Anyone got an OEM amp they want to sell me?

I guess the part remains a mystery. Nor RealOEM, nor the ETK nor google recognize the partnumber... Well, it only enforces the idea that it's not a native E31 part.

The label with the "volume control" seems to imply there's a potentiometer inside the unit (P1 is a commonly used abbreviation for a potentiometer) and the +/- indicate in which direction it should be adjusted. But what it's supposed to adjust, I don't know... Maybe some of the other forum member recognizes the thing.

Anyway, I think this may be a bit of a dead-end for your audio system. I'm afraid I misinterpret your earlier message where you wrote all wonky wiring ends up in that box. I thought you meant the speaker wires at that time. Sorry... Let's assume for now these are not speaker wires but a rather clumsy installed burglar alarm module. Perhaps the potentiometer is to adjust its sensitivity. For the moment, if you don't have problems with the alarm system, leave the mystery box alone and concentrate on finding out how the speaker wires were (re)routed... If you intend to put an aftermarket amp and speakers in the car (well the latter are already there apparantly), you may just run new wires and leave the damaged wiring harness as is. Running new wires is an easy job (apart from getting wires through the door hinges) and it will save you a lot of time! You can use thicker and better speaker wire which should improve the audio quality on high volume levels.

Getting everything back to stock will probably be appreciated by the next owner if you ever decide to sell the car, but if you really want to go all stock it may cost a fair bit. Apparantly, the front speaker pods where removed. If the previous owner put aftermarket rear speakers in too, the rear speaker boxes may be gone as well. These are rather expensive parts new from BMW (well, expensive for what you get - a stupid plastic box with cheap speakers). Sure you can find 'em used on eBay every once in a while, but people generally sell the original speakers because they wore out. If you buy boxes with worn-out speakers, you'll want to replace those. But the speaker sizes are all odd, so the only plug and play upgrade are OEM speakers. Otherwise it'll involve modifying the speaker boxes and then it's no longer stock...

The ETK has a well hidden feature called interpretation. This shows the part numbers changes over time.
Unfortunately those part numbers are not searchable but you have to do it by hand one at a time.
Nevertheless the part number given certainly is in the area of the retrofittable OEM burglar alarm.

I already found a part number which deviates only in the last digit and this is an "ultra sound module" for said burglar alarm. The current part number is 82929401798 and nowhere near the one Nick found, but the preceding part number until Dec 1996 was 82 119 418 405.

If you want to check for yourself use table 65_1033.

So, the chop job may indeed be partly the responsibility of the BMW dealer

It nevertheless has nothing to do with the audio system carnage. I tend do disagree with Revtor that one should steer clear of used OEM speakers. Let us not forget that a good number of E31´s are being parted out because of other than audio problems Chances are good that a complete OEM retrofit including wiring loom can be achieved with a quite agreeable amount of money in hand.

Cheers
Reinhard

Nick:
Have you spotted this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-GENUINE-USED-E31-8-SERIES-AMPLIFIER_W0QQitemZ110403375583QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Audio_TV_Electronics_In_Car_Entertainment_GPS_Car_Amplifiers_PP?hash=item19b48dd1df&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1683|240:1318|301:0|293:6|294:50

Zitat von NickF;65995

After yet more messing around yesterday I have not got much further other than I have found another mystery box..... I suspect this is a total red herring to my stereo woes but i wonder if anyone knows what on earth it is. There is a metal box mounted just behind the drivers (UK RHD) door pillar

Sorry, I never had an E31 apart in that location. I'm not sure what's supposed to be there.

Zitat

This is then wired to what purports to be a Lion battery that is attached to the right rear speaker pod

That battery is not OEM, but it's very likely related to the installed burglar alarm. Perhaps to sound the horn when someone cuts the main battery power. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the burglar alarm system at this moment as you don't have any issues with it.

Zitat

Anyway - turns out one of my right rear speakers is dead (or possibly disconnected inside the pod) as i'm getting full resistance when i measure across the + and - directly on the inputs. Anyone know how to get the pods out? There don't appear to be any screws.

You must first remove the speaker grilles from the parcel shelf. I forgot how the grilles are clicked in place, but one of the tall sides can be lifted with a wide but thin flat blade screw driver. It should come off fairly easy after that, but be careful not to bend the metal grille. Once the grille is removed, the screw that holds the speaker pod becomes visible. Undo it (don't worry, the pod won't fall down - it's also clicked in place). Now move to the trunk. The speaker pod has two retaining tabs (facing the inside of the car). Put your hands near these tabs and push the pod outward while trying to lower it at the same time. If you already didn't, unplug it and take it out of the car.

All speakers are screwed in the pod from the outside, so you can take 'em out and test 'em without opening the enclosure. If you really must open the enclosure, remove all screws (some are hidden underneath the foam!) and then use a thin cutter blade to cut through the silicone caulking that glues the top to the base. The plastic has become brittle with age so it breaks rather easily... This is especially an issue when putting the enclosure back together. The "ears" of the screw holes are very prone to breaking. You should re-kit the whole pod with silicone caulking to get the enclosure airtight. When dried, the caulking is strong enough to keep the enclosure together. Put the screws back in, but only as far until you feel some resistance. If you want to tighten the screws, the ears will break off...

Zitat

Revtor: where exactly is X256/7. The ETM says they are "Ahead of the RH front door, in wire grommet". The only connectors i can find in that general area look related to the steering wheel. Is the ETM wrong? Are these connectors in the door sills?

I must admit I never saw these connectors myself. not because I couldn't find 'em but because I never had to find 'em. Here's a hopefully helpful post at roadfly.com (too bad the pictures in that thread are dead, but perhaps the author is still around and still has the pictures).

OEM Amplifier

Hi Nick, Did you get sorted? I have a spare working AMP. Do you know which model number you need as they do differ?

The part # of the replacement amp matches one of the part #s in the parts catalogue for the E31. I have not found a match for the "original" one.

Cheers
Reinhard

In case no one comes up with a solution - # 65138375085 is the tweeters´ current part number and the cost ex BMW is 37 EUR plus taxes (apx. 30 GBP) which of course is not related to the value
Do not expect to find those on the Nokia shelves - I´d assume that BMW ordered them in the mid-80´s using new old stock of discontinued since 1950 chassis´

Cheers
Reinhard

Zitat von NickF;66543

Thanks Reinhard, at least that gives me an option. I'm assuming it's broken as when i test for resistance I get open circuit, as opposed to 8 ohms, broken?

These are coil-based tweeters, so it's very safe to assume the speaker is dead if it doesn't measure anywhere close to the nominal impedance.

I'm glad you finally got the the sound working. Talk about bad luck with two broken amps...