High OBC Cluster Retrofit - No Check-Controls and Time Resets

[jwreford]

Hey All!

I've been reading through threads here for at least a year now, since I came into possession of my '99 E39.
I'll preface this by saying that I am not using the official BMW retrofit harness kit, I have created my own using pin diagrams from WDS.
It is possible that I have made a mistake, but everything else seems to be working.

Recently I bought a used High Cluster for retrofitting. Almost everything appears to work:
- Instrument dials all work (speedo, tacho, inst. cons, fuel, temp)
- The pictogram lights all go out as expected (oil pressure and alt stay on until started, etc, and parking brake stays on until released).
- I had to program ASC to read via the CAN BUS, but that also works when pushing the button (triangle lights up and goes out.
- The MID interfaces with the cluster, and I can see TIME, DATE, average speed, etc on both the MID and cycling through them on the cluster

However, I'm having the following problems which I can't seem to work out:
- If I set the time and leave the key in, it will count as per usual. If I take the key out, wait five minutes, and put the key bak in, the time won't have changed. If I wait for long enough, it will reset altogether, back to --:--.
- Check Controls do not display.

I suspect they're related to each other, but I don't know where to look.

In the junction box under the glove box, there was a single IBUS cable (grey, white, yellow dots) in X939 (I 'think' this is the junction name), I removed this from the junction which has all the other
KBUS connectors, and bridged it to the Cluster's IBUS connection. I traced this cable back and it looks like it connects to the MID. So in effect, the MID's IBUS now connects directly to the Cluster's.

So in summary, the MID and Cluster appear to be interface OK. When I change radio station it shows up on the cluster, and the consumption data is shared.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Josh.

[Stück]

I just bought the kit, it was less than $30.... Just saying....

[jwreford]

I just bought the kit, it was less than $30.... Just saying....

Older parts seems to be hard to come by in Aus. I was lucky to find the cluster..

If you can point me in the direction of a place that will sell me the kit and ship to Australia It'd be much appreciated

Josh.

[TerraPhantm]

Can't order it from your dealer? At ~$30 USD for the retrofit harness, it would cost me more to build it myself

[Stück]

Sorry posting from the phone doesn't show locations. None the less, maybe try ECS?

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Site..._455/ES183672/

Other than that all I can say is check your wiring.

[TerraPhantm]

Just did this on my friend's 525iT with the official retrofit harness. Had some issues with a faulty ground connection (BMW's vampire clips suck; we just ended up splicing into a ground), but other than that everything works perfectly. So it does sound like you have some sort of wiring problem

[Qsilver7]

Hey All!

I've been reading through threads here for at least a year now, since I came into possession of my '99 E39.
I'll preface this by saying that I am not using the official BMW retrofit harness kit, I have created my own using pin diagrams from WDS.
It is possible that I have made a mistake, but everything else seems to be working.

Recently I bought a used High Cluster for retrofitting. Almost everything appears to work:
- Instrument dials all work (speedo, tacho, inst. cons, fuel, temp)
- The pictogram lights all go out as expected (oil pressure and alt stay on until started, etc, and parking brake stays on until released).
- I had to program ASC to read via the CAN BUS, but that also works when pushing the button (triangle lights up and goes out.
- The MID interfaces with the cluster, and I can see TIME, DATE, average speed, etc on both the MID and cycling through them on the cluster

However, I'm having the following problems which I can't seem to work out:
- If I set the time and leave the key in, it will count as per usual. If I take the key out, wait five minutes, and put the key bak in, the time won't have changed. If I wait for long enough, it will reset altogether, back to --:--.
- Check Controls do not display.

I suspect they're related to each other, but I don't know where to look.

In the junction box under the glove box, there was a single IBUS cable (grey, white, yellow dots) in X939 (I 'think' this is the junction name), I removed this from the junction which has all the other
KBUS connectors, and bridged it to the Cluster's IBUS connection. I traced this cable back and it looks like it connects to the MID. So in effect, the MID's IBUS now connects directly to the Cluster's.

So in summary, the MID and Cluster appear to be interface OK. When I change radio station it shows up on the cluster, and the consumption data is shared.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Josh.

Check control priority warnings come from the LCM (light check module) when you installed the new cluster...were you able to code the new cluster with the VIN, mileage, & SI data from the old LCM?

Another thought, since the original LCM was coded to send check control data to a low cluster's graphic display...is there any programming//coding required to change over to the multiple text priority warnings?

[jwreford]

Hey again,

After much probing and ordering a junction from eBay, I split the K and I busses and coded BORDNETZ in the LCM to 'e38/e39_high', and voila, check controls work.
Another problem was introduced though, which seems to have only started after the retrofit. When I press the snowflake button on the IHKA, the light
comes on but nothing else happens (no auxiliary fan, no compressor, no idle increase, etc).

I checked and the IHKA's K-BUS wire is going to the K-BUS junction, which is where it should be going according to the BUS layout guide.

The other issue is that when I turn the car off, the clock doesn't count, it stays at the time when I turned it off.
With the old cluster I was able to press the clock symbol on the MID and the time would display for a short while - this doesn't happen
with the new Cluster. Perhaps they're related?

