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Thread: DIY: Plasma Gauges Installation Guide

  1. #1
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    DIY: Plasma Gauges Installation Guide

    UPDATE

    WIRRING CONNECTIONS FOR DIFFERENT MODELS

    This will allow you to connect gauges power wires into interior illumination circuit. You will be tapping wires into instrument cluster illumination power and ground wires.

    BMW E30:
    white connector (C2)
    pin23 GREY/RED - power (+).
    pin16 BROWN - ground (-).

    BMW E36:
    white connector (X16)
    pin2 GREY/RED - power (+).
    pin24 BROWN/ORANGE - ground (-).

    BMW E39:
    black connector (X11175)
    pin1 BROWN/BLACK - ground (-).
    pin23 GREY/RED - power (+).

    BMW E46:
    black connector (X16)
    pin1 BROWN - ground (-).
    pin7 GREY/RED - power (+).

    WARNING!!!


    I am not responsible for any damage you may incur while attempting any of the following procedures. You should not attempt this procedure unless you are confident and patient. This is a step by step tutorial accompanied with pictures to help explain how to remove and take apart your BMW E36 instrument cluster, clean and install new plasma gauges.

    You do this at your own risk and I strongly recommend reading tutorial at least couple of times and getting familiar with all the steps before attempting the installation.


    This tutorial was done on BMW E36, but steps would be very similar to all other BMW models. If you own other type of vehicle (Audi, Mercedes Benz, Honda and etc.) some of the steps may be different, but you should still be able to tackle them in your own way. In other words, screws might be in different positions or different type of screws (slightly different tools may be needed). And, of course, instrument cluster would look differently, but the whole idea would be the same: remove it from the car, open it / take it apart, slide new gauges in and put it back the way it was.
    Follow the instructions below and you should get a rough idea how it is done. Once again, this is only from my own experience and please do not expect me to know everything. I strongly recommend reading on your car’s Owner’s Manual first and getting familiar with YOUR instrument cluster model.

    Looks like all LEGAL rights are covered and we are ready to ROCK!

    MENU:

    1. Pulling Out the Cluster from the Dashboard
    2. Taking the Cluster Apart
    3. Installing New Plasma Gauges
    4. Putting the Cluster Back Together
    5. Cluster Back in the Car, Setting up Power Supply



    1. Pulling Out the Cluster from the Dashboard.

    Here is how your cluster should look like before you start working on it:



    As you can see steering wheel is on the way and will make more problems for you to remove the cluster. Owner’s Manual would probably recommend removing the steering wheel first before moving to the cluster, but I found a way around it. My car was equipped with what is called ADJUSTABLE STEERING WHEEL and I’m able to slightly move steering wheel UP and DOWN by the help of this handle underneath:


    So I moved steering wheel DOWN as much as I could getting more room to maneuver with a cluster.
    Having this done next step is removing two screws, that hold cluster to the dashboard panel, by using a short screwdriver (short because there is no room for a standard one):




    After removing them try getting your finger on top of the cluster or use credit card / phone card between the cluster and panel and move it down to get your fingers in:



    Now you should be able to grab on the cluster and pull it out slowly:







    There are 3 cable harnesses (white, blue and black) that are connected to the cluster and you shall have to remove them. Press the little bump on connector with a tip of your finger or nail and try lifting little plastic lock up:



    Here is a detailed description how to unlock the harness. Press the little bump:



    And lift the white plastic piece up at the same time:





    Do this till you here a CLICK sound:



    Remove the white harness on the right hand side first and you should be able to pull the cluster out a little bit more:



    Try reaching the blue connector now, which is in the middle back of the cluster:



    And do the black one as well. Once 3 of those connectors are detached you should be able to pull the cluster out completely, keeping in mind steering wheel is removed or lowered down. That’s how it should look after cluster’s removal:



    Now, get somewhere comfortable, dry, clean and with a good lighting and get ready for taking the cluster apart.
    Last edited by DJ Genius; 02-26-2020 at 05:35 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  2. #2
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    2. Taking the Cluster Apart.

