Loss of power to glow plugs and all power windows! HELP

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Twglace
Posts: 58
Joined: Jun 09, 2021 11:31 AM
Location: Georgia

Loss of power to glow plugs and all power windows! HELP

Post by Twglace »

Hey everyone! Can't drive my car at the moment ( luckily it happened at the house.... Came out and have no power to all glow plugs... Even no light on the dash when turning the key... Also all power windows as well as the intank fuel pump isn't running.. seems all the dash lights aren't turning on other than the battery symbol.. HELP! lol

P.s this all happen at once and fuses look good
gadget73
Posts: 1176
Joined: Nov 22, 2017 10:30 PM
Location: New Jersey

Re: Loss of power to glow plugs and all power windows! HELP

Post by gadget73 »

don't know BMWs at all, but I'm assuming they have a wiring manual. It should have a power distribution page where it shows how the various things get power from the battery. Most cars will have a couple of fuse links that feed power to the fuse box(es) and things are split out from there. If you lost everything, my guess is you'll find a bad fuse link or a broken wire from wherever the main power feeds all come together. On Fords its at the starter relay, other things use the starter itself.
Twglace
Posts: 58
Joined: Jun 09, 2021 11:31 AM
Location: Georgia

Re: Loss of power to glow plugs and all power windows! HELP

Post by Twglace »

So it looks like the fuel pump is in series with the glow plug control? In that case that points to a bad glow plug control module?
gadget73
Posts: 1176
Joined: Nov 22, 2017 10:30 PM
Location: New Jersey

Re: Loss of power to glow plugs and all power windows! HELP

Post by gadget73 »

doubt it would be in series but they may both have the same key-on power source. You'd have to look through the electrical manual and see what those items feed from. There is a high amp fuse link inside the glow plug module and a constant feed from the battery, but there is also a key-on power to actually make it do stuff. I doubt the glow plug module is bad, more likely whatever that power source is doesn't work for whatever reason, either a crusty connection in the fuse box, bad ignition switch, something like that. The one thing I remember from my VW's many years ago were those awful fuses with the "tits" at the end that 70s German cars ran. If BMW was using those things its quite possibly just a crusty connection there. On the VW whenever things would go stupid I'd just roll the fuses in the holder and most of the time the problem would go away.
Twglace
Posts: 58
Joined: Jun 09, 2021 11:31 AM
Location: Georgia

Re: Loss of power to glow plugs and all power windows! HELP

Post by Twglace »

So the car does start so I doubt it's the ignition cylinder correct? I'll look to see if I can find the source
Twglace
Posts: 58
Joined: Jun 09, 2021 11:31 AM
Location: Georgia

Re: Loss of power to glow plugs and all power windows! HELP

Post by Twglace »

SOOO it looks like I might have a big problem (I'm not home to look at the car at the moment) but I'm visualizing my fuse box right now... Fuse 6 is what feeds all of the things that are unresponsive at the moment..... The kicker... someone put a 25amp fuse in place of a 8amp fuse... What that being said is something fried because of this?
Twglace
Posts: 58
Joined: Jun 09, 2021 11:31 AM
Location: Georgia

Re: Loss of power to glow plugs and all power windows! HELP

Post by Twglace »

And yes it is the nasty Torpedo fuses you are referring to lol
gadget73
Posts: 1176
Joined: Nov 22, 2017 10:30 PM
Location: New Jersey

Re: Loss of power to glow plugs and all power windows! HELP

Post by gadget73 »

if something shorted it may have melted the wire in order to protect the fuse. Have to verify power in and out of the fuse, and then chase it from there to the module if there isn't anything wrong at the fuse box. Seen that more than once. I did it to myself once, burned the fuse link that supplies power to all of the key-on circuits. Including ignition. Car went dead in a traffic circle somewhere in a suburb outside Chicago. If you've never piloted a 2 ton Lincoln around a circle purely on inertia you have not lived. Bodged that back together with a bit of speaker wire and some tape to insulate where the short once since it sparked and made itself known after I cobbled it back together.
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