BMW E31 AND E32 TORCH REPAIR

Seen those posts on putting LED's in the Glove-box torch? Don't bother with that malarky, just stick in a couple of new batteries and voila you are back to fully functioning loveliness. The batteries can be bought on-line from RS (order number 325-2850), you will need two of them.

Remove the plastic lens and then prise the torch in half...this is what the innards look like:

The batteries start to fail after a few years or so, they are rechargeable but eventually cannot hold a charge for any period of time. The plan is to hook them out and replace them with new ones. The original batteries are spot-welded to strips of copper. We don't need to worry about spot-welding, we will use the age-old tradition of bendy bits of copper just like in all other torches.

We need to take the batteries out to start with, so use a pair of side-cutters to break the weld between the wire and the copper strip (yes, it is spot welded!).......

Prise the tin strip off using a similar method:

Remove the copper strip, rear connector and batteries from the case and twang the copper strip from the base of the battery pair:

Sitck the copper strip and rear connector back in the case and give the lower tang of the strip a bend so that it connects to the new batteries as shown here:

The new batteries come with a sleeve around them.......



Give the battery a good poke and the sleeve will come off........

Put the first new battery into position ensuring that the copper tang connects with the case of the battery (which it will do if the tang is bent as shown). Then balance the other battery on top..........

The new batteries also come with a solder tag on the top, this can be raised with a small screwdriver and used to solder the tin strip and the wire back on. Put a small amount of solder on the tin strip (tinning to those in the trade) where it will meet the battery tang to start with, also tin the tang (I feel a tongue twister coming on). Practice getting the tinned tang, tinned tin strip and wire lined up before soldering:

Once everything is lined up solder all three parts together. It is worth noting that these type of batteries should not be heated up for any length of time as they may explode. That is why you tin all the parts to start with. The time taken to re-flow the solder is quite safe, after about 30 seconds you may have a problem though! Here's my attempt:

Depending on how much solder you managed to blob on you may find that when the case is re-fitted the pressure is enough to provide contact between the batteries, however, I recommend fitting a self-adhesive foam pad on the top lid to provide some positive pressure for good contact. That's it, much better illumination using all the standard components!




All done, Time for a cup of tea.......