1994 E34 Dash Board Displays Freking Out

[Yankees368]

I get into my car today, and instead of seeing "FASTEN BELTS" I get nothing. After a few seconds, all 3 screens on the dash (odometer, message screen, drive selector) started flashing. It seems as if the computer is rebooting over and over, but the strange thing is that the computer on the right with the temp, time etc is working fine. Has anyone ever heard of this problem, and shoul di be concerned.

Attached is a video from my phone of the problem. Sorry about the quality, it was taken from my cell phone.

http://media.putfile.com/E34

[wingman]

Now THAT is ugly! You'll find a miriad of answers to strange dash behaviour in both the search section of this forum and also on www.bmwe34.net Usually related to inconsistent displays but I've never seen or heard of that one. Welcome to the board by the way. Some info on yourself, your car and a few pics never goes astray.

[Yankees368]

Now THAT is ugly! You'll find a miriad of answers to strange dash behaviour in both the search section of this forum and also on www.bmwe34.net Usually related to inconsistent displays but I've never seen or heard of that one. Welcome to the board by the way. Some info on yourself, your car and a few pics never goes astray.

Yeah, I was hoping that this would not be a strange problem. I have a feeling that this problem is going to stay this way for a lonnngggg time.

[wingman]

Don't just take my word though. There are plenty of people on this board with extensive E34 experience who may be able to help. Good Luck!

[angrypancake]

this sounds like a job for Javier, the electronics awesomedude

[Yankees368]

this sounds like a job for Javier, the electronics awesomedude

So where is this Javier guy, will he come to my rescue?

[632 Regal]

most likely, give him a few and bump this to the top once it goes to the bottom.

So where is this Javier guy, will he come to my rescue?

[Yankees368]

**bump** X2

[Yankees368]

Help!

[Scott C]

Help!

I would double check with Javier or others (there are at least two types of clusters for the E34 and I do NOT know their interchangeability requirements) but something like this might be a quick solution... For less than $100 (depends on bids), may save you some time...

It claims to be from a 92 E34...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E34-525i-535i-INSTRUMENT-CLUSTER-GAUGE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33675QQitemZ80389 78833QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVWQQtcZphoto

[Yankees368]

I would double check with Javier or others (there are at least two types of clusters for the E34 and I do NOT know their interchangeability requirements) but something like this might be a quick solution... For less than $100 (depends on bids), may save you some time...

It claims to be from a 92 E34...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E34-525i-535i-INSTRUMENT-CLUSTER-GAUGE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33675QQitemZ80389 78833QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVWQQtcZphoto

Woah...i didn't even know you could just buy an entire dash like that. SO where is this Javier guy to chime in.

Also, is there some sort of chip and control the display, I don't think the display itself is the problem.

[Scott C]

Woah...i didn't even know you could just buy an entire dash like that. SO where is this Javier guy to chime in.

Also, is there some sort of chip and control the display, I don't think the display itself is the problem.

On my 95 (and I THINK yours...) there is a module that plugs in the back that has all the car specific information (like odo...). But I would prefer someone more knowledgable whom has done this often to chime in....

I did this swap on my car when I was getting false tranny reports...

Scott

[Yankees368]

On my 95 (and I THINK yours...) there is a module that plugs in the back that has all the car specific information (like odo...). But I would prefer someone more knowledgable whom has done this often to chime in....

I did this swap on my car when I was getting false tranny reports...

Scott

So you can swap out this module and it would change the mileage displayed on the odometer?

[Scott C]

So you can swap out this module and it would change the mileage displayed on the odometer?

This should help
http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/Maintenance/Electrical/Capacitors.htm

[Yankees368]

This should help
http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/Maintenance/Electrical/Capacitors.htm


EEK! This seems complicated to fix. Thank you so much for the link though. Now I just have to find someone who can do this for me, which probably will not happen.

[632 Regal]

lemme sea what eye can do for yew here...

[Scott C]

EEK! This seems complicated to fix. Thank you so much for the link though. Now I just have to find someone who can do this for me, which probably will not happen.


Sorry, scroll to the bottom - just wanted you to see the type of dash that has the module!

Scott

[Scott C]

Sorry, scroll to the bottom - just wanted you to see the type of dash that has the module!

Scott

The point of using your module is to save the information for your car including the miles traveled, etc. There is a chance that the module is scrogged up but I am way beyond my knowledge now. I would just swap out the cluster (use your module) and see what happens. Just make sure to get the correct one... Regal may be able to confirm.

Scott

[Javier]

with very low chance to check the forum. Anyway, be sure I published my e-mail because it don't bother me to get inquiries (it doesn't mean I will be able to help).

