Help !!!!!!!! Cluster....

[NYCBIMMIN]

This Was Posted About A Month Ago. I Have A 93 325is My Cluster Keeps Shuting Down! I Know This Is A Problem In Early E36 Models.i Aslo Learned Alot Of Info On What Causes It....,from Dealers And From Bf.i Just Want To Know If Any Body Has Any New Info On This Situation .....the Last I Heard Was Its A Module In The Dash Witch Shuts Down Due 2 Moisture.???? That Was From A Dealer. The Only Way 2 Fix It Is To Replace The Entire Dash!!!! If Any One Has Any Further Info Pls Help.............thanx

[Boost Infection]

I was just about to post on the "Dying Cluster" Thread. I wanted to also find an update. The dealer told me today they can fix it but shop rate is $90 per hour :confused .Thats 1 hour to get in the car :confused then 1 more hour to sit in the seat :confused then 1 more hour to pull the 2 screws for the cluster. You get the picture :eyecrazy I just brought a second cluster an still not fix.

[NYCBIMMIN]

From What I Was Told Its A Damn Module In The Dash!!!!!!!! I Give Up .but Its Annoying As Hell!!!!!!

[Boost Infection]

:mad Annoying as hell is :mad is right. I am about to just cut open :devillook my dash and look for this module. Their must be a way to bypass the module :evil2 if thats whats causing the cluster problems :mad :mad :mad :mad

[dmyoung]

Hey Boost, are you sure the used cluster is a good one? I'm always nervous about buying used electrical parts. Also, what happened to the mileage when you put in the second cluster (was the cluster's higher or lower than the car's, and which ended up displaying on the dash after the swap)?

[Boost Infection]

The one in the car has 71,000 miles and thats the original one. The one I bought has 62,000 and it came from a wreaked 95 M3. I had the M3 one in for a couple of days and it worked on and off just like the original one :mad I just put back in the old one. The saga continues.....

[dmyoung]

So the M3 cluster still showed 62,000 after you plugged it into your car? Interesting, I thought they were supposed to updated to whichever component has the higher mileage, but I've also heard that they don't really. Guess yours proves it out. Anyway, the only way to really rule out your car is to track down someone with an E36 in your area and without the problem, and to either put the M3 cluster in their car, or their cluster in yours. You'll be able to see pretty quickly if the M3 cluster is wonky too

[Slick Willi]

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3481413#post3481413

Look at the posts an e-mail the lady she can set you up and probably get your clusters replaced for free..... i have e-mailed her and i was forwarded to a rep and now im waiting for her to call me back ( just had a dealer inspection) she should be calling tommorow hope this helps yall

[Boost Infection]

Yes it still read 62,000 when I swaped it. I also did the cluster switch with another car and it did work. I dont understand

[Boost Infection]

The weird thing is that when you drop into a pothole or go over a bump the cluster will come back on :eyecrazy But here is where I am puzzled :eyecrazy :eyecrazy Wipers wont work on 1 or 2 but when you put it in position 3 bingo :eek: the cluster starts to work until you turn them off then the cluster goes off also. I was seriously think it would be some kind of ground problem. :( Come on their must be some electrical genius on this forum :D

The saga continues.......

[NYCBIMMIN]

Has Anybody Actually Had This Problem Solved......?

[93bmw325is]

danny i got a 94 325i parts car right now so if ya need to borrow any parts for a couple minutes to test your problem real quick let me know. ill hook ya up.also do you have tilt wheel in your car?if you have ever changed bulbs in ya cluster you would no why im asking.

[bigbris1]

You guys sure it not just a loose connector on the back of the cluster or something? I mean if you hit a bump & it comes back on it sounds like something's loose.

[Boost Infection]

Nope nothing loose. Alot of people on the boards has this problem. It seems like me and NYCBimmin really want to solve this problem. Its so annoying

[NYCBIMMIN]

I Took Apart My Whole Cluster...i Took Every Plug And Connectors To See If Any Thing Was Loose Or Out Of Whack. <nothing>....briss I Also Thought There Was Something Loose ,but Mine Just Happens Whenever ,wherever ....its A Real Pain In My Ass.......mike , I Do Have Tilt Column....its No Problem Gettin The Cluster Out!i F Thats What U Mean...i Just Want To Hear From Somebody Who Had This Problem,and Actually Got It Fixed!!!!!i Dont Believe Its Just Swaping Clusters,i Have A Feelin Its All About This Damn Module???? Somebody Had To Get This Done!

[Slick Willi]

goto the thread i posted a link 2 b4 they should take care of it

[Boost Infection]

Isn't that for the pixles. The problem we are having I know is not a cluster problem. The problem looks to be simple but seems to be so hard.

The saga continues..........

[SecretAznSauce]

Isn't that for the pixles. The problem we are having I know is not a cluster problem. The problem looks to be simple but seems to be so hard.

The saga continues..........



are you sure your connector it self isnt bad??? maybe one of the pins isnt making connection. IIRC those are just winchester connectors. i would look into that

[Boost Infection]

I never thought about checking the pins, I did check the wires but not the pins. The connection that holds the pins is type sturdy. It is worth a try anything can help right now

Thanks

[Boost Infection]

I Check connecters they are making contact

[NYCBIMMIN]

THE SAGA CONTINUES....................!

[Boost Infection]

:lol

[93bmw325is]

dont feel bad the heat hasnt been working in my car for days. it blows ice cold and i dont have a dam clue why , and i got a whole car to take parts from but dont know to what change.welcome to the unsolved bmw myteries

[NYCBIMMIN]

Lol!!!!!!!!!

[Boost Infection]

:mad I am not letting this Thread get lost :mad


The saga continues..........

[e36]

lol..go to a electrical shop...they should fix it in a jiffy..and alot cheaper than the stealer too

[GQ_Style]

I think the problem comes from a bad electrical contact at the DME. Your ~10 year old cars will have allowed some dirt and/or corrosion to occur at the connectors. I've cleaned my contacts once and it seems to make it go away for a while. Perhaps the problem is on the connector side (rather than the DME side) since cleaning helps but not permanent. I notice that the once shiny copper connectors are now oxidized.

Here is a place to start troubleshooting.

[Boost Infection]

So you also have this problem???

[ICTBMW]

Make sure the prongs behind the fuel/speedo/tach..motors are not loose or they have "play" in them. Also check the motors, make sure they are secure nice and tight against the cluster. If you find any *play* with the prongs/motors use a very small piece of paper to shim it tightly. Be careful with these parts since they are weak.

This was how I fixed my sporadic cluster. hth

[Boost Infection]

Wow you had this problem too. I was leading toward a loose ground because with the cluster being out the wipers dont funtion

[ICTBMW]

Wow you had this problem too. I was leading toward a loose ground because with the cluster being out the wipers dont funtion


Now that I reRead the thread. Just some clarification. My cluster did not die on me only the guages. What I wrote two posts up is the fix for sporadic death guages :D ;)

[Boost Infection]

Yeah the gauges go on and off when they want to. :mad