Headlight problem....electrical not my strong point

[canada karl]

The high beams are out on the headlights of my 530i. Where is the best place to start looking for the problem and the best method to track down the problem? Than CK

[RonDwyer]

I would verify the ground connection first. Hook an electrical meter to the plug and check if you have power to the high beams. Brown is ground, you won't get current checking brown to ground. If there's no power at the headlight connector, the only other thing it could be is the high beam switch. Check the wire colors coming from the switch and check current there as well to rule out a broken lead between the switch and the headlights.

[canada karl]

located? I owned a 1962 Mercedes Benz 190 gas for about 25 years. Swapped in the leather interior from a 220. Great highway car. I'll bet you get good gas mileage with the diesel.

[Techboy]

On the 530i the high beam switch is incorporated in the turn signal switch. With the headlamps on press the stalk forward towards the front of the car, does the blue high beam indicator in the instrument cluster come on?

[canada karl]

And high beams don't go on.....I'll check the wiring as Ron described first before I check the switch.

[canada karl]

And high beams don't go on.....I'll check the wiring as Ron described first before I check the switch.

[canada karl]

And high beams don't go on.....I'll check the wiring as Ron described first before I check the switch.

[canada karl]

n/m

[Mike W.]

I'm on the road and don't have a wiring diagram with me, but I know some BMWs, maybe E12s, I can't remember, use a different relay for the low beams where the high beam current passes thru it and uses a normally closed set of contacts. Any chance you've been in the fuse box lately swapping relays? Seems like one is -401 and the other is a -406, but that's just off the top of my head and could be wrong. But check the relays.

[canada karl]

Thanks Mike I think your on to something. I was looking at the relays yesterday and the ones I have in there are the same for low and high beam...I forget the number at the moment but I'll double check today. Is it possible to get these relays at Canadian Tire or Parts Source or even at at BMW dealer or are they so outdated that you can only get them at Bavauto or the like?