    This step will require some patience and precision. I made a picture of the tools I used for this step:



    Description:
    1. Plasma dials you want to install.
    2. Cluster unit you want to install your dials into.
    3. Mini screwdrivers, it’s handy to have the whole set ready.
    4. Wire connectors, 2 pairs of female and male. (The best is T-Taps).
    5. Wire cutters (easy and clean wire cut).
    6. Mini clamps for holding the dials while adhesive cures.
    7. Spray adhesive (only if you want to stick the dials permanently).

    Some of the tools are not necessary, but it makes the installation much easier and quicker.
    Get you cluster ready:



    Roll it upside down and find the screws that hold this unit together (they may be in different positions on other models):



    On BMW models there were torx screws used to make it more difficult to DIY (Do It Yourself) it instead of bringing it to the dealer and paying a fortune. So it is handy if you have a set of multiple sizes small torx screwdrivers. I tried using this:



    But it didn’t fit into the holes where screws were hidden, so I came up with an alternative and used a standard mini screwdriver instead:



    And this is how the torx screws look like, there were 4 of the all together:


    Torx screws removed and cluster is ready to be split opened. Wiggle one corner first, then the other, try this couple of times and you should the unit opening:



    Continue doing this and you should finally open it fully:



    Now it is the perfect timing to do some other DIY on your odometer digital display if there are some pixels missing or simply cleaning it, inspect and/or replace any burnt bulbs:



    If that looks as good as mine leave it aside, somewhere safe and cover it with a clean sheet of paper not to let any dust to sit on it.
    It’s time to tackle on the gauges unit now. There 3 plastic towers with white plastic locks on them that hold gauges unit attached to the cluster housing:



    I was able to turn these white lock with my fingers, you should be able to do the same. I would not recommend on using the screwdriver here because it’s so easy to scratch something if it slipped. Turn white lock anti-clockwise as shown in the picture below:






    After unlocking all 3 of them the white gauge unit should be pulled out using two hands and gripping on to white towers as shown in the picture:





    Pull it out gently and slowly:



    There you go, you have it apart now:



    Once again, it is a perfect timing for cleaning cluster’s housing of all the dust and particles in it:



    This is what you should have in front of you:



    Once you have your gauges out make sure you do not touch the needles much, because they are calibrated and properly set for your car.

    This section is only if you want to re-calibrate your needles.
    If you need to re-calibrate the needles you should know how much a particular needle needs to be moved to the right or left. You can do this by gently spinning the needle clockwise until you reach a slight resistance; here is where you calibrate it. Push the needle more and next time it will go up more on your gauge. If your needles travel too much on the gauge do the same thing only anti-clockwise this time. Remember, this is DIY method of calibration and you need to know by how much your needle needs to be calibrated, couple millimeters clockwise or anticlockwise.
    Please do not do this if you are not confident.

    Get a proper size screwdriver and remove all the screws as shown below:





    You should feel gauges getting loser and moving a bit. That’s what those screws are there for, to hold gauges intact a white body frame.
    Roll it upside down and push to clips slightly towards yourself:





    After doing this you should be able to detach the economy or oil temperature gauge (depends on the car and model) from the main unit and unscrew the other two screws:



    This was the last step of taking the cluster unit apart. The next step will explain how to install the new gauges and put everything back together.
    Last edited by DJ Genius; 02-26-2020 at 09:11 AM.

  3. #3
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    3. Installing New Plasma Gauges.

    Having all the gauges apart and ready it is time take new plasma gauges out of the box. Star with economy / oil temperature gauge first (the smallest and easiest to install).
    I used spray adhesive because I had bad experience with my previous plasma gauges. Needles were sticking on them because they didn’t sit flush. But using adhesive will make them sit in there permanently and it is completely up to you to choose what to do. If you are not afraid or work you can try not using adhesive and see how it works out and if needles stick you can always take it apart again in use some adhesive or double sided duck tape around the areas where the needle catches on the gauge.
    Anyways, I chose the adhesive route and it made my installation very messy and sticky. Without adhesive it is so much easier and cleaner.
    Before using adhesive I strongly recommend installing gauges without it and getting familiar how it slides on the needles. I didn’t need to remove needles, because I found the way to slide gauges over them gently and successfully. Try doing this couple of times first to get the idea and hang of it.
    Once you are confident you can do it quite fast (because adhesive sets quite fast and you will not have much time to play around) get the gauge upside down and apply a layer of adhesive on it. My spray adhesive was so powerful I was sorry I didn’t try it before using it. I strongly recommend trying it on something to feel the spray power and see the area it covers:



