BMW E34 gauge cluster capacitor replacement
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- Опубликовано: 11 янв 2018
- If the LCD display in your BMW E34 5 series or E38 7 series is going bonkers, some capacitors within the gauge cluster might be faulty. It might also be the display itself, but this video explains how to replace them, just in case. A faulty LCD display gets fixed in another one of my videos. Music with kind permission by Nicolas Hannig.
/ nicolashannig 
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Nice VDO and lots of good advice...especially drilling out the board retainers which I discovered in the comments.;)
Thanks for your video ! Do you think failed capacitor(s) can explain an EML light permanently lit even with contact off ? (on a '95 525i with cable operated throttle body, everything else working fine on the engine side)
My gauge cluster is already disassembled so I will change capacitors anyway. And at the same time the capacitors in the dreaded GM module ;)
Hi there, mate. Thank you for watching my video... I am quite unsure, but it is a possibility. In Europe, E34's aren't equipped with the EML light (or at least, not that I am aware of), so I couldn't tell for sure. I have just looked up the wiring diagrams for you, and this light goes into pin 8 of the power train module (DME), via a grey wire. I don't have the schematics of the insides of the DME, so I'm afraid I can't help any further than that... If your E34 has ESC, it might have something to do with that. Possibly an erroneous information from the level sensor, on the rear right trailing arm. For what it's worth, I have had an occurrence with an airbag light staying on, and it appears that a low battery voltage was the cause. Maybe this could happen with the EML light as well? I hope all of this helps! Keep me posted in any case. All the best with changing the caps!
Thanks for your answer and to have looked at the wiring diagrams ! My 525i E34 does not have ESC either. Battery voltage is OK. The airbag light stay on for some time time after starting. I will have to take a look at the level sensor as you suggest ! I just received the caps so I have now to replace them.
Hoping to get a parts cluster to restore to go in my 95 525i as it's starting to show signs of malfunctioning. (Check control, trip reset, s.i. lights are out). Going to restore the spare cluster and it's contact pads for the trip and check control buttons and put new caps and such. Ok these clusters what controls the guages on these cars? I know old E30 clusters they have gears and such.
Hello there, and thank you for stopping by. I think I still have one in stock, to suit your '95 525i. There are three versions, of these gauges. You can easily tell the difference by the rear cover colour. Which colour is yours? You can always send some pictures on my email, if you like: info@mcevoy.be
These gauges are electronically controlled. You might want to salvage your old cluster, for its internals. They are hard to come by, these days, and new replacement parts are either unavailable, or cost an arm and a leg, at BMW.
Thank you!
My pleasure!
How did you get the little blue rivet things off, the ones that hold on the circuit board?
Hi there. Thanks for stopping by... I drilled through them very gently, and stopped right before touching the board. Then, the board sort of pops out if you pry it lightly. More importantly, it will 'pop' back in and stay in place when you are done with the capacitors. I hope this helps!
Hi, do you work on motorcycle clusters or do you know someone that does? I have one that the tech & speedometer not working correctly. It's on a BMW 2005 R1200GS. Can you help me? Thanks. Bob
Hi Robert. I don't have any experience with these, but depending on where you are based, there is certainly someone out these who can help. If you are located in the UK, you could try ACTronics.co.uk for example. They could possibly take care of it, or point you in the right direction. If you are on the other side of the pond, try odo-pro.com. They are specialised in BMW clusters, so they surely could help. Best of luck, and thank you for watching!
Hello, I have a 1999 E46 and nothing works. check the fuses and they are all good. check wiring and ground and it is perfect. What could it be?
Thank you!!
Hello. The E46 electric system is very different from the E34. It could be one of a million things: frayed wire, after-market accessory, the cluster itself. I cannot help with so little to go on, I'm afraid.
I would suggest hooking up an OBD fault code reader first, sort out all problems there, and move on to in-depth diagnostics. Maybe try a local electronics specialist, he will surely be of better council.
Best of luck!
Hello,
Nice video.
