bmw newbie, cd changer problem

['89cab]

just bought a 325ic for my son who is moving back to the left side after a year in boston. beautiful one-owner '94 convertible with 78,000 miles. however, the cd player will not work -- gives "cd error" message on radio display. seller said everything was fine until a week or so ago. magazine will not eject. no reset button on this 6-cd changer.
i've done my searches, i've reviewed the owners manuals, i've ordered chiltons and haynes (reviewed amazon -- guess bentley is not as worthwhile as the porsche edition which i love).
can you help a brother?
Mike

[Ad Hoc]

The "CD Error" message can come up in a number of instances (I know if the unit is too hot, for instance, an error message will come up). But the fact that the magazine won't eject seems odd. The unit should be hard-wired into the car so that even when the ignition is off, you can still remove the magazine. It's possible there's a wiring problem. If it's wired up fine, the next step may need to be removal and repair.

I've checked around and repair (here in NY) runs about $150-$175. A used unit (if you can find an aftermarket M-Bus CD changer) will run you aroung $300 (you may find one on e-Bay for less). A new BMW unit: $600-$700 (made by Pioneer or Alpine but wired specifically by BMW and marked with the BMW name on the front.) Incidentally, if you do decide to have it repaired - if it's a BMW unit and not aftermarket, many repair shops are unable to work on them. According to a local high-end audio repairman, BMW altered the wiring on the units they sold making it difficult for many local repair shops to work on the unit - forcing you to take it to a BMW stealer.

Now I'm not a conpiracy theorist, but maybe someone could explain to me why BMW would change the wiring from the aftermarket versions? They both work identically in the car, so what's the point?


(.........BTW, I think the Bentley for an E36 is still the best manual around.)

[blkongry]

I've got the very same car, with a few sporadic CD changer issues. More than likely what has happened is the CD has slipped off the spindle and is jammed in the player. So, since the player/changer can't kick out the disc, it won't eject the cartridge. I've had this problem before. The head unit just says, "Somethin' is wrong" by giving the error. What you need to do is fish around in the player (but do it carefully) with a flashlight and long thin tool. You should be able to see the disc and nudge it either into place, or to a place where it will kick out the cartridge. If you can see the disc and it looks like it where it is supposed to be, then it may be a different issue. Although, these changers are quirky, and I'd bet money on a slipped disc.

[Ad Hoc]

Blkongry's got a good point. I assumed that since it was a used car, the previous owner would have removed their CDs and just popped the empty mag back in - if not, it could certainly be a jammed disc.

['89cab]

thank you all for you excellent recommendations. previous owner left -- looks like six -- cds in cartridge/magazine. I a used plastic ruler between cartidge and player with no obstructions. doesn't appear to have slipped disc as suggested.

Fuse on CD unit is OK, and I checked engine compartment fuse box and found no blown fuses and no reference to CD changer on index. Is there one?

CD changer in trunk has has two connectors going into it. 14 pin connector -- I assume to dashboard unit; and two wire (brown -- gotta be ground, right? and red/white). Used 12V test light and got no power to those connections. tried with and without ignition switch on. (CD changers I'm familiar with work without ignition on -- BMW the same?)

how in the heck can I chase those wires down?

Am I going in the right direction?

[Ad Hoc]

I'm not sure the best way to track those wires down, but it appears as though you found the problem - no power to the CD changer. The 14 pin connector goes to the head unit. The other 2 wires are power and ground. The fact that the head unit is showing a CD error message means it knows the changer is there (if you disconnected the 14 pin, even switching to CD mode on the head unit wouldn't be an option - the head unit wouldn't be reading anything there).

All you need to do is either find the problem connection (which could be a headache - it would be for me at least) or just simply hardwire the changer yourself. The changer should be wired so there is power going to it with the ignition off (I would imagine you'd want to be able to retrieve your CD mag without having to leave the car on). If you want to be sure this is the problem, just check it by jumping the unit directly from a power source - if the mag ejects, that should confirm what I suspected .

['89cab]

Ad Hoc (and blkongry), thanks for your help. since the battery is right there I'll try that.

[blkongry]

Just be careful you don't short anything out and smoke your changer. There might be a transformer there somewhere, but I doubt it, since the whole car is a 12V system, they have probably designed the factory changer to be driven with 12V potential. It seems strange though that the owner said it worked find before being sold. Did you check all your fuses to be sure the changer isn't tied into anything else? Did you try simple stuff like pushing and wiggling the cartridge in the changer? Did you try reclosing the door a couple times (I think there is a micro switch on the changer door to ensure it is closed before it will operate).

['89cab]

checked all the fuses and they look good. couldn't find any identified as CD changer. never thought of the changer door. didn't know how much to push pull cartridge, so I've been gentle so far. will try options before hooking to 12v. thanks for the tips.

unfortunately, this audio system just got weirder. last night I probed the changer to see if cd was seated properly and tested power and ground wires (with and without ignition switch on). checked fuses (but didn't pull any). gave up and went to bed.

this morning the radio had no power. no message, no music, no led light for anti-theft. I figured I did something to trigger the anti-theft and that I could reset it. I just went through the radio owners manual and realize this isn't a normal situation. I can't believe I did anything to pop a fuse, but I'll check when I get home. Bad electronics or bad karma?

[blkongry]

Is there a big black cloud over your car that won't leave? Are crows sitting atop a fence staring at you? Did ya piss anyone off that is putting some bad mojo on you? I don't know, your experience sounds kind of strange. If you did trip the theft deterent, it would ask you for the code... not show nothing.

['89cab]

so I blew out a 20 amp radio fuse. what's up with that? I've done more stupid stuff with a 220v dryer with less damage than that (my heart's still tickin'). God bless the owners that keep their radio code info for the next owner.

So I listened to the Ray Charles tributes as I putzed around the car. Let's have a moment of silence, shall we. Now we've got a real day of mourning.

now a little gun shy of bmw electronics. I've got almost 30 years of daily Porsche driving with minor wrenching, but I must have done something to set up this bad beemer mojo. do you bmw guys do some special dance at full moons or something?

[Wayne 962]

Don't sweat it - these CD Changers are junk. I've got four of them, and the one that works barely works. I still have a SONY from 1995 that runs flawless. The Alpine units used in these cars (the Pioneers were a bit better) seem to break very easily. I'll bet your CD player is mechanically jammed somehow - three of mine get jammed all the time. You need to take it apart and mess with the gears inside until it works. Wish I could be more scientific, but I don't have a rule for what works...

-Wayne