AT Lighting

[JMI]

1989 535i

Is there anyway of determining if the AT gear indicator is of the illuminated type short of opening up entire center console and see if I have a burnt out bulb?

See part #13

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD23&mospid=47408&btnr=51_2232&hg=51&fg=35

TIA

Jim

[JMI]

Anyone?

[Maki]

I just dealt with this. The gear selector bezel (the flexible plastic ribbed cover surrounding the selector lever) broke up on my car and started bunching up, binding the lever when I tried to shift. Minor but annoying problem...but fixing it required partial disassembly of the console. While there I replaced the burned-out light bulb in the selector.

To start, the gear selector scale (PRN etc) is held in place with an adhesive. Use a razor blade, credit card or other thin, flexible object to work it carefully away from the console. It might help to do this on a sunny afternoon so the heat from the sun warms the cabin and softens the adhesive.

One the scale is out of the way you'll see a transparent plastic bar in the console bezel surround. Remove that and you'll see whether your selector is lighted -- the wheat-grain bulb should be in the cavity underneath, visible near the foremost of the two phillips-head screws holding the gear selector bezel surround in place.

Should you decide to replace the bulb and have thick clumsy fingers like me, you'll probably want to take the wood panel out of the console. First, move the gear selector out of park. Then use a T-15 Torx socket to remove the set screw in the gear selector handle and remove the handle.

Remove the two phillips screws that hold the bezel surround and take the surround off the console. Then you can get your fingers behind the veneer panel and work the forward connectors on the panel loose (they're held in place by friction). Once you get the clips loose, you can slide the panel forward and free the rear hooks holding it in place.

From there you can work the bulb socket out of the veneer panel (careful, old plastic is brittle) and replace the bulb. Assembly is the reverse of removal.

Take a close look at the gear selector bezel while you have everything apart. Judging by the fact that Worldpac jobbers have the part in stock in their online catalog, it appears to be a common wear item. (I bought from the dealer -- Doh!)