Which kind of condensator did you use?
What IS the caracteristics ?
Hi John. 40 micro Farad, if my memory serves me correctly.
I have Difficult problem in my e34 cluster , I need help from some one professional , all the indicators (speed , fuel amount , fuel economy, engine temperature ,rpm and digital screens every thing work properly) but from time to time the( obc) could not show the car speed and the Average consumption of gasoline, additional the cruse control stop working also the abs stop working too , some opinions says that the cluster does not send speed signals to them , and I should replace it , in my country Egypt the cluster is very very expensive and There is no guarantees make all these things working again , any help?
Hello Ayman. Thank you for stopping by. It sounds like you are having huge electric faults, other than the cluster. I would suggest that you first check all the fuses. If the OBC has been retro-fitted, this could also be a source of problems. You might want to check the connectors of the OBC as well, and also the wiring of the cruise control stalk, near the steering wheel. It is going to take some time, surely. I hope that you are good with automotive electrics. :) Best of luck!
Hi, my E34 525i stood for a long time, now the instrument cluster does not work properly, Rev counter, fuel and temp Guage not working, then comes on sometimes when I Rev the engine my Trip meter does not work properly either cancells Everytime I switch the car off. Is there a fix? Nice channel thanks.
That could actually be linked to a shorted battery. You might want to check that the car's battery still has enough power. Use a multi-meter, and measure the battery voltage with the ignition off. You should read within the whereabouts of 12.6V. Then measure the voltage drop while somebody cranks the engine. If it drops under 9V, you can consider the battery dead, and replace it. Now with the engine running, check that the alternator is doing its job: you should get approximately 14V. Let me know how this goes...
Hi, i have problems cluster odo-meter M50 1991. manual odometer run off ,odometer stop 190 xxxkm and 2year stopped and rpm gauge not run :/
Hi there buddy. I really wish I could help, but with so little to go on and without seeing the car, it is going to be impossible. There might be a short circuit somewhere, your PCB could have fried, electrical connections might be loose, cables might be broken... etc etc. It could be so many things. I suggest you maybe try another gauge, or bring your car to an electronics specialist.
Best of luck!
Works this also on the older cluster of the E34 from 1992 ? When the cluster gets warm/hot i cant read my display,it fades away.
Hi. Sadly, no. In 1992, it was another version of the cluster, with a different PCB. If your display fades away when going hot, it is most likely the contact strip in between the LCD screen and the board, which has poor contact due to old age. A simple fix, which also costs peanuts. It's just a pain to get to. You have do dismantle your cluster completely, and get the LCD display unit out. When you pry the metal frame open, and get the screen out, you will see a pink (or white) rubbery strip, all the way along the bottom of the screen. That's what need replacing. They are hard to come by, but you should manage to source them. They cost like 2 bucks for a bag of ten. Your E34 friends will love you for that. :) Best of luck, and thanks for stopping by!
@@gmcevoy Ok ,you mean the ribbon cable,i already replaced that strip and have al of my pixels back,but still if its warm/hot it fades away .
@@NotoriouSsThug Yes, that's exactly it. I had completely forgotten what it was called. If I remember correctly, when temperature rises, so does resistivity. So there could well be undue resistivity somewhere in the circuit. Maybe in the ribbon cable itself, or contact in between that and the PCB is not good enough... Hard to tell from here, but if your ribbon cable is new, and it still fades upon heating, I would start looking for voltage drops, or resistivity spikes when warm. That's a tough one you got there, man...
bro how to fix speed bouncing on my soeedometer..smt delayed i drive 40 km/h and still pointing 20 and than catch up to 40
I am afraid I can't help you with that, I have never had the issue. Maybe check wiring continuity coming from the sensor. It should be shielded, but if something has damaged the wire, or some electronic interference gets through it could affect the signal I suppose. Good luck!
Hi my cluster is completely out after ambient temp sensor fell of bumper and shorted the wires together. What could be the problem ?
Hi Alfredo, I would look at the fuses first.
