# Tail light wiring 00 to 02



## cactusjacks1 (Sep 24, 2002)

I am doing the tail light conversion on my 00 sedan to 02 tail lights that Full Time Hit Man posted @ 4-6 weeks ago. Have all the parts including the new style electric (8 hole vs. 6 hole) female plug in's. I can't figure out which wire color goes into which # hole on the plug. I have the schematic on the 00, and have even been to the dealer & got the order/wire color of the 02 tail light & how it fits into the plug. Please help me get this working!! :tsk: :tsk:


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

cactusjacks1 said:


> *I am doing the tail light conversion on my 00 sedan to 02 tail lights that Full Time Hit Man posted @ 4-6 weeks ago. Have all the parts including the new style electric (8 hole vs. 6 hole) female plug in's. I can't figure out which wire color goes into which # hole on the plug. I have the schematic on the 00, and have even been to the dealer & got the order/wire color of the 02 tail light & how it fits into the plug. Please help me get this working!! :tsk: :tsk: *


Can you post pictures and the schematics? Normally the color of the wire are simple to decipher, ground is usually black or brown, powered cables are either blue and yellow or green and yellow...etc, even from one Manufacturer's Year to another. So same color wires go into same color slot from one wiring harness to another.

You did not give nearly enough information for us to decipher what needs to be done. Which one has the 6 plugs and which one has the 8 plugs?


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## cactusjacks1 (Sep 24, 2002)

I do not have capability of posting pic's but will try to explain the wiring codes for the different tail lights. The bulb carriers (the plastic piece that goes in the trunk & backs to the lens) are 3 bulb for the 00 & 4 bulb for the 02. I will refer to the 00 as "old" & the 02 as "new". Below are the designations from Bentley manual (for old) & dealer (for new)
Plug hole # wire/old wire/new
1 black/green white/brown
2 grey/violet brown
3 red/yellow red/yellow
4 brown (none used)
5 blue/green black/green
6 white/brown blue green
7 (not available) grey/green
8 (not available) green/violet

The old plug has only 6 holes & all are used. The new plug has 8 holes & 7 are used. If you color match wire old to new you find that all the same colors are there - but on the new there is an extra wire grey/green. I'm sure this has to do with the old having 3 bulbs & the new 4 bulbs. Said another way, the pig tail harness for 00 has ONLY 6 wires - the pig tail harness for 02 has 7 wires. If I wire my six lead pig tails in the proper holes called for in the new plug (8 hole) - nothing lights up on that tail light .


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

So all lights work except for the tail light...Which tail light? The one that comes on when you turn the key on and turn on the light I assume?

The only way to troubleshoot this is to unclip/plug the wires one at a time. What is the functionality of the 4th light? If it's just acts as a 2nd tail light bulb since now the two red portions of the light housing are seperate, all you need to do is figure out which wire powers the 1st bulb, and splice that wire and run that into the last hole and THEORETICALLY you should have the same functionalities back, except you may trigger the lights out fault (not likely since the circuit IS complete).

Sorry man, it's hard for me to figure this stuff out sight-un-seen. Hope this helps a little. Last thing, usually green means POWER on BMW's wiring diagram, so check the green wires first. :dunno:


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## cactusjacks1 (Sep 24, 2002)

HACK, Thanks for your help!! In answer to your question, I am trying to wire up the left tail light bulb carrier/lens - when I wire it up (old wires) into the new plug (old wires in specified new holes of the new plug) nothing lights up on that tail light - no turn indicator, brake, running light etc. just like it is not connected at all!! This is very frustrating!!


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## CzTom (May 25, 2002)

You might try a strictly empirical approach:
Trace your old light wiring to the bulbs and their functions by noting which bulbs light up when you turn on the parking lights, the brake lights, and the emergency flasher or turn signal. Be careful to note which wire powers which filament of any combination bulbs you may have in the old unit (this may be where your problem is).
This exercise should result in a list of wire colors for:
-tail light/running light
-brake light
-turn signal

(I assume the back-up light remains in the trunk lid, and that you do not have a rear fog light)

Next, you need to perform the same exercise on a new E46 sedan (either a friend's car or go to a friendly dealer and do some close inspecting in the lot).

This should enable you to construct a before/after by matching up light functions between old and new.

Sorry if this is simplistic or if you're way past this stage, but I have often found it helpful to go back to basics when things get confusing.

Good luck!


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## The HACK (Dec 19, 2001)

cactusjacks1 said:


> *HACK, Thanks for your help!! In answer to your question, I am trying to wire up the left tail light bulb carrier/lens - when I wire it up (old wires) into the new plug (old wires in specified new holes of the new plug) nothing lights up on that tail light - no turn indicator, brake, running light etc. just like it is not connected at all!! This is very frustrating!! *


That's tough...I know the Bentley Manual covers up to '01 only and has the wiring diagram that will allow you to figure out which color wire does what. On the '01s. 