Thanks very much for the help so far - I'm pretty close now I think!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Liam79]

Not sure if this could be the reason (especially if you have already done it!) but have you also replaced the MID for a 'high' MID? On a car with factory high OBC the clock button is a clock and BC button. Could be nothing to do with it - could be the button face itself is the only difference between the various MIDs and no internal mechanical or functional difference. I note that my clock only button still rocks both ways (like my audio dsp button) as if it is two buttons, but both ways has the same function on my low OBC car. Maybe it is just the software that determines when the clock BC button behaves as two different buttons and the coding changes you have done to change to high OBC should have sorted that already? But if you are indeed supposed to change the MID also, and if you haven't, maybe that could be causing your issues?

Also - BUMMER! I had just ordered the high OBC retrofit loom for myself from a supplier who said they could get it, but they've just emailed my and said it's NLA . Anyone know anywhere (maybe somewhere your side of the pond?) that still has one?

[jwreford]

I replaced the MID with the High MID, yes. It seems so strange - everything works (all the BC functions and so on) when the car is in 'Music', Accessory or On. Just when the car is off the time stops counting.
I don't know whether the time is stored in the Cluster or the MID. I also don't know whether, after the retrofit, I'm supposed to be able to turn the radio on when the car is off (I cannot at this stage).
Maybe there's a missing wire in the MID connector? I doubt it though because with the old MID and Cluster I can press the clock and it lights up when the car's off. I had to take the connector off the
end of the MID cable so it would fit the new MID, perhaps the reason it didn't fit is because the power is in a different spot or something like that. I'll do some looking around.

Either way, I'm not sure what's going on with the AC, I put the old Cluster and MID back in, and pressing the snowflake does exactly what I expected it would. I surely missed some coding.

Unfortunately over here parts are harder to come by and cost more, hence why I had to make my own.

If you're serious about it you should be able to create the harness yourself by buying something like this:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BMW-E38-E...item3f3ed18da5

and finding the part number for the connectors (which are X16 (Black) and X10113 (White)). BMW WDS should show which wires connect to what, at least that's what I used to
make my cable.

[FReyes]

Hello, i stumbled across this thread in my search of this retrofit kit, which as mentioned above has been made NLA(no longer available).

I have a 2000 bmw 528i, which had the drivetrain, suspension, and EWS/ECU/LCM/ cluster swapped from a 2000 540i 6 speed.
The BMW indy who completed the task did a very good job and got most of the functions on the high cluster to work. All gauges and most lights such as SES and turn signals work. OBC unlock menu works well, and I have no tamper dot.

The only bad part is that a few functions do not work:
-Oil Pressure light, parking brake light, high beam light, airbag light
-Check functions
-Reverse lights
-Alarm siren

I have decided to undertake this project myself, as you said it is possible to make my own loom, to correctly wire the high cluster.
Main thing i have not been able to find is the correct WDS wiring diagrams, as they do not load correctly on my mac for some reason, which diagrams did you use to create your harness, any chance you can email me the diagrams.
Thanks in advance

[TerraPhantm]

Hello, i stumbled across this thread in my search of this retrofit kit, which as mentioned above has been made NLA(no longer available).

I have a 2000 bmw 528i, which had the drivetrain, suspension, and EWS/ECU/LCM/ cluster swapped from a 2000 540i 6 speed.
The BMW indy who completed the task did a very good job and got most of the functions on the high cluster to work. All gauges and most lights such as SES and turn signals work. OBC unlock menu works well, and I have no tamper dot.

The only bad part is that a few functions do not work:
-Oil Pressure light, parking brake light, high beam light, airbag light
-Check functions
-Reverse lights
-Alarm siren

I have decided to undertake this project myself, as you said it is possible to make my own loom, to correctly wire the high cluster.
Main thing i have not been able to find is the correct WDS wiring diagrams, as they do not load correctly on my mac for some reason, which diagrams did you use to create your harness, any chance you can email me the diagrams.
Thanks in advance

If you look at the end of the PDF for the official retrofit harness, it has a detailed diagram about the wiring. Should be possible to wire it up yourself with that diagram.

[Sroor9001]

I've retrofitted from 3 cables in junkyard but I have problem that once I released the hand brake the display of miles and service indicator turned off it seem it's losing ground
any help in this retrofit
just for this don't want display to turn off which wire is doing this
any body knows that ?

[Perern]

Is it possible to use the high cluster when I have a Dynavin N6?

[Sroor9001]

So friend did you sort the problem with ihka ( air condition ) after retrofit from low to high instrument cluster

[SplitBusVanatic]

I've retrofitted from 3 cables in junkyard but I have problem that once I released the hand brake the display of miles and service indicator turned off it seem it's losing ground
any help in this retrofit
just for this don't want display to turn off which wire is doing this
any body knows that ?

Hi there. Did you ever solve this issue. ?
Im having the same problem.
I didnt use the retrofit loom as I can’t find one.
I repinned the three connectors using the wires from the low obc two connectors.