[e90eu]

Hi everyone,

I have a 2007 E91, and after some heavy rain, water somehow leaked into the passenger footwell. After that, I started getting errors saying that four different lights were out, even though they still work fine. The only issue I noticed is that the blinker is flashing really fast.

I connected the car to ISTA and got the following error codes: 00A8B1, 00A8B2, 00A8BA, and 00A8BF. They all indicate faulty lamps, with the error details stating "open circuit."

I checked the wiring schematic to find what these four lights have in common (rear left fog light, rear left turn indicator, rear right light, and front right indicator), and the only shared component is the FRM module.

I also checked the FRM module fuses (F68, F42, F36, F41), and they’re all good. I inspected the grounding points in the passenger footwell (X490, X10012) in case corrosion had increased resistance and triggered the errors, but they seemed fine.

At this point, I’m out of ideas on what else to check, aside from replacing or possibly reprogramming the FRM module. I inspected the module, and there’s no visible water damage.

I also considered the possibility that the FRM activated a short-circuit lock, but if that were the case, the lights wouldn’t be working at all, so I ruled that out.

Strangely, all the errors disappeared the day after the water leak—only to come back 24 hours later.

Any ideas on what else I should check? I'd really appreciate any help. Thanks!

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by e90eu

... 2007 E91, water somehow leaked into the passenger footwell... After that... I connected the car to ISTA and got the following error codes: 00A8B1, 00A8B2, 00A8BA, and 00A8BF. They all indicate faulty lamps, with the error details stating "open circuit." [Do BOTH L & R Turn signals blink FAST?]...
I inspected the grounding points in the passenger footwell (X490, X10012) in case corrosion had increased resistance and triggered the errors, but they seemed fine. [Heat gun used to dry X10012 & carpet? Dry NOW?]...

I would NOT condemn the FRM. Have you tried using ISTA FRM Triggering to light each of the bulbs that the fault codes pertain to? The 'Rear Fogs' are "Adaptive" or "Two-Stage" Brake lights on 328xi.

I would check BOTH X10012 in Passenger Footwell, & X173 in Driver Footwell, for any corrosion on "Comb" connections & Chassis Stud Nuts. If problem persists, try applying supplemental Chassis Ground by back-probing X14261/18 & X14261/33 & testing continuity to Chassis Ground at each of those sockets.
George

[ptpending]

the FRM has few thick powered circuits going to it and then its distributed to all lights via module.
So if your E91 have sunroof, then this is well known issue, you didn't flushed sunroof drains and they are clogged and water goes inside

[e90eu]

Originally Posted by gbalthrop

I would NOT condemn the FRM. Have you tried using ISTA FRM Triggering to light each of the bulbs that the fault codes pertain to? The 'Rear Fogs' are "Adaptive" or "Two-Stage" Brake lights on 328xi.

I would check BOTH X10012 in Passenger Footwell, & X173 in Driver Footwell, for any corrosion on "Comb" connections & Chassis Stud Nuts. If problem persists, try applying supplemental Chassis Ground by back-probing X14261/18 & X14261/33 & testing continuity to Chassis Ground at each of those sockets.
George

Yes, both the left and right turn signals are blinking fast. I didn’t use anything to dry the carpet—I just vacuumed the water and cranked the AC to max heat for 12 hours.

I can trigger all the lights through ISTA that the car is reporting as failed bulbs. The rear fog lights are a two-part setup, with the fog lights located in the bumper (they look like this).

I checked the grounding "combs" on both X173 and X1108, and they looked fine (

View post on imgur.com

). I also verified continuity between them and the chassis stud, and everything checked out.

Next, I tested continuity between X14261/18 and X14261/33 against X173 and X1108, and everything was fine.

After reconnecting X14261 to the FRM module, I got a new error in ISTA: 9CB5 (FRM battery exhausted). However, after clearing the error memory, the code disappeared.

Also, when I reset the FRM module via ISTA and turn on blinker (L or R) after that it blink 1-2 times fine, and then starts blinking really fast.

Originally Posted by ptpending

the FRM has few thick powered circuits going to it and then its distributed to all lights via module.
So if your E91 have sunroof, then this is well known issue, you didn't flushed sunroof drains and they are clogged and water goes inside

Yes, I have a sunroof, and it's possible that the drains are clogged. However, I don't think the water reached the FRM module since everything around it is dry. Are there any connectors near the sunroof that I should check?

[e90eu]

Update: I checked for a short circuit lock for the faulty lights using Tool32, but there were none. I'm out of ideas at this point.

