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LED's Dimly Lit When Off

BumpyZ4

BumpyZ4

Active member
New Orleans, LA USA
I have a 03 E85. Went to put in LED bulbs in the interior, side turn signals and boot and even with the switches off the LED's stay dimly lit. So with the turn signal on it is very bright as expected but when you turn it off it stays dimly lit, same with all the other interior bulbs. So i checked the connecter with a multi-meter and it is showing .02 volts with everything off. Not enough to light an incandescent bulb but enough to dimly light an LED. Anybody else have this problem?
 
I don't know about the E85 but I am using Canbus LEDS in the interior of my E89 and I don't have that problem. As you say it is due to the residual current in the circuits, enough to power the LEDS but not the incandescent bulbs. Are you using Canbus LEDs? that might help or otherwise you have to install resistors to eliminate the problem.
 
I'd take out those cheap Chinese bulbs before they flatten your battery.
 
Davz said:
I'd take out those cheap Chinese bulbs before they flatten your battery.
Click to expand...

LEDS can't flatten the battery even cheap Chinese ones since the wattage / power consumed is tiny.
 
As above, you need to fit a 1k resistor across the led. See here... https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=109723&hilit=Resistor

It’s nonsense about leds flattening your battery.
 
I had the very same problem with cheap Chinese junk I used in the sidelights, drained my battery, took a day and night for it to flatten. I hadn't noticed during the day as the lights were so dimly lit. The reason the battery was drained was due to a warning light on the dash which lit the indicator bulbs to show a bulb out, hence a drained battery! You should have a dash light warning due to the canbus check?
 
The warning light would drain the battery yes but that should only be on with the ignition. Otherwise every time anybody had a bulb out they would also have a flat battery in the morning!
 
Think your right, changed mine a long time ago and memory fades....changed back to OEM and no problem since. The draw from the led sides being dimly lit was enough to drain the battery, so I'm staying clear of cheap junk from China.
 
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