LCM? Something funny going on...
 

Hello

I'm back, having been away from X ownership for a few years, I have just purchased a not so perfect 2001 3.0d.

I am having a really annoying problem;

All of a sudden my indicators (green lights and clicking in the cluster), PDC and on board monitor / screen / nav etc will only work if the sidelights / headlights are on. Also, possibly linked, is the dreaded 'SELF LEVEL INACT' or whatever it is comes up.

I thought a fuse - but I have checked all these and they seem fine. If I turn the lights on, everything slowly comes back to life.

Any thoughts? Any help would be appreciated to get this fault sorted before moving onto the next!

Thanks

I'm not sure how the service indicators are linked to the lights since they aren't governed by the dash light dimmer. even the other items should only be affected by the dimmer switch by how bright the illumination is, not the actual functionality.
I'd suspect the General Module as being a possible culprit, but one fairly cheap troubleshooting item would be the ingnition switch. Anytime you have a bunch of totally unrelated electrical items acting weird, its probably the ignition switch. Part# 61326901961. Item #2 in this diagram.
http://realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/o/j/281.png

If that isn't it, then look for wiring damage behind the dash, possibly rodent damage?

Thanks for that. I'm guessing it's water related as it really poured yesterday and started all of a sudden.

The strangest thing is that the indicators in the cluster only show and 'tick' when the lights are on. Might the LCM be damp or something? I am not sure where this is located?

Thanks

how old is your battery? has it been discharged and then recharged that you know of? once the battery is flat and then brought back to life, it might not be up to par... bring up the voltage monitor in the cluster and watch your alternator when you drive and see if any spikes or dips correlate to the incidents... better yet, if you can read the shadow memory of the car's modules, you might be able to see registered power spikes/dips...

i suspect the battery and/or alternator...

wouldn't the problems get worse when he turned on the lights? water is a possibility. pull out your kick panel above your pedals and also pull out the glove box and start looking for wet stuff. if the front sunroof drains are clogged or not connected it could get water behind the dash.
the LCM and GM plus various other modules are behind/above the glovebox. Look there first.

excellent, thanks.

The problem definitely goes away when the lights are ON.

I'll start taking bits out and have a good look above the pedals and behind the glovebox.

i don't have a sunroof - perhaps water is getting in through the front wheel arches somewhere?

not really possible unless you have some horrendous rust issues...do you have a factory windshield or has it been replaced? (bmw logo in the glass)
TerminatorX5 has a point also. An old battery can cause weird electrical issues also.

Does it have maybe an aftermarket alarm? is it the factory navigation or an aftermarket radio with navigation?
could you make a video showing what happens with the lights off then turn the lights on?
I'd like to know why you have a clicking sound associated with the service lights.

Thanks for your replies.

The battery is good - or at least the test says so. The windscreen is original and has the stamp.

Sorry i think i may have confused - i don't mean the service indicators - i mean the left / right green arrow indicators. Not sure what they are called in the USA! I've checked both foot wells in the front and everything seems to be dry, no sign of water ingress that is obvious.

Today with the sidelights on, everything seems to work ok - the indicators (left and right) are ticking, but they go a bit out of sync, as in the 'tick' is not as uniform as it normally is. I will try tomorrow to get a video.

Thanks again :-)

Forgot to say - the Headunit / Screen and alarm are OEM, not aftermarket...

oh, sorry, I was confused thinking you meant the Service Interval indicators (5 green, 1 amber, and 1 red leds). Yes, if your turn signal indicators don't work without the lights being on, that does make it seem like the LCM. Except the NAV/radio (factory was assumed, but good to clarify) not working either is odd. NAV/radio modules are actually in the trunk, LCM is behind the glovebox. This continues to make myself think it's the ignition switch. But, I'd still take a look inside the dash before throwing $80 at it. Like you mentioned, its a not-so perfect vehicle, so who knows what's been done to it in the past.