    Once the adhesive is sprayed you need to act quick and precise, no messing is allowed at this moment. Get the gauge on the original gauge unit and make sure it sits exactly where the old gauge is:



    Use some mini clamps and clamp them around the needle, the area where it may catch on the gauge and also get 2 screws and screw them back in where they belong:



    Now you know what way it works and you should be ready and confident to install a bigger gauge. But bigger gauge has two holes where needles need to get through. So train yourself to install it quick without any adhesive on it. Here are the steps you should follow if you want to install it with no problems.
    Firstly, slide the gauge on the small needle first (water temperature):



    Marked red is the area that need to bent and moved under the needle. Press on it with a tip of your finger and bend plasma gauge slightly:



    This way you should be able to pull on the right corner of the plasma dial while pressing and pushing on the left side by the needle (marked red). It should slide under the needle black housing and you should get more room to maneuver around the needle.
    Now move the bigger needle to about “1 o’clock” so you could push it into the plasma hole as shown in the picture below:


    And bend the plasma gauge the same way you did on water temperature needle:



    You should notice that the back tip of the needle catches on the plasma gauge as well, so you need to keep it up while pulling and pressing on the marked red area around the needle housing from the picture above. Once the plasma gauge slides under the black needle housing, slide is a far down as you can so you the rest of the gauge would clear of the needle back tip and sit flush on the original gauge:



    The removal of the gauges is a complete opposite process. You should try this couple of times to get familiar with it before using adhesive or double-sided duck tape.
    If you feel confident enough, spray a thin layer of adhesive on the back side of the plasma gauge and do installation process you have learned.
    It should be much harder to do it with adhesive, because it stick to anything you touch, but do no worry about it. As you can see from the pictures, my needles got some adhesive on them as well. I cleaned them after everything was done with White Spirit and a small brush. It took me 5 minutes and all excessive adhesive was removed successfully.
    Once you get the gauges installed, align them properly. Make sure the holes in plasma gauges are align with needles’ black housing and they are centered. Do this quick while adhesive is not set.

    Get 4 screws and screw them where they belong on gauge unit:



    Try doing the same with the other bigger gauge. Install it first without adhesive and get familiar with it. Once you are confident enough, spray a thin layer of adhesive on the back side of the plasma gauge:



    And quickly slide it on the fuel needle first:



    Press on the top part of the plasma gauge by the needle’s black housing while pulling on the bottom part of the gauge:



    Slide it down as much as you can to get clearance from the bottom tip of the needle:



    That’s how it should look after the small needle is done:



    And quickly install the bigger end of the gauge by moving the km/h needle to “10 o’clock”:



    Slide it on the needle:



    Bend and pull the gauge as explained earlier:



    Slide it down as much as you can to get clearance from the bottom tip of the needle and get the needle stop pin through the gauge as well:





    Align and center plasma gauge to a needle black housing and put some clamps on the gauge unit:


    Double make sure areas around needles are as flush as possible, because that is where your needles would catch on, stop and get stuck.
    Leave the adhesive to set for 15-20 min. or as recommended on the package. That’s how it should look after adhesive sets:



    4. Putting the Cluster Back Together.

    Put economy / oil temperature gauge back on to gauge unit:


    Push it in until it locks:



    The whole gauge unit back in one piece:



    Install gauge unit back into the cluster housing gently, try not to touch any of the needles, lock the white locks clockwise:



    Using a chisel or a knife make a small cut on the cluster PCB/bulbs housing as shown in the picture below:



    This way plasma gauge wires won’t be jammed, bent or damaged:



    Before finally closing the unit make sure plasma gauge wires do not cover any of the bulbs. I noticed this only when everything was put back together and installed in the car, wires covered top of the bulbs where high beam illumination light is and I had a horizontal line across it. Had to take it out and apart again. Do not do the same mistake. Make sure those wires are somewhere in the middle of the cluster.

