Can I get list of all e39 dashboard messages/warning? Orange dot matrix display out

[sfguy678]

Hi,

Does anyone happen to have all the possible warning and error condition messages that are displayed on the e39 dashboard as a list?

Our 2003 525i is losing its orange dot matrix display for the lower portion of dash where the messages are displayed (as well as the stereo radio stations, etc)

On the dash, we only get the first couple letters and can't figure out what the warning messages are.

For example, we get:
"CH I L " for "Check Engine Oil Level"

Latest warning looks like "EXT. " but we have no idea what it is referring to.

If anyone happens to have a list of all the messages which can be displayed and wouldn't mind sharing it, it'd be incredibly useful to us.
The other informational messages that you can toggle thru (Range, Temp, mpg, ???) would be nice to have too if anyone has what those are also.

Thanks a bunch for any help!

[freethrowdunk]

This one means you need to private message a user by the handle of "blackknight530i" on here to address this pressing concern:

[WBAD530i]

My guess would that EXT is referring to the EXTERNAL TEMP reading. This is normal to see after firing up the car when its cold out.

[geargrinder]

LOL. "Can I get a full list of the dash codes so I can interpret the hieroglyphics" seems like the wrong way around "my cluster needs to be fixed"...

On the E38/39 type platforms, actually the LCM oddly enough sends what are called the "check control" messages to the cluster to display.

You can look at this:
https://www.meeknet.co.uk/E38/Light_...Module_LCM.pdf

And skip down to: Vehicle system E38/E39 high

But - still that might not be all of them. Theoretically any other module on the bus can send messages to the cluster to be displayed although in factory setup it may be that most of them are run via the LCM. And for sure the "OBC" aka "Board Computer" aka trip computer etc. stuff is not part of the LCM.

In additin the text in that PDF is not literal. For instance the engine and trans "emergency program" messages are actually displayed as "ENGINE FAILSAFE" and "TRANS FAILSAFE". So....

Really, just get the cluster fixed

[pleiades]

Googling and first hit gave me this....

https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=536513


Enjoy!

Hi,

Does anyone happen to have all the possible warning and error condition messages that are displayed on the e39 dashboard as a list?

Our 2003 525i is losing its orange dot matrix display for the lower portion of dash where the messages are displayed (as well as the stereo radio stations, etc)

On the dash, we only get the first couple letters and can't figure out what the warning messages are.

For example, we get:
"CH I L " for "Check Engine Oil Level"

Latest warning looks like "EXT. " but we have no idea what it is referring to.

If anyone happens to have a list of all the messages which can be displayed and wouldn't mind sharing it, it'd be incredibly useful to us.
The other informational messages that you can toggle thru (Range, Temp, mpg, ???) would be nice to have too if anyone has what those are also.

Thanks a bunch for any help!

[sfguy678]

Wow!!

Thanks, you all!! That is just awesome.

Thanks, pleaides! Shucks - google turned that up; darn it. I did do a search prior to posting but I used the bimmerforums search, not google, and after sifting thru a ton of only semi-related posts, I gave up on finding the list.

And

[sfguy678]

Yes, I thought about replacing the entire cluster but everything is working fine except for this display, which kind of works, if I can decipher the messages. Also, I assumed that it'd be not only expensive but also that I probably couldn't get a new one given that the car is 16 years old. However, when I was searching around prior to posting, it did seem like others are replacing the dash cluster and some newer cars may even have compatible clusters so maybe I can get a new one as replacement and not just a possibly already worn, used part.

The thing is, this car has been pretty frustrating, expensive to maintain, and the parts costs so darn much compared to my previous cars (Saab, subaru). This car has 119k miles on it (to my thinking not that many compared to what I put on previous cars) and has been impeccably maintained. However, unlike past cars that I've kept forever and driven many more miles (340k on my 1st subaru), this one seems like it may be reaching the end of its life. That's also the take of my mechanic's shop where the head mechanic also has this same car. He says while the basic engine is really good, other parts can keep breaking and, as such, it's not a reliable car for longer trips like when I want to drive from San Francisco down to L.A.