Hello, my e34 535 everything on the instrument cluster work perfectly but the problem is the gear selector indicators display (P R N D ...) and the drive
mode (S E M) inoperative, the light bulb worked fine when i self testing the cluster, i maked sure the problem is from the cluster itself by borrowing cluster from my friend car and put it on my car worked fine . Any solution plz ? and thanks for you.
Hello Andre. It would seem that the ribbon cable would be the problem, here. It is an easy fix, but it is difficult to locate good quality ribbon cables. I might still have one or two in stock, if it helps.
@@gmcevoy hello, thanks for reply, i didn't find ribbons cables in my cluster, there are a direct pins connector between display and the main board, i tried to replace the display from another bad board cluster with good display i found same problem, my problem is from my main board, any help plz? Thank you.
@@AndreAndre-ft4nb Hello again. It is always a pleasure. Take a close look at your circuit board, as oxidised connections can cause this kind of trouble as well. If you can't find any, then it might be worth contacting one of the few specialised companies, with extensive knowledge about these clusters. Best of luck!
@@gmcevoy thanks for you , i will try to take a close look.
hello , on my e34 525 tds 1994 , the temperature level and diesel lvl is hs , can u have a solution ? i have already change the sensors .. thanks !
Hello, Dim. You might want to check the wiring, and the connectors. See that there is a good connection, in between the connector and the PCB. Also, measure the resistance at the gauge connector, on the relevant wires. Having the wiring diagram at hand is paramount, of course, and knowing what resistance to look for is essential as well. Best of luck!
@@gmcevoy thank you I will check 😏
Why did you replace the capacitors, what was your cluster's symptoms.
Hi there, thank you for stopping by, and for subscribing to my channel, I truly appreciate it. Lots of E34 content coming up soon! The symptoms were that the LCD display would start flashing, and random characters would appear. Sometimes, it would only display one or two lines. You couldn't read the mileage, and it was just plainly annoying. Replacing the caps has fixed the problem.
I had an electronic guy replace some capacitors, but I'm not sure if he replaced those capacitors. Thanks for your reply.
@@gmcevoy hi bro but the same problem on my e34 1993 525i it is as your cluster. i replaced caps but the problem remains help me please
My cluster have kinda different problems. The gear indicator (mine automatic ) is only showed up for at least 20 sec, and than goes blank. The information display have a different stories, it's only show something when the engine off, but when i turn on the car, it showed nothing, not the mog, fault or etc. What do you think by that? What should i repair?
*i mean mpg not mog. Sorry typo
@@fajrymalik Hello. It definitely sounds like you need repairs. It could be the LCD screen connector, in the display. There is a little electrical strip, in between the LCD panel and the PCB. If the resistance is too high, it does the symptoms that you describe. It is quite hard to find, but it is an easy fix.
@@gmcevoy when i do the cluster test method, all display is capable of displaying things. Or is it because my car only have clock obc, not full OBC? But what about the gear indicator? Only showed up for 20 sec and disappeared
@@fajrymalik Without seeing it for real, it is quite difficult to say, to be honest. There are so many factors, to take into account. There are a few companies, specialised in reconditioning these units. You might want to ask them, as your problem is quite different from the one that I had. Maybe the solution is not the same, I cannot say for sure. Sorry that I can't help you out, more than that. Please let me know, when you have found the solution! I wish you the best of luck! :)
@@gmcevoy hey, that's okay, thankyou so much for responding tho, and thankyou, best of luck for u too
Please tell me how can I repair
my bmw 525i 1991 dashboard. it
refusing to be (reset oil service)
l know that I must connect pin7 to
pin19. and i do all steps corectly.
and i checked the wires ther is no
problem with them. I think that the problem is with the dashboard.
please helpme.
