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Where is the 1989 BMW 325i’s OBD port location?

My grandfather’s been driving the same car for decades, and now he’s talking about getting rid of it because the check engine light came on. I’m pretty sure I can fix it, if I can just find out what the issue is though. Can you tell me where the OBD port is on a 1989 BMW 325i, so I can help my grandpa out?

avatar
Sarah Gray · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
It’s great that you want to help your grandpa with his old car. Keep in mind, though, that what you’re looking for won’t be your standard 16-pin OBD port. This type of port for OBD-II scanners wasn’t standardized in car manufacturing until 1996.
On a 1989
BMW 325i
, you’ll find a round 20-pin OBD port in the engine compartment near the positive battery terminal. To read the codes, you’ll either need an original BMW diagnostic scanner, or a 20-pin to 16-pin adapter that will allow you to use a standard OBD-II reader with your
BMW
.
Car repairs
on vehicles built prior to 1996 can be challenging since OBD-II systems weren’t required before then. That means you not only have to figure out how to read your car’s trouble codes but also what those codes might mean. To be on the safe side, it may make more sense to
take the car to a mechanic
than try to fix it yourself.
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