E30 Zone

Hello,

I will be removing my Instrument cluster this weekend, as of late when first starting the car the rev needle takes abotu 20 seconds to react to read the rev's... would this be something to do with the infamous batteries ? - I was thinking of taking the whole unit out and replacing the bulbs too as a couple are a bit dim.

The speed bulb especially. What bulbs should I buy? any imp articular brand people prefer?

Also I may aswell tighten the brass nuts for the temp and fuel while I have it off?

And the last Q, can I just use normal rechargeable AA batterys ? for the SI board?

I'm guessing its all pretty simple to change - batterys and bulbs once you have the cluster out. ( I have a guide on this, but I have a tech 2 wheel, does the whole centre remove with a flat screwdriver? or just the BMW emblem? as per the tech 1)

Cheers

James

Tech 2 wheel centre pops off,as you suggest.
Cluster can have either ni-cad or lithumn batteries,you will need to dismantle to find out,but will be well stuck in place.
Sure your 'dim bulbs' are not the adjuster on the switch turned down?

daimlerman wrote:Tech 2 wheel centre pops off,as you suggest.
Cluster can have either ni-cad or lithumn batteries,you will need to dismantle to find out,but will be well stuck in place.
Sure your 'dim bulbs' are not the adjuster on the switch turned down?

Nope, defiantly a dodgy bulb as I have to tap the front of the cluster some days for the said bulb (behind speedo) to even come on some mornings... Which bulb shall I buy for that? is it a case of just unscrew that from the rear?

Cheers

Yes,there is a plastic 'thingy' that quarter turns out,a capless bulb pulls out from that.
Just been to a spare cluster to look for the bulb size for you and of course it's not marked!
I THINK it's a 5w capless you need,but I cannot be sure,and fitting a bigger than standard bulb can melt the orange shield,so take care to replace with the same that is in there.
There may be a bulb size list in the wiki,if you can find your way around it...

Cheers daimlerman,

as for the battery, IF they are lithumn (which they should be on the later model -1991) AA recharge ones are OK?

tez180 wrote:
Also I may aswell tighten the brass nuts for the temp and fuel while I have it off?

I beg your pardon?!

I've read about the gears for the needles failing at high mileages. I'd be tempted to get the kit that renews the gears as a future-proofing measure too.

you aint really gota remove the steering wheel, just slide it out on the left

Get the bulbs from the stealers. They're very cheap, and you are guaranteed to get the right ones first time....you dont want to have to take it out a second time just to replace substandard bulbs that have died through vibration!

Just to add, it's 3W bulbs you need, £3.40 for 10 on ebay (clicky).

5W will melt stuff.

And as has been said, it's possible (and easy) to remove the cluster without taking the steering wheel off. Remove all screws, pull it forward from the top by the two tabs (where you took 2 screws out), face down onto the steering column (the clocks, not you), remove wires, slide out to the left. It might need a bit of jiggling, but it's fairly easy

Whilst you're in there could you have a look at the bulb and holder for the Battery Warning (idiot light) please - I'm having a mare of a time getting hold of one.
Cheers
Ru

HeelToe wrote:Just to add, it's 3W bulbs you need, £3.40 for 10 on ebay (clicky).

5W will melt stuff.

And as has been said, it's possible (and easy) to remove the cluster without taking the steering wheel off. Remove all screws, pull it forward from the top by the two tabs (where you took 2 screws out), face down onto the steering column (the clocks, not you), remove wires, slide out to the left. It might need a bit of jiggling, but it's fairly easy

Nice one,

But I think my steering wheel has been put no the piss as even driving dead straight it is pointing towards 11 o'clock. So might check that too.

Is it 3W bulbs for all the ones in there? behind the clock I mean.

Cheers

Yeah, there are 2 bulbs for illuminating the dash, both 3W capless

Great, Cheers HeelToe.

Listen to HeelToe. Ignore all others!
Lithium batteries are NOT interchangeable with NiCd ones. The boards are of a different design with different circuitry.
The age of the car can't be used as an indication of which version might be fitted. BMW rebuilt failed SI boards and reused them, so it's a matter of pot luck which type you have.

Yeah, cheers Brian.

Would this battery trouble also be why my rev needle decides when it would like to work? I.E about 2 mins in, or straight away..

Or is there something else worked loose back there.

The lithium battery board is far more reliable than the NiCd version, but it's still an electronic circuit, and can fail. Weird tacho behaviour (rather than just not working) seems to be associated with the lithium board, so you probably have one of these.
The batteries rarely fail on these boards, and if they do, I wouldn't expect any obvious faults to show up under normal use. Unfortunately, unless you are lucky enough to find a poor connection or cracked soldered joint, it will probably need a fresh board to cure this.

Thought as much... Does anywhere still have them for sale?

Be easier if I can just get a new one, just unplug the old one and fully replace, might save some ballache in the future.

tez180 wrote:Does anywhere still have them for sale?
Be easier if I can just get a new one.

BMW will happily sell you a new one, but personally I can think of many other things that I'd prefer to spend that quantity of money on!
The boards are generally reliable, so get a second hand lithium one, or a second hand NiCd one that isn't corroded, and fit new batteries.
You should be able to get a guaranteed good one from one of the established traders on here.

Right, Cheers Brian.