petrol reserve light not working?

[joyrider]

Hey guys.
I replaced my dials with white ones but now the reserve petrol light doesn't work.
I took out the cluster but could not see the obvious place for the bulb.
Is there a replacement bulb for this?
If so does anybody know where it goes?
On the back of the cluster there is a hole for a bulb, but it was empty when I took it out yet the light worked.
The ones that are labelled @ the back don't have anything for it.
can anyone help?

[massive]

In that case mine doesnt work either - i just thought E30's didnt have a reserve light

[tylerma]

could the bulb have fell out
when you took the cluster out?

there should be one there mate

[Brianmoooore]

E30s have a reseve fuel lamp. It is reliable and accurate, and comes on with about six litres left, but of course it won't work if the bulb (on the back of the cluster housing, with all the others), is missing.
The fuel needle goes down past the red painted section, and on to the part that lights up before the lamp comes on.

[joyrider]

I took the plastic seethrough cluster bit off to have a closer look.
There is a housing for a bulb behind it and i put a new bulb in but still no luck!!
The car hasn't move and before i took the clusters out the light was on, after putting the white dials in (with a ne bulb) the light is still not coming on.
Anybody any ideas.

[TouringMatt]

Where does your needle sit when you have a full tank?

I knocked mine once and a full tank would put the needle past the max mark, as a result an empty tank would out of the red section on the gauge - seemed to effect the reserve light as it didnt light up!

Could be worth a look

Matt

[Martinaston]

I thought it was an LED the same as the service lights

[stevetigger]

I thought it was an LED the same as the service lights

ditto but didn't say because last time I put up my thoughts about twenty people told me I was wrong, when infact I was right

[TouringMatt]

100% certain its a bulb, just double checked my spare cluster to make sure i was not going mad

Matt

[stevetigger]

100% certain its a bulb, just double checked my spare cluster to make sure i was not going mad

Matt

oi less of that, its an led

[Brianmoooore]

E30 low fuel light is a bulb that clips in on the back of the cluster like all the rest. There's a matching one behind the red part of the temp gauge for an overheat light that BMW never got around to fitting.
The low fuel light is a simple bulb and switch circuit. - Nothing to do with the fuel level gauge, other than the switch and the sender are in the same housing. Low level light would still work with all the fuel gauge circuitryremoved.

[Splod]

Does it not come on anyway when you turn the ignition on, as a check that it's working? I am sure mine used to do that but it doesnt now, so maybe I have dreamt the whole thing.

[pete325i]

My reserve light has never worked.
I've always assumed this was something to do with the OBC fuel reading (pressing 1 and 1000 together displayed litres left) This nearly always says 3.5litres even when the tank is full. This messes up the range display.
Any ideas. Does the OBC have a differnet sensor for the fuel level than the dash fuel gauge?

Thanks

Pete

[Brianmoooore]

My reserve light has never worked.
Any ideas. Does the OBC have a differnet sensor for the fuel level than the dash fuel gauge?

Thanks

Pete

Different sensor. Never seen a reserve light that didn't work yet. You're just not emptying the tank enough.

[Brianmoooore]

Does it not come on anyway when you turn the ignition on, as a check that it's working? I am sure mine used to do that but it doesnt now, so maybe I have dreamt the whole thing.

You were dreaming

[stevetigger]

Does it not come on anyway when you turn the ignition on, as a check that it's working? I am sure mine used to do that but it doesnt now, so maybe I have dreamt the whole thing.

You were dreaming

They do come on for a split second when you turn the ignition on!

[Brianmoooore]

Does it not come on anyway when you turn the ignition on, as a check that it's working? I am sure mine used to do that but it doesnt now, so maybe I have dreamt the whole thing.

You were dreaming

They do come on for a split second when you turn the ignition on!

It doesn't, or is not supposed to. It's just a simple lamp and switch with no "test" circuit, although a minor fault in the OBC (if fitted) could conceivably cause a brief flash at start up.

[stulane]

Mine doesn't work either, never has. Only ran out of fuel once but wanted to know how long i could go before it would give up. went for bloody ages!