1995 540i new owner!!

[ericsyzf]

Good morning e34 brotherhood!

I am the proud new owner of a somewhat neglected but low mile 1995 540i. Its a black, auto with 76,000 miles (original as far as I can tell).

Ive been fixing things as I go and getting great help from this forum but I've run up against a few things I have not been able to figure out. I have done numerous searches on this board and havent been able to nail this down.

The dash seems to work fine except the center information center and odometer are not lighting up. Instrument lights and function are fine. I can see the digits if I shine a flashlight so I assumed bad bulbs. I pulled the dash and replaced the bulbs with no change. I purchased bulbs from my local parts store. They fit OK but were not exactly the same. Not sure if thats a problem. I checked fuses under the hood and under the rear seat and all test good. The OBC also does not light up or seem to function. Checked the OBC bulbs and they test OK, but still no worky. I even bought a used OBC and same deal so I am guessing its not getting power.

I removed the tan crash control relay/module because the hazards were going off on their own. Could that have any impact on my dash lighting issue?

I am wondering if the dash lighting and OBC power are related in some way or if theres some other system that controls them that I'm not looking at.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks, Eric

[OutAndBack]

Dash lighting issue is more than likely just a bulb or a few bulbs that need to be replaced.

I've had replacement OBCs not light up as well, the bulbs are quite particular. I'd try taking a known working bulb out of something else and popping it in the OBC to check for function before digging in deeper.

[ericsyzf]

I did test the OBC and dash bulbs and they test OK. Thank you for your input.

[OutAndBack]

Did you test them for continuity or connect them to power to see illumination? If they did in-fact illuminate, the next thing to check would be your headlight and dimmer switches; these switches can cause unpredictable issues when they are failing.

[ericsyzf]

I tested for continuity. I'll apply power or try them in a differnet spot to ensure they light up. I did suspect the dimmer could be the culprit. I'll see if it dims the rest of the dash or not. It is just the odometer and the LED read out that are not lighting up. Thanks.

[Leonator134]

Cool beans! Welcome.

[OutAndBack]

As odd as it sounds, sometimes the dimmer and headlight switches will appear to function just fine, but certain lights won't work as they should. You would have to pull the switches and test each pin individually to make sure the entire switch is functioning.