From the video, that of course is not the best source to base conclusions, I understand that the problem is in the led's displays (Including text) feel that the problem is the clock for them, normally, in order to optimize power, LED's displays are not energized all together, but one line after the other at certain frequency rate that the eye can not react to (something like TV). It seem to me that the frequency in the display control is out of setting, (more than this, not only out but get lower and lower as time go by, just as if heating of an involved component is altering its value and causing the frequency to drop.

I have never need to mess with my cluster, so have no experience in its circuitry, but I would look after a damaged capacitor or resistor in an Oscillator (clock feeding) circuit. In this page posted by Shogun some time ago, http://www.e34.de/frames.php, after the link "Schrauberecke", after the link "Tips und Tricks", after the link "Schaltplan des Kombiinstuments 525i" is a drawing of a cluster that may be your car, or at least serve as a guide. Depending on your electronic skills, you can try debugging the issue.

It is a common tool for determining component heat related issues, a spray can with freezing gas, (spray can with a tiny straw). You can point to different components and froze them, if faulty behavior diminishes, then you are close.

If you feel you have no skills at all for this job, and prefer a simple solution, yes you can get in the market a replacing cluster and switch coding plugs. It may even be cheaper that the invested time debugging a fault of this kind.

Javier

[632 Regal]

*bows with admiration*

[shadowpuck]

Javier is spot on....

I just had this issue in our fairly new to us E34 '93 525i. I reseated connections, checked voltages, did a bunch of stuff. I bought a refurbed motherboard (connection plate in BMW parlance) and tried installing that with no change.

I was lucky enough to have access to another E34 with a working cluster so we put mine in that car. When the problem traveled to the other car we knew it was a cluster issue.

At the time, it didn't hit me that what I was really looking at was a flaw in timing (oscillation) - so I ended up taking the easy way out. I found a used full cluster on eBay that would fit my car. I put that cluster in only to find that the motherboard for it was bad - classic bad gauge syndrome.

Ended up piecing together a good cluster out of my parts and now all works well! :) I also took the opportunity to change all the bulbs, clean all connections, double check etc....

In summary, you can pick up a cluster on ebay for around $50 - assuming the rest of your current cluster is good it's hard to beat that price unless you are just an electronics wizard as Javier stated....

As others have said, depending upon the build date of your car you'll have a coding plug in the cluster itself and it simply transfers to the "new" cluster. There were all kinds of dire warnings in the Bentley about disconnecting the OBC and such but I had no issues.....

You will want to disconnect the battery first, so make sure you have the radio code if you still have a stock stereo.....

Hope that helps - welcome to the board. The folks here are awesome when it comes to helping out.....They've saved me numerous times already! :)

Forgot to add: you can do this yourself. The most difficult part is unplugging the battery - literally....:) I thought it was going to be way out of my league but it was quite simple. If you are patient, you can remove the cluster without removing the steering wheel.

[Yankees368]

Javier is spot on....

I just had this issue in our fairly new to us E34 '93 525i. I reseated connections, checked voltages, did a bunch of stuff. I bought a refurbed motherboard (connection plate in BMW parlance) and tried installing that with no change.

I was lucky enough to have access to another E34 with a working cluster so we put mine in that car. When the problem traveled to the other car we knew it was a cluster issue.

At the time, it didn't hit me that what I was really looking at was a flaw in timing (oscillation) - so I ended up taking the easy way out. I found a used full cluster on eBay that would fit my car. I put that cluster in only to find that the motherboard for it was bad - classic bad gauge syndrome.

Ended up piecing together a good cluster out of my parts and now all works well! :) I also took the opportunity to change all the bulbs, clean all connections, double check etc....

In summary, you can pick up a cluster on ebay for around $50 - assuming the rest of your current cluster is good it's hard to beat that price unless you are just an electronics wizard as Javier stated....

As others have said, depending upon the build date of your car you'll have a coding plug in the cluster itself and it simply transfers to the "new" cluster. There were all kinds of dire warnings in the Bentley about disconnecting the OBC and such but I had no issues.....

You will want to disconnect the battery first, so make sure you have the radio code if you still have a stock stereo.....

Hope that helps - welcome to the board. The folks here are awesome when it comes to helping out.....They've saved me numerous times already! :)

Forgot to add: you can do this yourself. The most difficult part is unplugging the battery - literally....:) I thought it was going to be way out of my league but it was quite simple. If you are patient, you can remove the cluster without removing the steering wheel.

Sweet! All of you guys are so much help! Thank you all so much!

shadowpuck, do you think i can get a more detailed step by step for this process?