Hi Muhammad. Thank you for stopping by. I doubt that your problem has anything to do with the dashboard. To reset oil service, you need to place a jump wire in between pins 7 and 19, turn the ignition on, wait for 5 seconds, pull the jumper wire out, and turn ignition off. If this doesn't work, do the same but wait 12 seconds. If it still doesn't work, I suggest you get the oil service reset tool, from Draper. It is relatively cheap, and works with all BMW's with the 20 pin connector. If it still doesn't work, then you will indeed have to start looking elsewhere. But if I were you, I would try again. Either with the reset tool, or the jumper wire technique.
Best of luck! :)
@@gmcevoy thank you very much💜.
@@muhamadkarzan3213 I really hope it helps, man. :)
@@gmcevoy it mean alot for me💜.
My E36 has oil sevice reset problem too. I has tried hooking pin7 with pin 19 many times , no matter how long, I have got no any response. I found out that pin 19 is not grounded. Problem was solved by hooking pin7 with driver's door screw head.
Do you do repairs on e34 m5 cluster
Hi! I haven't done one in years. I had to close my company due to unforeseen events, sadly, but there are a few specialists out there, depending on your location.
Hi my speed guage keeps fluctuating around 80-100kmph. Could it be faulty caps?
Hi. I am not sure. You might want to check that the speed sensor signal is clean. If not, it could be anything from bad connections to faulty caps indeed. Can't help otherwise, I'm afraid. Best of luck!
@@gmcevoy Thank you for your reply. Speed works fine from 0-80kmph and 100-160kmph. Just the 80 to 100 thats fluctuating.
@@ShoelDaniel Strange indeed. Sounds like it might be some electrical interference with the signal. I would check the sensor signal first, most definitely. You will need an oscilloscope for this.
hi i repalced the capasitors but no reaction
It must be something else, then. This problem is a difficult situation. For me, replacing the capacitors sorted out the problem, but sometimes it is something else. I have had a few messages from people like you, for whom it didn't work. I would suggest that you check continuity in the wiring of the car, and make sure that no aftermarket additions (radios, lights, etc...) can interfere. Best of luck!
My RPM reads about 500- 1500 short when on freeway and street roads when it’s cold, after it being warmed up it works normal after a car restart. I’m thinking it’s the caps,
What capacitors were used? I have the GEN III too.
Hi there. Thank you for stopping by on my channel, I highly appreciate it. There are two different types of capacitors that are installed on your gauge circuit board: 4.7µF 63V and 20µF 40V. You will need one of the first, and two of the latter. Ask your local electronics store if they have them. In my area, the exact same were not available, so I got a set of 4.7µF 100V and 22µF 50V instead. They sold me a bag of ten of each, and it cost peanuts. I have done a few other gauges since, and they all work fine. This being said, I believe that the tacho signal comes from the camshaft position sensor, which is a shielded wire. Make sure that the shielding hasn't split, which could allow electrical interference to occur, messing around with the reading on your dash. I hope this helps! Good luck, and enjoy your E34! :)
Geoffrey McEvoy
thank you for the very detailed reply! I will see if I can get some local I do have a another cluster that needs new ones. As for my crank sensor, it’s fairly brand new, about 1-2 old. I have a M30 engine with only 40k miles on it, I got a brand new block from BMW In Germany. They only had 6 left in the warehouse. So I have a brand new M30 engine, only thing that was reused was the head which I got ported an polished. Love this engine
Thank you for the help and tips!
It is always a pleasure, Kyle. You are most welcome. I really hope it helps, although I am not 100% certain that the tach signal comes from the same sensor as the M60 that this cluster goes with. I would have to look that up. An M30 doesn't have a camshaft position sensor, I believe. It is really cool that you have managed to source a brand new engine, by the way! That is quite exceptional indeed... These engines are among the best ever made, in my opinion. Lucky you!
@@gmcevoy will the same capacitors work for my 520iT -94?
Have to fix my cluster. The temperature meter isn't working at all anymore. And the entire gauge turns of completely more and more often. And a few times it has gone completely nuts and won't shut of even if I turn off the ignition. Then I had to disconnect the battery to make it work again.
