# 850 - Need new slip ring?



## Trono (Jun 2, 2009)

Hi all, new user here and I just bought my first 8-series the other day 
850CIA produced late '93. Has about 80k miles on it. Got it off a dealer for a good price because it has an airbag error. 

I've done some researching and I suspect the slip ring to be the problem, but I figured I should check here if anyone knows more about the problem. These are the symptoms:

- The Airbag light is on
- Horn is not working from steering wheel (the alarm works fine so it's not the horn itself)
- Carsoft diagnostics says error 2: driver ignition circiut defective (or something in those words)

Anyone got any experiences with this? I'm just a hobby mechanic so all suggestions are appreciated. I've seen the exact same symptoms on a 90s 5-series before so I'm guessing it might be a common failure.


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## GimmieSumMo72 (May 22, 2009)

congrats on your new purchase.

I bought mine just last month.

sorry i can't be of much help but im still learning about the car myself...

have you signed up at 8coupe.com try http://e31.de/ too.


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## Trono (Jun 2, 2009)

Congrats to you too then! 

Thanks for the tip.
What do you think about the car so far? 

I was suprised how light the car feels to drive. I know mine has been very good taken care of by the former owner and it almost feel like a new car. Only downside so far is the fuel consuption..


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## GimmieSumMo72 (May 22, 2009)

im jealous!

i thought i was getting a great car, but it turned out to be a lemon, and i'm keeping it as a project car.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1213387

you can check out www.wuffer.net as well!


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## TerryY (Jul 20, 2003)

Hi
Does your 8 have a three spoke or four spoke steering wheel?

The factory wheel is a 4 spoke and the choice of 3 spoke wheels that work without modification is limited.

Come visit http://www.8er.org which is mostly European with a choice of language/nation sections.


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## Trono (Jun 2, 2009)

I have the four spoke. The car should be 100% original.


GimmieSumMo72: 
Ouch, yeah, i see you've had quite some expenses on yours. Nice car tho. Mine is black too


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## TerryY (Jul 20, 2003)

The slip ring parts should be readily available from the main dealer. 

Resetting the light seems to be almost a dealer only thing--one of the reset tools on the market will do it but the tool is as expensive as the trip to the dealer.


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## Trono (Jun 2, 2009)

Yeah, I've found the part for sale. But the cheapest I've found costs over 300$ just for the part, which is quite a bit if that's not where the problem is..

But I guess I'll just have to remove the steering wheel and test the slip ring before buying a new one. I do have diagnostic tools though. Bought it for my former BMW E46 and it's probably one of the best investments I've done


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## Trono (Jun 2, 2009)

Okay, I've finally taken everything apart by following this guilde, but I didn't find any circiuts that are broken.

After some more testing I noticed one of the relays making a click sound every time I press the horn, but no sound tho. I had to put everything back together tonight as I need the car tomorrow, but I'll check the horn itself next week.

But then I'm wondering what could be wrong with the airbag. A diagnose with carsoft still gives 
Error number 2 - Airbag ignition circiut - Drivers side - Defective

Anyone got any suggestions on where to look next? Are there any relays for the airbag that might need replacement? All the fuses are of course fine.


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