    Close the cluster and put back 4 torx screws in:



    And here is your cluster’s new look:

    Last edited by DJ Genius; 02-27-2020 at 05:38 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  4. #4
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    5. Cluster Back in the Car, Setting up Power Supply.

    You should find an inverter in your plasma gauges kit. This inverter does a similar job as CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) inverter does. It is a device for providing drive power to a plasma gauge.
    There are 2 power wires in the inverter: red (+12V) and black (-). Now you need to find +12V and ground (-) wires in your cluster harness. These 2 wires have to be of the illumination circuit, meaning your gauges will be turned on only when cluster illumination is on.
    There are couple different wiring systems for BMW E36 models and the best thing to do is to find them using wiring diagrams. I managed to find them in 10min. and it wasn't that hard.


    Inverter's red wire needs to be connected to cluster's white harness pin2 GREY/RED wire and inverter's black wire to white harness pin24 BROWN/ORANGE wire:




    You may find that wires on your model are different. Then here is what you need to do:
    1. Get electrical wiring diagrams for your model/year.
    2. Find "Interior Lights/Illumination" diagram (name could be different as well).
    This diagram will show all the devices that get illumination from the power distribution box.
    3. Find "INSTRUMENT CLUSTER" unit:




    You can see that power comes from GRY/RED (GREY/RED) wire into X16 connector (that is cluster's white harness) to pin2 (this could be a different harness or pin on your model).
    This GRY/RED wire brings the power to the cluster and turns on all illumination devices on it. That is exactly what we want for our plasma gauges.
    Since you know the +12V power pin number of the white connector, it is time to find a ground wire from the same connector.

    4. Find "Instrument Panel" diagram.
    Connectors were marked "CONN A", "CONN B" and "CONN C" on my diagram, so I couldn't tell which is the needed X16 connector. I had to match the wires colour coding and figure out that X16 was a CONN A connector. And I also found GRY/RED wire in pin2 of this connector.
    Now have a look where this white connector gets the ground from. You can easily see all the ground wires at the bottom of the diagram and the one going into X16 white connector is BRN/ORG and it goes into pin24 of the white connector:


    5. Connect a voltmeter or inverter wires and double check if inverter switches on together with your parking lights/illumination lights:

    Like I mentioned before, your electrical system could be different, but follow my steps and you will find the required +12V and ground wires in less than 10min.

    I used T-Taps for tapping inverter wires quickly:



    I highly recommend on using them, because they make the wiring so much easier and cleaner.
    Tap one of these quick taps over the power 12V+ or ground wire and plug plasma gauges wire into it:



    Couldn’t be any easier!

    Once you have your inverter hidden and secured, power wires connected to original power supply wires:



    Connect plasma gauge’s wires to inverter wires:



    And switch on your parking light switch. Here is a moment where your plasma gauges should light up, but if you installing it at a day time, you wouldn’t be able to see it. Try making some shadow over it and etc. and make sure everything works before you install the cluster back in the dashboard panel.
    Put the cluster back into the dashboard panel and connect black, blue and white power supply harnesses:



    Slide cluster unit back into the instrument panel hole:



    Put two screws back in and torque them:



    Do not forget to align your steering wheel. The final view should be similar to this:




    And here are some pictures of other type/design plasma gauges installed:


    Yensed - BMW E36 (BLACK/AMBER)


    James - BMW E46 (WHITE/BLUE)


    Cesar - BMW E46 (BLACK/BLUE)


    There you go!!! You have done it!!! Congratulations!!!


    I have tried to be as detailed as possible for everybody to understand the installation process. Some of the steps can be changed and used for other car models easily.

    Thank you for reading it and I hope I helped you out.

    Cheers.

    Danius
    Last edited by DJ Genius; 02-27-2020 at 06:11 PM.

  5. #5
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    i always wanted those gauges but could only find km/h and I need mph.

