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Re: 320i charging light on dim

> From: "Robert K. Moore" <[email protected]>
> Someone had written about their charging light remaining on dim on
> a '78 320i. I had this problem also. Traced it to a corroded wire
> to spade lug crimp on the wire running from the threaded post on the
> rear of the alternator to the engine. BTW it was REAL hot.

I will second this solution, a few years ago my 320i was not charging the
battery and the alt. light glowed slightly (could really only see it at
night).  I was getting 13.0 volts at the battery but I was getting 14.2 at
the output of the alternator.  In my case the crimp at the lug in the
positive battery cable connected to the starter solinoid was dropping
about .80 volts across it and was getting real hot. After I got another
big a** lug, cleaned the wire and crimped the new lug on I was getting
about 13.8 volts at the battery.  Then I redid the short little brown
ground wire from the alternator to the engine that was dropping another
.3 volts with #6 copper wire instead of what ever BMW uses (#10??) and now
I have about 14.1 volts at the battery posts.  Further the car cranks a
lot better both because its not losing energy in the wire from the
battery to the starter and of course the battery is now well charged. Also
the alt. light no longer glows. 

> 
> In general I've found a LOT of poor crimps in the wiring on the '77 320i.
{stuff deleted}
yep my '79 has the same problem.  It seems that the grounds go bad first.

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Walt Barie ([email protected], [email protected])
Graduate Student
Dept. of Electrical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh

'79 320i DSP Solo II Car
'80 528i

Of course what I say in no way reflects the views of the University....
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