328 side red and orange running lights inop

Do they come on in any configuration? Parking lights, headlights, high beams? They only illuminate while blinking? How about when hazards are on? Year? Euro or US?

They should come on with the parking lights and remain on with headlights (high or low). I know some cars have been modified so that they headlights can be off with the lamps in the air or something like that, so as far as you know, is the wiring original, and did they just start doing this or have they always done this?

 

Per the '89 328 wiring diagram, it's Fuse #16 (Parking lights lamp - Instrument panel lights - Front fog lights). If that seems OK, try unplugging/reseating/checking the "J" connector on the fusepanel.

To identify:

1. The "J" connector has 12 contacts and the two external square "keying" features are closer together than the external keying features on the 12-contact "K" connector.

2. The wires to run the side parking lights are the two yellow/red (GR) wires leaving the 3rd contact position from one end on the "J" connector (i.e., these two wires should go +12V when you turn on the parking lights or headlights).

(You didn't indicate year, but I'd be surprised if in this area all 328s aren't the same -- and regardless, it wouldn't hurt IMO to unplug/reseat/"check for frying" all the fusepanel connectors.)

 

dhs-9 -- IME each "corner" (or at a minimum each "end") has it's own ground connection so unlikely to have a single bad ground connection cause all of them to be out (but you can check that directly at each bulb socket to confirm/deny ground OK) . I did make an error describing the proper terminal on the "j" connector -- it's the third from the end, but it has one small yellow/red wire (GR) and one larger pink (S) wire -- is that the one you measured? Although your '87 may be completely different since you indicate a parallel fusing architecture rather than a single fuse -- did those yellow/red wires you measured go +12V only when the headlight/parking lights switch was turned "on"?

Additionally, you could just pull one of the side marker bulbs out and make some measurements right at the bulb socket (i.e., is +12V present on the postive terminal when the headlight are "on" and the resistance between the ground terminal and the chassis ground).

You could also remove those two fuses and measure the voltage at the female terminals (just to confirm that power is reaching them):

with parking lights "off" -- both female terminals should be ~0V

with parking lights "on" -- one female terminal should go +12V

Jeff R also brings up a good question -- are your instrument lights also not working?

just some further thoughts...

 

Dave -- my comments:

"I measured the male side of the plug which had a single yellow/red wire with 12v only when the headlight/ parking lights on. The female side of the plug had 2 yellow red wires coming out of a single connection. The fuses are getting power. The instrument lights do work." -- You've lost me a little here because the male side of the j connector is just a male tab on the PWB (i.e., no wire color on that side). There is a downstream 3-pin connector shown on the '89 wiring diagram in that same network that has one yellow/red wire and one white wire on one side together in one terminal and two yellow/red wires together in one terminal on the other side. If this is going +12V only when you turn on the lights that's a good sign that the more-upstream j connector/fuses/PWB are in good shape -- as is your report that the instrument lights are working.

"How do I pull the parking lights. Can they be accessed from the front. When I looked it seemed there was no access from behind." -- Typically, the US version side marker light housings have threaded studs built into them with nuts/washers holding them on from the inside of the fender (and the actual "bulb holder" snaps in from the rear). Not that familar with the round "euro" markers, but I'd bet you'd need to get rear access to get those out too. You might have to remove an inner fender panel/cover and/or pull away some carpeting, etc. to get access -- the rears might be easiest to get at thru the rear trunk.

"Do the yellow/red wire and the pink wire come out of the same terminal." -- Yes, but as I said that's on the '89 328 wiring diagram. Since you report a different parking light fuse set-up this might not be the same as on your '87.

"Thanks agaon for your help" -- No problem, but I'm gonna freak out if you have 4 burned out bulbs

 

Matt -- I think Jeff R. has that right -- on the '89 328 wiring diagram the front and rear side marker lights are single filament bulbs only wired into the parking light network (no connections to the directional network) so they should just stay "on" whenever the parking/headlights are "on".

Sounds like you've got it all sorted (and, of course, it all makes sense now ) -- well done.