Just a couple years ago at the end of 2016, the car broke down on Interstate 5, halfway to L.A. when I lost all the coolant. It turned out this plastic pulley for the alternator fell apart (plastic?) and the belt and pieces tore up a coolant hose. All the hoses got replaced just to make the cooling system sound, I thought.

Just in the last 6 months, 3 coils had to be replaced as the car would not start up and had to be towed into shop.

Now, just last month, my wife broke down again on the freeway when the cooling system blew up again. This time turns out the plastic on the radiator where the hose outflow attaches broke and there went all my coolant fluid again. So for want of a more durable pulley and a radiator not made out of plastic (which apparently doesn't really even exist anymore and all cars use parts like this), we have had two breakdowns on the highway. It seems that maybe these cars just don't hold up anymore - even if the engine is sound, everything else around it will keep breaking as they are just not made to last several hundred thousand miles like I did with my prior cars.

And the parts are so darn expensive. So I'm trying to figure out how much longer I'm going to keep this car and didn't feel like diving into replacing the whole cluster and most likely another big bill.

The car looks perfect and runs great (when it's not failing catastrophically) and I had really planned to keep it for a lot longer prior to what's happened in the last 3 months. I'm sure disappointed and not sure what to do as I'd prefer to keep the car, but not if it's only safe for short driving in-town.

Any thoughts most welcomed? (Tho hopefully not flames)

[sfguy678]

Thanks, WBAD530i - yes, that was my guess too also based on some bits of other letters which were semi-readable. You say it displays when firing up the car but the message popped up twice en route to Los Angeles down I-5 from San Francisco but maybe we hit a cold patch of air which triggered it.

[ross1]

The owner's manual has them listed.
37*f is the threshold for the low outside temp warning

[geargrinder]

Now, just last month, my wife broke down again on the freeway when the cooling system blew up again. This time turns out the plastic on the radiator where the hose outflow attaches broke and there went all my coolant fluid again. So for want of a more durable pulley and a radiator not made out of plastic (which apparently doesn't really even exist anymore and all cars use parts like this), we have had two breakdowns on the highway. It seems that maybe these cars just don't hold up anymore - even if the engine is sound, everything else around it will keep breaking as they are just not made to last several hundred thousand miles like I did with my prior cars.

And the parts are so darn expensive. So I'm trying to figure out how much longer I'm going to keep this car and didn't feel like diving into replacing the whole cluster and most likely another big bill.

The car looks perfect and runs great (when it's not failing catastrophically) and I had really planned to keep it for a lot longer prior to what's happened in the last 3 months. I'm sure disappointed and not sure what to do as I'd prefer to keep the car, but not if it's only safe for short driving in-town.

Any thoughts most welcomed? (Tho hopefully not flames)

Well. Nope they ain't gonna be as "ignore stuff and it'll mostly be fine" as a Japanese car thats' for sure.

Honestly that list of woes (3 problem in 3-4 years!?) doesn't remotely rise to the level of "nightmare used BMW" not the least of reasons is because the cooling system is a known weakpoint and needs to have an eye kept on it.
And honestly at 15yrs old even a Japanese car is likely to need a whole cooling system and possibly some coils.

But yeah. Not as cheap as a Subie. It ain't a Subie. Many parts aren't horrific honestly if you're buying yourself but if you're going via the mechanic markup and he doesn't know which ones to get from where (aka when its OK to go aftermarket vs when you should go dealer only) they indeed might look a lot worse.

Re: the cluster, well you've immediately ignored the absolute very first advice you were given here (post 2):

A well known and highly recommended individual here who can either refurb your cluster for you, or, sell you a replacement one that is already refurb'd.
The only thing wrong with your cluster (I mean assuming there arne't other problems and this is typical...) is the ribbon cable that connects that display.
And he will replace it with (or give you a cluster with one replaced) a cable part that is an improved design, literally better than new.
The rest of the cluster doesn't really "wear out" so fixing yours or putting in a used one is not really an issue.