[shadowpuck]

Based upon my experience with my car it was pretty straightforward. Certainly let some of the more experienced folks correct anything I might assume or have wrong....:)

You'll definitely want to make sure whatever cluster you look at on eBay is compatible with your car. Typically, this goes by build date....

Basically, if you have at least telescoping steering you can do this without removing the steering wheel - tilt is even better, I would guess. Having said that, the first time I removed the cluster I did remove the wheel and it's not much of a hassle.

There's some really good writeups on Bruno's site - www.bmwe34.net.

Essentially, much of this from the Bentley:

disconnect the battery - make sure the negative cable can't ground on something accidentally.

wait a few minutes for the SRS to discharge - I always wait 10. why? nice round number....:)

telescope the wheel out as far as possible and have a microfiber cloth or something simliar handy. I used this to not damage the cluster face.

there's two screws at the top of the cluster - remove those.

you can then slide the cluster out toward you and reach behind it. there will be four connectors - if you look at the back of the replacement you'll see the connections. be somewhat careful with the locking tabs.

to get the cluster out what I and some fellow assistants were able to do was to angle the cluster toward the driver side door and it eventually slid right out. I don't have a good way of describing it other than to say about halfway through it looked like there's no way it would work. We found that with a little bit of experimentation it came right out.

I wish I had photos of it - I still don't believe it worked! :)

Once the cluster is out, take advantage to clean all the connectors, check cabling, etc. I would also replace the bulbs in the cluster at this time.

Your car should have a coding plug in the back of the cluster. It will have a tamper resistant plastic cover over it. You can pop this off and the plug will be right below it. This simply transfers to the new cluster.

Installation is the reverse of assembly....Don't you hate it when the manual says that? :)

Starting from the driver's side and with a towel or something in place, work the cluster back into place and reconnect the connectors. I found starting with the driver's door side connector worked easiest. I then went across the back and connected the others. I also double-checked and made sure each connection was seated properly.

Once that is done and you have the cluster in place, you just have to push it back into the dash. I used the towel to avoid marking or fingerprinting the face of the cluster. I alternately worked each corner of the cluster until it was flush. I found that putting the screws back in at the top was a bit of a struggle as they like to squirm around a bit - just stick with it.

If you are really paranoid, you can simply get everything hooked up and then just position the cluster but not fully install it. Then, you can re-attach the battery and check for functionality. WARNING: If you do this and removed the wheel, make sure you have reconnected and installed the airbag first before hooking up the battery again.

Having said all that - and that's just from quick memory - you could quite probably find a shop willing to just r/r the cluster for you if you provide the parts. I don't know what amount of labor they'd charge you, but it is an option. If you are unsure about trying any of this, then I'd call around and just see what someone would charge. They may only want a few hours of labor - which would be worth it if you don't want to mess with it....

I decided it would be a fun challenge and wanted to know how to do it. I could also afford to be without this car if I messed something up.....

If removing the steering wheel, obviously make sure the battery is disconnected and let the airbag system discharge - as per the Bentley manual.

You can also remove the steering wheel - the steps are quite simple. I first made sure the wheels were as straight as possible and locked the wheel. Remove the two plastic pieces surrounding the steering column. Underneath the wheel you'll see an orange connector. This unclips and then simply disconnects - this is the wiring for the airbag.

There's two torx bolts behind the airbag - I want to say T30 or something like that (not sure). They are captive so you just loosen them until the air bag will come loose. You can then lift the airbag forward and work it out of the wheel. There's a cable to disconnect and that's it. Set it face up somewhere safe and away from where you are working.

There's a single bolt to remove after that - I think mine was a 17mm but I've heard of other cars having 19mm or other sizes. I removed the bolt, then marked the wheel for reinstallation using a sharpie. The wheel comes off and that's pretty much it. Not much drama, really.

With the wheel off you can then remove the cluster using the steps above. It is much easier with the wheel removed that's for sure....

I hope that helps - that was real quick and off the top of my - fuzzy - memory...hehe...At the time we did my repair we were also fixing my headrests, some burnt out dash lights, and also working on an M3 and a 325 so I was bouncing around a lot....

If you are going to do work on your 5 series I highly recommend the Bentley manual. It was invaluable during this work...

[Yankees368]

Damn shadowpuck...that was the most informative response to a post I have ever recieved on any forum. Thank you so much! I think that if the problem presists, I am going to have to purchase a new cluster off of ebay. Seeing that I have 0 skill and experience in this field, and the very fragile electronics system of these old BMWs, I will probably let my usual mechanic take care of this one when I get back home over the summer. Again, thank you!