i bought my ribbons from ebay german audo tech. a note was included with it stating t-iron was recommended. i did notice that one side wasnt smooth but had a texture that hinted it has a thin layer of glue. i was even thinking of using tape to line it up and after i confirm contacts are good, then just use the side of my regular solder and just briefly touch the ribbons.
2001 540i 6speed metallic silver
i love you.
What is the name of the other seller of cluster ribbon cables on ebay? Post where you got it from if you had success without gluing it down, thanks
Make sure to get a cluster cable that is pre-cut as well
ended up ordering from here because I didnt want to glue:
http://www.akspeedo.com/bmw-lcd-pixel-repair-shop.php
Hey guys. When i repaired my cluster a few weeks ago, my fuel gauge read past empty after the repair. Has this happened top anyone else? I'm playing with the cluster now and trying to get it back to its right position as it seems like the needle slipped on its shaft, but after messing around for the last hour or so, i can't get it to move. Does the cluster need to be re-programmed maybe?
BTW... taping the ribbon on the first time didn't work out well for me, as i was still missing one line in the read-out. I tried taping it on a second time and when i tested it, i was still missing some pixels. I then removed the tape and used my soldering iron on low heat to glue the ribbon onto the tracers. It was very easy and a superior connection IMHO. You can really press each line of the ribbon onto the board to make sure you have a good connection. If you have a soldering iron, save the $$, it works just fine.
*UPDATE*
My fuel gauge is fixed! Look here: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1793677
Last edited by Adventman; 02-22-2012 at 10:07 AM.
My LCD read out works fine but about a year ago, the mileage went really dim. Is this the LCD going bad or are there bulbs that need to be replaced?
I have the same problem with my dash, but when I open my door and switch the key to position 2 or leave lights with no key, my dash doesn't beep , nor my single on my dash wont blink but work. Did yours do that? any one have any idea why this is happening
Last edited by agave; 02-27-2012 at 04:35 PM.
- 2000 BMW 540i/6 (Anthrazit Metallic 397)
- 2001 Buick Park Avenue Ultra (Bronzemist Metallic)
- 1964 Buick Wildcat (Sunburst Yellow / Arctic White)
Fan Blades Can Explode.. Read My Thread
F... My life!!!! Just put my solder iron through the ribbon..... Aaaagggghhhhhh!
After still the hassle, my ribbon cable repair has been an epic fail. Turns out after looking closely at the led side where ether ribbon goes on, I can see that part of the led leads are broken. Could've come off with the old ribbon...
[QUOTE=Black540Msport;23241931]Step 4: Once you have gotten the 2 halves apart, you'll need to remove 8 Torx screws that hold the cluster to the back housing, they're circled in red. One thing you'll want to watch out for is the little square of plastic that shows what gear you're in, falling out. It's not held in at all. It's in the green square. Remove it and put it somewhere safe for reassembly.
Black540Msport, did you break off that little clear plastic protusion for your drill hole number 1 picture? the one on the top left of the LCD? It looks like you did?
Last edited by mjbennett9; 03-31-2012 at 12:41 PM.
I ended up drilling right up next to the plastic protrusion and it worked out fine. The ebay version/directions were lacking so thankfully I had your posting to follow. It ended up taking seven hours because of the poor ebay directions, poor connector quality, and poor existing connections (even after cleaning). On top of that, the scotch tape I had was horrible. I would recommend good tape before starting this job, AND extra bulbs. Now I have to take it apart when I can get some bulbs :-)
I did get it to 100%, but after tightening everything back up, I'm at around 90% pixels back. I'm NOT going back in. The plastic in there is getting real brittle and can't take another reassembly job. :-)
This is definitely a stressful first time job. I'd buy a new one if I were to do it again. The reward didn't outweigh the stress and loss of a weekend day. I could have replaced 4 brakes and rotors in less time. :-)
Well I guess I commented to soon. My readout has worked great the 4 years I've had the car and then two weeks after I post here about it being great, I can't read a damn thing on it. The trip mileage is unreadable and the OBC display is on the fritz. I can still read the outside temperature though.
With the guidance received from this thread a person with 0 experience in e39, 0 experience in complex circuitry, and no T-bar soldering tip, was able to perform this repair with a HIGH margin of success. I went from having 2 or 3 functional pixels, to full pixel functionality. only thing I would suggest is to heat the LCD with low heat hair dryer so when you peel the ribbon cable off the LCD it will take more of the old cable with it, and run less risk of scratching off the leads on the LCD. They come off super easy
waka waka
Thanks for all the great info, I plan to tackle this in a few weeks.
A quick question to all you folks whose LCD's have also gone blurry. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and my cluster actually becomes readable in winter on very rainy days. The rest of the time, it's the usual mix of missing pixels. Have any of you seen something similar? Any idea why rainy weather should make this work?
I had the same issue with our E39. All winter, while it was cold, the display was almost perfect. But, once it started to warm up, the pixel loss returned. I don't recall a specific relation to wet weather, but it is possible the higher humidity may have increased the conductivity between the board and the ribbon cable contact points.
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