Obc

[///Sniper535]

So I bought this one of ebay...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=110069451937&rd=1&rd=1
I plugged it in but it didnt turn on...

bad OBC?

I noticed that the plug has more grooves than mine but they dont interfere with anything.

[shogun]

The one you bought is without code plug.
The one without code plug requires a cluster in high version, which means that the cluster has the check control indication at the bottom.

If you have a LOW version cluster without the check control line, you need a OBC with built in code chip, so that the code chip actually does what is done in the other HIGH version cluster.

To understand it easier, go here to page 41 pic 69 and 70.
On the left side you see the OBC with built in chip and underneath the LOW version cluster

on the right side in pic 69 you see the OBC without builtin chip and thereunder the corresponding HIGH version cluster which matches.

The part numbers are the same on the OBC, it just depends whether a code chip is added as necessary, or not, depending on the cluster version
Forget about the German instructions, just look at page 41
http://www.gunnar525.de/screwings/bc4_einbau.pdf

For example E32 7 series have always the high version clutser, they just need what you bought.
Compare both your old and the new one.

Do you get any power to the connection? Have you checked the fuses?
There is a very special one in a secret place as it is connected with the drive away protection system via the OBC.
I have made pics of this fuse, it sits in a slot in the base of the rear seats driver side. Lift the seat up and you find a small slot in the base ,.

Let me know.

[billy]

i thought all 535's came with the high cluster/check control?

[///Sniper535]

I put in my old OBC back, theres power there.

My screen has a few cracks, so can i just switch the screens somehow?

[JMI]

It is very possible that the bulb(s) are burnt out. There are 3. Try switching out the known working ones from your old unit into the display of your "new" unit. I bought an OBC from ebay, thought it was bad, it was the bulbs ;). Works great.

Jim

[shogun]

That is also a possibility. Use a flashlight and hold it at an angle onto the dispaly, then switch button, then you might see numbers etc. If that is possible, bulbs are to be changed.

Basically it is possible to change the display screen but not that easy. I would not touch it. But if you want, here some links from my website
http://evansweb.info/articles/2003/02/22/obc-part-1-disassembly
http://evansweb.info/articles/2003/02/24/obc-part-2-changing-the-backlight-colour
http://evansweb.info/articles/2003/02/24/obc-part-3-reassembly

Maybe polishing helps to get the scratches out.

[kesslerbmw]

Is there a translated article on turning a non OBC car into one?

One of my cars has the clock/Temp guage, but not the OBC. I have a parts car with a good working OBC and all the wiring intact. Is there a way to swap it out easily even if I don't have the other functions. I just don't like how much bigger the digits are and how they are a different color compared the the OBC version.

[shogun]

Not that I know of, Gunnar in Germany has the best write-ups on this, see under Schraubereien
http://www.gunnar525.de/
Try a translating machine like altavista. In any case there are a lot of pics which help.

[///Sniper535]

So i checked the bulds, they were fried to a black crisp somehow.

So I bought new ones from BMW. It works great now. Thanks for the help!

[BMWCCA1]

So i checked the bulds, they were fried to a black crisp somehow.

So I bought new ones from BMW. It works great now. Thanks for the help!The part film shows the wrong bulbs for this application. If they were both fried they were probably the wrong ones. If the ones your dealer gave you looked the same, they're probably wrong. If the base was flat and short, they're the wrong ones. If the base was long, black, square, you should be okay. I know someone had pics here recently...

Here's the correct bulb:
http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/maintenance/electrical/Data/OBCbulb6.jpg

Check this link (http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/maintenance/electrical/panel_lights.htm)

and here's info from this list:


Bill R. wrote:
Default The ETK lists the wrong bulb for the OBC, the correct part number is 62 11 1 368 299. The bulb listed in the etk is too low a voltage and wattage. The correct bulb is a 12volt 1.2 watt bulb. Your bmw parts counter guys should know this.

[LunatiC]

Kessler, my 525i had the digital clock/temperature gauge before I swapped it out with an OBC. It's not that hard of a job to do.

All I did was take out the old OBC and filed away the plastic holder that holds it into place (you will know what I mean once you have your radio and OBC out) so that the back hole was big enough for the OBC to slot in through. This is required, since the digital clock/temp display is not as deep as the OBC, and the plastic assembly that keeps everything together is made for the digital clock. You can use a dremmel to do the job quicker, but I don't have one, so I had to use a small saw and a file. The plug for the OBC will need to be plugged in yourself at the back before you 'click' the OBC back in.

Everything works except for Range, which is giving me exaggerated values (which doesn't worry me too much). Apparently there is a range factor that you can adjust in TEST mode, however I have read that this value gets reset to 1000 every time you switch off your car, so range is something I can live without.

The only thing I am missing from a complete OBC set up is the BC replacement indicator stalk because a) I didn't have one, and b) I'm too lazy to pull everything apart on my steering column to replace it. Since you have a parts car it would most probably have the BC stalk, so you could do this as well if you like.

Most of the English information about upgrading your OBC is for E34s that had the analogue clock installed, these guys have it hard because a lot of the sensors required for the functions of the OBC are missing. Either way, there could be information that may be of value to you, especially if you plug it in and the OBC isn't working as you would expect it to, just go here: http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/upgrade/OBC.htm


Is there a translated article on turning a non OBC car into one?

One of my cars has the clock/Temp guage, but not the OBC. I have a parts car with a good working OBC and all the wiring intact. Is there a way to swap it out easily even if I don't have the other functions. I just don't like how much bigger the digits are and how they are a different color compared the the OBC version.

[///Sniper535]

The part film shows the wrong bulbs for this application. If they were both fried they were probably the wrong ones. If the ones your dealer gave you looked the same, they're probably wrong. If the base was flat and short, they're the wrong ones. If the base was long, black, square, you should be okay. I know someone had pics here recently...

Here's the correct bulb:
http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/maintenance/electrical/Data/OBCbulb6.jpg

Check this link (http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/maintenance/electrical/panel_lights.htm)

and here's info from this list:

Those are the bulbs i took out of my old OBC and the new OBC. They are also the bulbs i bought at the dealer.