system in my 1998 BMW 323. After some serious "googling", I found that it's the result of a widespread defect in a capacitor installed on the climate control circuit board. I decided I'd attempt the repair since the intermittent operation of the climate control system was extremely annoying.

My greatest difficulties were in removing the circuit board from the plastic housing. The board was wedged into the housing and secured by two tabs that fit into holes in the plastic housing. It took some brute force and creativity to remove the circuit board without smashing everything to bits.

Second, it was difficult to install the replacement 0.47 uF electrolytic capacitor on the circuit board due to its proximity to other components on the board. I ended up leaving a good deal of wire lead on the capacitor once it was soldered onto the board since it was a really difficult space to work in.

I completed the repair in approximately 45 minutes. And, miraculously, the fix worked! I now have a consistently functioning climate control system. Woohoo!

Posted by Scott at 8:47 AM | Permalink

I've had my 1998 BMW 323is for nearly 4 years, and have had a number of problems with it over the years. But the most annoying problem of late has been the intermittent behavior of the climate control system. The unit will turn on and off unpredictably while driving, usually during warm weather. The fuses are fine, and no amount of restarts will consistently put it back on-line.

I googled the problem a bit, and it seems to be a known problem with climate control units from BMW around 1998. One excellent web site details a fix which involves removing the climate control unit from the dash and replacing a capacitor on the electronic circuit board. I'm going to try this soon, and hopefully will have good results. It's disappointing to see the climate control perform less favorably than the old-school heater and air conditioning in my 20 year-old Volvo.

Posted by Scott at 7:03 PM | Permalink