One option is to replace the FRM module, but I don’t understand why it would throw such a strange errors without any additional fault codes for the module itself...

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by e90eu

... 2007 E91, and after some heavy rain, water somehow leaked into the passenger footwell. After that, I started
getting errors saying that four different lights were out, even though they still work fine. The only issue I noticed is that
the blinker is flashing really fast... following error codes: 00A8B1, 00A8B2, 00A8BA, and 00A8BF.

Originally Posted by e90eu

Update:I'm out of ideas at this point.
One option is to replace the FRM module...

I checked to see which Connector/Pins relate to your 4 codes (on my FZ36567 3/2007 build E91 with FRM70):

1) Front-Right Turn Indicator bulb: 14261/40
2) Rear-Left Turn Indicator bulb: 14261/45
3) Right Tail/Side Light bulb: 14261/41
4) Left Rear Fog Light bulb: 14261/51

Since ALL 4 of those are on same row of FRM Connector X14261, that seems to be MORE than a coincidence. Corrosion of
pins/sockets from water ingress would explain how those pins/sockets would conduct sufficiently to light the lamps, but have
HIGH Resistance for Bulb Fail Test.

I would disconnect X14261 connector & clean pins & sockets with Electronic Contact Cleaner, then dry with heat gun.
Check FRM & surrounding area for signs of water ingress. Locate & repair leak source.
Please let us know what you find,
George

[ptpending]

Originally Posted by e90eu

Yes, both the left and right turn signals are blinking fast. I didn’t use anything to dry the carpet—I just vacuumed the water and cranked the AC to max heat for 12 hours.

I can trigger all the lights through ISTA that the car is reporting as failed bulbs. The rear fog lights are a two-part setup, with the fog lights located in the bumper (they look like this).

I checked the grounding "combs" on both X173 and X1108, and they looked fine (

View post on imgur.com

). I also verified continuity between them and the chassis stud, and everything checked out.

Next, I tested continuity between X14261/18 and X14261/33 against X173 and X1108, and everything was fine.

After reconnecting X14261 to the FRM module, I got a new error in ISTA: 9CB5 (FRM battery exhausted). However, after clearing the error memory, the code disappeared.

Also, when I reset the FRM module via ISTA and turn on blinker (L or R) after that it blink 1-2 times fine, and then starts blinking really fast.




Yes, I have a sunroof, and it's possible that the drains are clogged. However, I don't think the water reached the FRM module since everything around it is dry. Are there any connectors near the sunroof that I should check?

the water may short not frm but fusebox

[e90eu]

Originally Posted by gbalthrop

I checked to see which Connector/Pins relate to your 4 codes (on my FZ36567 3/2007 build E91 with FRM70):

1) Front-Right Turn Indicator bulb: 14261/40
2) Rear-Left Turn Indicator bulb: 14261/45
3) Right Tail/Side Light bulb: 14261/41
4) Left Rear Fog Light bulb: 14261/51

Since ALL 4 of those are on same row of FRM Connector X14261, that seems to be MORE than a coincidence. Corrosion of
pins/sockets from water ingress would explain how those pins/sockets would conduct sufficiently to light the lamps, but have
HIGH Resistance for Bulb Fail Test.

I would disconnect X14261 connector & clean pins & sockets with Electronic Contact Cleaner, then dry with heat gun.
Check FRM & surrounding area for signs of water ingress. Locate & repair leak source.
Please let us know what you find,
George

Yes, I agree—it definitely seems like more than just a coincidence that all the lights reporting errors are connected to the same connector and positioned on the same "row."

View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com

I cleaned both the connector and the socket using Electronic Contact Cleaner, but the same errors still persisted. After that, I removed the FRM module and disassembled it to check for any signs of water damage inside, but everything looked fine.

View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com

I also didn't find any signs of water around the FRM module, but it's possible that any water had already evaporated, making it hard to detect. Additionally, the X14261 wires are bent toward the floor, so if any water had leaked onto the cable I suspect it would have dripped down.

Originally Posted by ptpending

the water may short not frm but fusebox

Yes, that's possible but I checked the FRM fuses and they're all fine. Maybe if the power connector of the FRM module to the junction box got "rusted" but then I would assume that FRM would throw some additional errors.

[e90eu]

UPDATE: I ordered a new FRM module, coded it, installed it, and now everything works perfectly.

I suspect the front sunroof drains are clogged and during heavy rain, water leaked into the car and damaged the FRM module.

Thanks everyone for the help!