Do you have access to a Bentley's Manual? If so it may make HALF of your job easier. This is like one of those freakin' logic puzzles...Let's assume BROWN is always ground, and anything with green stripes indicate power, hook up the white brown and brown wires first into their respective plug in the harness. Now, keep in mind that it will probably take up to 2 additional wires to complete each circuit for some of the bulbs. I would plug in wires one at a time and see which one activates what, and correspond that to the Bentley's manual's color to figure out which wire is which...Starting from the back-up bulb, then the two parking lights, then the brake lights, then the signal lights.

This would be a project I'd be more than happy to help tackle if you live in So. Cal.

EDIT: You do live in So. Cal...Email me and let's see if we can get together sometimes to figure this out, if you don't mind waiting.


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## Tony.m (Jun 15, 2007)

Hi

I am having the same problem too?
Am unable to connect the new face lift tails?:dunno:
Did you manage to connect the tail lights?

Can someone advise???
Tony


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## cactusjacks1 (Sep 24, 2002)

Tony.m said:


> Hi
> 
> I am having the same problem too?
> Am unable to connect the new face lift tails?:dunno:
> ...


Tony,
If you look at the old harness. the connectors are different than the new black connecting boards. Go to your dealer, you can get 3" pigtails with the correct (02) connectors. You will need 12. Splice them into the old harness ends. Since there is 6 wires coming from the old harness, but seven slots with leads (the 8th slot is not used) in the new connector, you will need to splice 2 pig tails into one wire (the ground wire) . Use the same color code for new as they did for old when connecting to the new boards. Should work fine. As I did this over 5 years ago, I forget the color/bulb location sequence, but I was able to do the conversion & it worked fine - just takes a little time & splicing.
Jack


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## Tony.m (Jun 15, 2007)

cactusjacks1 said:


> Tony,
> If you look at the old harness. the connectors are different than the new black connecting boards. Go to your dealer, you can get 3" pigtails with the correct (02) connectors. You will need 12. Splice them into the old harness ends. Since there is 6 wires coming from the old harness, but seven slots with leads (the 8th slot is not used) in the new connector, you will need to splice 2 pig tails into one wire (the ground wire) . Use the same color code for new as they did for old when connecting to the new boards. Should work fine. As I did this over 5 years ago, I forget the color/bulb location sequence, but I was able to do the conversion & it worked fine - just takes a little time & splicing.
> Jack


Am struggling because the break light is on dim and then brightens up when i brake. The tail light/running lights bulbs are also bright (looks like i've kept on the brakes):banghead:
The only thing thats working correctly is the indicator.:


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## cactusjacks1 (Sep 24, 2002)

Tony.m said:


> Am struggling because the break light is on dim and then brightens up when i brake. The tail light/running lights bulbs are also bright (looks like i've kept on the brakes):banghead:
> The only thing thats working correctly is the indicator.:


You have the running light/stop light wires reversed - you may have the "extra" wire spliced into the wrong wire - I think it goes together with the brown wire. If all else fails take your old board & your new board set them down side by side, follow the lead from each socket (looks like a silver wire in the board) to the plug - identify the color wire that lights each bulb socket. make your splice to that wire & make sure you put that wire in the plug of the new board, so it will contact the corresponding.

Your almost there - at least your "tail light out" didn't appear on the instrument panel. I'd like to give you the magic splice, but the car has been gone for over 2 years.

Jack


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## Tony.m (Jun 15, 2007)

When it's all connected correctly will only the bottom bulbs light up(tail light/running light) and the top bulb lights up only when i brake?

I've been reading other threads and it seems that you need your light module (i think) re-programing???? 

sorry what wire do i splice with the brown?:dunno:


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## cactusjacks1 (Sep 24, 2002)

Tony.m said:


> When it's all connected correctly will only the bottom bulbs light up(tail light/running light) and the top bulb lights up only when i brake?
> 
> I've been reading other threads and it seems that you need your light module (i think) re-programing????
> 
> sorry what wire do i splice with the brown?:dunno:


I don't think you need re-programing, at least mine didn't. After you have ID'ed all the colors & which socket they go to (on the old board) you mirror that on the new board. You are going to now have an extra wire that doesn't exist in the old configuration (old = 6 wires, new = 7 wires). That wire gets spliced into another wire (you will have 2 wires going to the same pin) & I think that happens with the brown wire. If thats not correct, do a quick trial/error with the other 5 wires to get the right one.


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## Tony.m (Jun 15, 2007)

So woz ur brake light being used as a running light too?
Because mine iz?

This is what i mean


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