But. If the rest of the car has been maintenance neglected as well... yeah maybe your time is over with it.

Newsflash and now here's a flame-warning: driving these cars to 100k and 13yrs old without a total cooling system overhaul is NOT "impeccably maintaining" them. In BMW Land, by now "impeccably maintaining" means you'd have done the whole cooling system (did you do water pump too? thermostat? expansion tank?) proactively, and, you're pretty overdue for a total suspension overhaul as well.... If that sounds horrific then indeed maybe you want to get out now...

[sfguy678]

You're right, GearGrinder - I stand corrected. That was a mistake on my part to claim my car was "impeccably maintained" on here, of all places, a BMW enthusiast's forum, when I'm a newbie here and a lightweight when it comes to car maintenance/understanding. So Thanks for going easy on me vis-a-vis the mini-flame. ;-)

Thanks very much for all the insights, expertise and advice. Would you mind sharing the name of the "highly recommended individual" with me, especially if the issue could be just a ribbon cable (or might be not too costly to correct with a refurbished cluster from that person).

Also, if you (or anyone) happens to know of a good independent BMW mechanic in the San Francisco area, I'd be all ears, too. Perhaps I need to have this car cared for by someone other than my trusted but "generic" independent mechanic's shop. (and I'm realizing that I need to google this forum as this information is most likely already out there so I will do that too)

You're right it looks like I do take a more laissez-faire approach to the maintenance. And I guess it appears that I've grown to be "lazy" with proactive maintenance while driving a couple Subarus (and Saabs). That said, the cars have not been neglected either, I hope. On my BMW, the thermostat has been replaced a couple times and the water pump/hoses have also been replaced; expansion tank, I'm not so sure and most likely not. Now I also have a brand new radiator thanks to this last go-around. Suspension overhaul has not been done either.

Just to clarify, the "3 problems" over 3-4 years timeframe could be time adjusted some. The alternator-pulley-breaking start of this saga was in Dec 2017 so my threesome has been just a month more than a two year span. I'm glad now to know that I need to keep a closer eye on the cooling system, tho having the pulley/alternator belt tear things apart may not have gotten caught in proper proactive maintenance work, I'm thinking -- should the pulley be regularly replaced? And I guess if I work with a proper BMW mechanic, he should know about other potential areas to keep on top of.

Thanks again.

[sfguy678]

Does the "blackknight530i" individual mentioned above happen to be the "highly recommended individual" that you were talking about? -- I missed that one-liner mixed in with all the photos, plus the Patriots avatar might have caused me to gloss by given that I was born in Oakland and had to endure the tuck rule.

[jmc1590]

Yes. Blackknight530i.

[sfguy678]

This one means you need to private message a user by the handle of "blackknight530i" on here to address this pressing concern:

[geargrinder]

Does the "blackknight530i" individual mentioned above happen to be the "highly recommended individual" that you were talking about? -- I missed that one-liner mixed in with all the photos, plus the Patriots avatar might have caused me to gloss by given that I was born in Oakland and had to endure the tuck rule.

No problem - understandable.

Hey did you hear, I think the patriots finally won the Super Bowl again this year? Thank god. It’d been 98 days since this city saw a major sports championship, so we were due for sure.

[sfguy678]

No problem - understandable.

Hey did you hear, I think the patriots finally won the Super Bowl again this year? Thank god. It’d been 98 days since this city saw a major sports championship, so we were due for sure.

Haha - I know; don't ya think? They are such a mistreated, oft-maligned bunch, those poor guys. Thank God the Pats won the Super Bowl or else I don't know what they would have done with themselves, having to wait all the way til the end of baseball season again.

But I must say that the 1st (in our lifetimes) Red Sox World Series win was a magical run and I was rooting for them all the way. That Yankees series and how they pulled it out again Rivera and all was a pure fantasy tale from a dream. A good friend of mine is from back there and he was so upset when that dribbler rolled thru Buckner's legs at first base the other year that he basically had to go drive around aimlessly for hours just to try and cool off and take his mind off it.