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Re: Power oddities in 81 320i (archive)
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Posted by Andy Morang on May 17, 2000 at 09:00:22:

In Reply to: Power oddities in 81 320i posted by Alex Starelli on May 16, 2000 at 19:21:03:

: Hello, i own a 1981 320i. Lately i have been noticing that my headlights will dim at random times and then will go back to normal. this happens randomly, and does not follow my acceleration and braking patterns. I also noticed that when my lights dim, so do my dash lights and the light in my hazard button, along with my cd players lights. Could this be a voltage regulator? any suggestions would be helpfull, thanks.

You may have a problem with the voltage regulator or the alternator, but more likely it is cused by dirty or corroded contacts. Remember, this is a 19-year old car. This will sound bogus, but it should work: clean every miserable electrical contact you can find, starting with the fuses. Also consider replacing your battery cables with new stock ones that have soldered connectors (they are cheap - order from Maximillian importing). The negative cable bolts to a lug on the battery tray. If the tray is rusted, you may need to connect the negative to somewhere else where you are sure you get good current. Sand the battery posts. A few hours one afternoon and a six-pack should do it.

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