@@evertssonsimon Hi. It sounds like you have quite a short, somewhere. Do make sure that no aftermarket devices are wired into the cluster, somehow. The capacitors should be the same as the ones here. You will soon find out, I suppose. If you have any questions, fire away at info@mcevoy.be. I will do my best to help.
What is the value of the caps replaced there?
Hey Mike. I think it was something like 7 cents a pop. Haha, just kidding. I am pretty sure it is 47µF, but I must double check so don't take my word for it. I think I still have a few lying around somewhere. Here is an interesting resource which will certainly help you out, if you haven't found it already: bmwe32.masscom.net/johan/dash_caps/dash_caps.html
helo i have problem too e 34 525 i is clusters makes a crazy is gas and temperature is jumping
when turn on key all gone
only work lights all correct wht can by eny help tnx
Hello. It sounds like the battery of your E34 might be dead. Sometimes, a flat car battery does that. It is located under the rear seat, on the right side of the car. Just pull the rear seat up, and it will be there.
Otherwise it could be a short circuit somewhere. If you have recently installed after-market parts (radio, amplifier, ...), try removing them, and see what happens.
If the problem still persists, take the cluster out, and look for signs of short circuit: burning of the circuit board, and so on.
It may also be a loose connection, with the wiring behind the gauge cluster...
Lots of things to look for. I hope this helps! Best of luck
@@gmcevoy tnx i Will check uot
my E34 535i has the same issue. Was in storage, just pulled out and needles for gas and temp very jittery and jumping around. Disconnected/reconnected battery , now they don't move. Battery has a full charge, all lights work fine. Trying to figure if it is the capacitors or something else like a short somewhere....don't know where to even look for that
So I did the capacitor replacement but now I get nothing and my OBC just shows PPPP any info
Hello Robert. Thanks for stopping by. Is your OBC an original fitment, or was it retro-fitted? I had the same issue, after replacing the original digital clock, by a second hand OBC. I know for a fact that this PPPP display means that the coding plug of the gauge cluster is not recognised by the OBC, and they can no longer communicate. You can try to disconnect the battery for 10 minutes, and it might sort it out. If this does not work, then turn the ignition key to position 1, press the CODE button on your OBC, and use a ball-point pen to push on the tiny little button, on the face of the OBC. Long enough until the display blinks, asks you to input date and time, and you should be set... Let me know how it goes!
@@gmcevoy my obc and cluster are original also my obc does not have the reset button
Hello again. It should. It is very small, and coloured a dark green. If you are in doubt, send me an email with a picture of your OBC at info@mcevoy.be, and I will highlight it for you.
@@gmcevoy sending one now
You should get the reply any time soon. I hope it helps!
Tell me capacitors reading numbers of threes
Please rating of capacitors needs
I think it was 220mF 40V. Check the ratings on the existing capacitors.
@@gmcevoy thanks
Thank you Geoffrey for this video. I was having this issue:
ruclips.net/video/3sJnDrUf_AY/видео.html
But I think mine was a contact issue: either between the zebra connector of the LCD and its pins (mine is e36) or cold soldering issue in the back of the PCB. I cleaned the zebra connector and the metal contacts of the white LCD housing unit, and that worked (with the intermittent flickering being less frequent than before, but still there - btw: I do not get strange characters etc. - So I don't think my issue is bad capacitors?) Anyway, I took it apart again to re-solder the 20 or so pins in the back of the PCB, but noticed a whole layer of protective insulating glue/coat on it. I did not want to take it off - since I was not sure I needed to re-solder. So far it is 99% ok (flickered only once today for 10 seconds).
1. Do you think what my video shows is a capacitor issue or electrical contact issue?
2. If I wanted to re-solder the LCD pins in the back of the PCB, how do I remove the protective coating of that insulating layer without damaging the PCB. Alcohol did not remove it, and I was worried acetone may be too harsh on the PCB.
Many thanks!!
Thank you for your comment, Nasri. I have replied on your two videos. I hope it helps!
@@gmcevoy Thank you so much !!! I saw your replies!