SMOKE FROM DASHBOARD
 

Can anyone help? my headunit would not work today and I traced the problem back to a fuse blown after I changed the fuse all was well so I set on my way! within seconds smoke was coming out of the dashboard vents? I thought the car was going up in flames! I turned the key of and the smoke stopped it was a burning wire smell.

I turned the car back on and the radio would not turn on? so I checked the fuse again and it had blown, as soon as I placed a new one in the smoke came from the dash vents again?

Anyone seen this before?? if so what is the issue??

Lennon

The 1st time blowing the fuse is one thing, but then blowing the 2nd along w/ smoke, and you still went for number 3? I'd say you either need to take the deck out and check the wiring or take it to a professional. I've read a few stories of peoples X5's literally catching fire, so maybe you should consider yourself lucky and stop putting fuses in.

Does anyone have any info on how to remove the head unit?

Click the How-to's link at the top of the screen.

Morning all

I have removed the head unit and it does smell of burnt wire? I have placed all the fuses back in and number 73 fuse just keeps on blowing? also I have noticed that the dashboard lights are flickering all the time? I can stop this if I set the dimmer switch lower!

Can anyone help please??

There is no easy solution for this other than finding the broken and/or melted wires. If it requires taking your entire dash off, so be it. Search for "blower replacement" for how to remove the dash, then look around for melted wires. I'm gonna tell you again...quit replacing the fuses!!! You have an obvious problem, so please stop putting them in before your X literally catches on fire! You've got a problem that simply replacing fuses isn't going to fix, so quit trying to take the easy way out.

set fire to the whole thing and get a new one

Ther is always one!!!!!

Had all the dash out and no burnt wires anywhere? I have taken number 7 fuse out and now number 73 fuse does not blow, put it back in and it then blows.The head unit is out of the car so what could be the issue??

I think the bluetooth unit is also hooked to 73...that's an easy unplug. Although, I'm not sure if I agree with your testing methodology

You took out the ENTIRE dash, or just the headunit? There is about 7hrs difference.

Clearly the problem is behind the dash since that's where the smoke came from, so either you didn't look hard enough, or you didn't remove the entire dash. It's your car and your insurance if it catches fire, so you decide what your time is worth.

PROBLEM FOUND! YOU MUST CHECK YOUR X5!!!
 

Morning all

Ok so I had smoke from my dashboard? one week later and after taking all the interior out of the car to find the burnt wires I have found the issue.

On the armrest where the phone unit is the wires go through a hole down to the floor , (you have to take the armrest to bits) the wires have rubbed against the alloy and caused them to short out! I wont go on any more just look at the pics and lets just say I thought the car was going up in flames so PLEASE check yours before this happens to you.The whole of the bluetooth wireing loom as burnt out to the rear of the car!

The more you open the arm rest the more it will wear the wires out! this is and as got to be a BMW fault??

Blood* hel*......
I checked mine already and the wires were very close but not rubbing at all.
Thanks for the pictures and for sharing.:)

Only one person as checked this???? Check your X5 before you loose it to the fire of the gods!!

Dont you all realise how serious this could be if you dont check these wires??

Sounds like the same thing I was preaching to you when you kept throwing fuses in, even after I told you to stop, and you never replied. :)

You could have a "lennon" car,sorry..I meant lemon!;)
I dont know if you bought you car brand new!If you havent,it could be that the previous owner messed about with it!

You started the post by saying that you had smoked coming from your head unit,when the problem was under the armrest!I understand that smoke can flow but you would have noticed it first from the armrest area and the smell!

Still,at least you sorted it,which is the important thing:thumbup:

Thanks for this post, it saved me too many hours of troubleshooting, my x5 2004 mod had the same error with short-circuiting of cables for phone / radio

Are all E53s wired for the phone, or can you ignore this if you do not have the bluetooth/phone options?




All I could think about at first sight of this thread was Deep Purple. Sorry.

Good PSA on this. BTW, one thing I have done that is very easy is to pull all the fuses for components that I don't even have. For example, rear seat heaters. There's a fuse for them, there are wires going to underneath the rear seats, and then empty connectors. Not doing anybody any good, and from the situation shown in this thread, sometimes extra wires can be a problem.