  6. #6
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    Fantastic DIY!

    Who makes/sells these? Do they have them in black face in MPH? If not, then I'm still eagerly awaiting the day you start to make and sell them.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dmyerzzz View Post
    i always wanted those gauges but could only find km/h and I need mph.
    Quote Originally Posted by slocar View Post
    Fantastic DIY!

    Who makes/sells these? Do they have them in black face in MPH? If not, then I'm still eagerly awaiting the day you start to make and sell them.
    Yes, I have black faces on the way
    Check my other thread, fellas:
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1262464

  8. #8
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    ill take thise do you have the ac gauges to match?

  9. #9
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    No AC gauges at the moment. I've checked on OEM gauges and they're acutally painted over from inside the unit (that what makes it light up as amber). So I need to find out if paint stripper would do the job and strip all the paint of leaving OEM gauges blank white so plasma gauges could light through. If that works out, I'd need to make a desing template and in 4-5 weeks I'd get the stuff

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dmyerzzz View Post
    ill take thise do you have the ac gauges to match?
    Any pictures of those actually produced/in the car??

    Also, I don't recommend splicing down into any of the wires, instead use the OEM retrofit kit for the illuminated shift knob.

    illuminated shift knob E36 retro-fit kit 61 12 2 231 560 (looks like the picture attached, thanks to oldskool)

    this plugs in right behind the rheostat/dimmer switch right next to the steering wheel.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by filler; 07-20-2009 at 04:56 PM.
    E82

  11. #11
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  12. #12
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    Hey, those look like my gauges

  13. #13
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  14. #14
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    how do u get the needles to still show color? i did mine but pulled my needles off the gauge's and now the needles don't light up

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by MrPedo View Post
    how do u get the needles to still show color? i did mine but pulled my needles off the gauge's and now the needles don't light up
    First of all you didn't need to remove the needles.
    Second, you probably damaged or just moved a little bit of that clear plastic inside the needle. I would suggest to remove them again and inspect the needles and the gauge, maybe there is something stuck in there.

  16. #16
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    About how long does this whole process take? I'm only installing regular face gauges not plasma. TIA

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by atlantisvip View Post
    About how long does this whole process take? I'm only installing regular face gauges not plasma. TIA
    I would give it 2 hours if it is the first time you take the cluster apart.
    I could probably do it in 45min. after I had cluster taken out 5 times. It is very straight forward once you know where all the screws and locking latches are.

  18. #18
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    Ya, is it just a simple issue of the face blocking the light going to the needles? My needle after putting in a white face also become very dim for some reason. Not bright at all.
    BMW E60 530i & F30 320i

    "Its sometimes better to shut up and be thought of as a fool than to speak and have all doubts removed"

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex0607 View Post
    Ya, is it just a simple issue of the face blocking the light going to the needles? My needle after putting in a white face also become very dim for some reason. Not bright at all.
    There's a small ring at the base of the needle that shines light INTO the needle. Some aftermarket gauge faces cover this up and cause them to go dim.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex0607 View Post
    Ya, is it just a simple issue of the face blocking the light going to the needles? My needle after putting in a white face also become very dim for some reason. Not bright at all.
    Yeah, the design of the needle is very simple. It has a clear plastic inside of it that gets lit through the center hole by cluster bulbs. Once you pull it out you need to make sure there's nothing on the way between the light source and that clear plastic.
    Last edited by DJ Genius; 03-16-2010 at 03:59 PM.

  21. #21
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  22. #22
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    cant wait to get some. awsome write up!

  23. #23
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    guagess

    hey im new to this site i just got my first car its a 1998 bmw 328i and i want to know if u can tell me were to get that black guage from with the red nd blue gauge light the one displayed in the dark

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by disbedope62 View Post
    hey im new to this site i just got my first car its a 1998 bmw 328i and i want to know if u can tell me were to get that black guage from with the red nd blue gauge light the one displayed in the dark
    Hey. Welcome to the forum!
    Please check here:
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1299373

    Please PM me for more details.

  25. #25
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    anyone know how to change the color of the odometer?

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