Instrument Cluster Replacing

[Ariel525i]

Hi guys,

I just got a refurbished instrument cluster from Ebay for my Aug 1988 production 525i m/t. I plan to do a DIY replacement. My question is: is it a simple switch? Pull out connectors, then plug back in on the new cluster? Or should i take note of anything electrical, say like disconnecting the battery, etc.?

Thanks.

Ariel:)

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Disconnect the battery, because you'll probably need to remove the steering wheel to remove and replace the cluster with ease.

there is also the coding plug the the back that should be swaped to preserve the mileage of the car.

[shogun]

A 08/1988 probably does not have a coding plug inside the back of the cluster, it is in the wire loom.
So what colour is the backplate of your replacement cluster? White, blue?

Anyway, if you install another one with the coding plug in the back, your car will have the data of the donor car then as well as the mileabge, the VIN etc.
If you got a grey cluster without coding plug, then the old original data will be same with new cluster.
In case you have an airbag system on your car, disconnect the battery, otherwise you have a warning coming up.
Go to my website below, there are instructions how to do under DIY, also the good old one from Bill R. in case you have airbag, if no airbag: go to the link to Johan & Sean under other DIY links, he has it in detail.
Even if the backplate colour is different, just plug it in and good luck.

[Ariel525i]

A 08/1988 probably does not have a coding plug inside the back of the cluster, it is in the wire loom.
So what colour is the backplate of your replacement cluster? White, blue?

Anyway, if you install another one with the coding plug in the back, your car will have the data of the donor car then as well as the mileabge, the VIN etc.
If you got a grey cluster without coding plug, then the old original data will be same with new cluster.
In case you have an airbag system on your car, disconnect the battery, otherwise you have a warning coming up.
Go to my website below, there are instructions how to do under DIY, also the good old one from Bill R. in case you have airbag, if no airbag: go to the link to Johan & Sean under other DIY links, he has it in detail.
Even if the backplate colour is different, just plug it in and good luck.
Thanks Bob & Shogun.

My cluster has the grey back. My steering wheel is a non-airbag one. I switched the clusters already. However, upon starting the car I noticed two problems: 1) Check Engine started blinking non-stop (which never happened before), and (2) the display where the mileage is seems to have a busted bulb since i can still make out the mileage, less the lit pixels. How do i address each of the problems?

[shogun]

so your old one was grey as I assumed from built year and the new one is also grey?
Just remove the plugs on the back side and insert them again and try once more.
Bulbs changing here
http://twrite.org/shogunnew/fixes/instruments.html

Is the new one from a car with transmission or manual respect. same like yours?

[Ariel525i]

Yes, the refurbished one is grey as well. However, i really can't tell if it came from a manual tranny unit as well. Would that be an issue? I'll try resetting the connectors and see if it works.

[shogun]

if it is also a grey one, should be o.k., because all data are in the chip in the wire loom. The chip contains a lot of data, such as VIN, K-Zahl (for calculating the speed), chassis number etc, details here and there you can also the chip
http://bmwe32.masscom.net/johan/299960/299960.html
Clean the contacts of the cluster with good electric cleaner, maybe the cluster was out of the other car already a long time and some contacts might be corroded.

Here are all pins explained, so you can check these pins especially
http://www.e32-schrauber.de/bmw/s-stecker-kombi.htm

[Ariel525i]

I took out the cluster again and cleaned the terminals and replugged the contact but still got the blinking check engine. What i noticed though, was that on my old rear cluster, the check engine slot didn't have a bulb, but on the new one it had one. No wonder i never saw the check engine light light up. Could it be that i do have a fault code? Only thing i find weird with the engine lately is that when its warmed up, it has a snarling sound which i think are bad valve timing. What are tell tale signs of bad valve timing? :(

[shogun]

as you mention km for your car, it is probably not a U.S. specification, so you cannot make a stomp test, that is only possible on U.S. spec. cars.
Either a costly visit to the dealer to read codes, or if you have a Peake fault code reader, then read the codes.