Instrument cluster suddenly died

[Kristian Lima]

A few weeks ago my instrument panel on my 2004 e61 stopped working properly, the only thing that worked were the two small screens in the middle so I opened it to check what was wrong and then there was a path in the circuit board that had blown on the way in/out from the processor, so I ordered a new one. It arrived in the post today so I installed The new one and everything worked fine the first drive, but on the second drive it was broken and only the two small screens in the middle worked. Has anyone experienced this before or know what could be the cause?

When the car is moving either speed, rpm, fuel efficiency etc does not work and the two small screens are much brighter than they should be

[Greydog]

Morning Kristian

Welcome and Seasons Greetings

If you repaired the fault by changing the board and the fault has repeated then my thinking is the fault is with the power feed to the instrument panel overloading it,could be Junction box related or Footwell control module related.

A diagnostic scan is needed to try and track it down 

Dave

[Kristian Lima]

12 hours ago, Greydog said:

Morning Kristian

Welcome and Seasons Greetings

If you repaired the fault by changing the board and the fault has repeated then my thinking is the fault is with the power feed to the instrument panel overloading it,could be Junction box related or Footwell control module related.

A diagnostic scan is needed to try and track it down 

Dave

Okay, I have a friend who has diagnostic tools so i will ask him for help. 
Thank you for the reply Dave!

[christophercharlesgreen]

This fault seems similar to what I've expirienced with the 1989 525i.My  auto electrician friend thinks the board is powered by an independent small battery but does not know where it is located. Does anyone have any idea ? I've contacted  Greydog a few weeks ago about this and although his advise was helpful, the firms did not get involved with older cars. Many thanks in anticipation of any suggestions.

[Greydog]

How about a Computer/Mobile Phone repairer ? I would also try and source a replacement cluster from a BMW Recycler if one can be found it will need registering to the car as BMW record mileage in two places one of them being the cluster.

Dave

 

 

[christophercharlesgreen]

On 12/30/2024 at 7:08 AM, Greydog said:

How about a Computer/Mobile Phone repairer ? I would also try and source a replacement cluster from a BMW Recycler if one can be found it will need registering to the car as BMW record mileage in two places one of them being the cluster.

Dave

 

 

Many thanks for your reply Greydog Dave,it is always much appreciated. Since the symptoms seem similar to Kristian Lima, I think I will try to contact him. 

[Greydog]

Morning Christopher

Information for your Auto Electrician

According to BMW the batteries are soldered to the Instrument cluster PCB 

As I recall Kristians fault was more power overload and we dont know if he was able to cure it

Happy New 

Dave

[christophercharlesgreen]

Many thanks for your reply Greydog Dave, as always it is much appreciated and proves someone cares. It is true that the soldered batteries appear in the Haynes Manual but they are not in my instrument cluster. My auto electrician friend wonders if the subsequent model didn't appear in any manual. The VIN number is  WBAHC22010BK95873 The Haynes Manual we've used is BMW 3&5 Series 1981 to 1991 ( up to J registration ) page 12 *5 Look forward to your reply

[Greydog]

Hi Christopher

I have never used a Haynes Manual so can't comment on it's information. I work from BMW ISTA/INPA with it's WIS and TIS plus a few other sources (An old neighbour is senior management level in BMW)  

My Diagnostic Program using your Vin tells me your car is a BMW E34 Saloon 525i RH Drive Auto M20 Engine Manufacter Year 1989 Nov

Now the fun part your Model used capacitors not batteries apparently (top right of the cluster I am told) they can be replaced and no recoding to avoid a Tamper dot by the miles recorded. First check is does your cluster have a Grey back if so it should be straight forward (I am told, never done it myself) Apparently the same cluster was used in the 7 series and can be swapped but then you will either need to move the coded plug (Brown Cable) needs swapping or re-code the cluster If the back is Black or another colour replacement is the way to go

I don't know if this helps or not 

Dave

[christophercharlesgreen]

Many thanks once again Greydog Dave . I haven't yet contacted my auto electrician friend but when I do I'm sure he will find your information useful and interesting. He will take a while to visit me because of ill health but when he does I will contact you. Many thanks and a happy new year.

[Greydog]

A little additional information

BMW do not repair anything a Dealer would simply change the cluster and re-code the new one 

The DIY engineers out there have put a surprising amount of information online which should help your Auto Electrician 

Good Luck

Dave

[Kristian Lima]

I have still not found the cause of the problem, i havent tried to diagnose it yet because lack og time, but when i was traveling in the holidays suddenly the cluster started working. But then the next time i turned the car on it didnt work. Now it has been working 20% of the times i turn the car on. The other 80 it is Dead as i described. I think this makes the problem even more complicated

[Greydog]

Hi Kristian

Thanks for the update, to my thinking the fact it seems intermitent would point to a Dry Joint or a cracked/broken wire feed or track on the Ribbon

Dave

[christophercharlesgreen]

Many thanks once again Greydog Dave for your enormous endeavours