Help! Instrument Cluster going crazy

[axvel]

hi,
The CAr is 1994 325is, with 140171 miles before the PPPPPP which was 2 days ago.

It started out as just turning on and off every 3-4 min i think and now it displays "PPPPPP" instead of the miles. And basically every other guage doesn't work besides the speedometer.
Also i have apicture of what it looks like.


if anyone has the information on that i would greatly appreciate it.

[BMWCowboy]

Thats wEiRd-->looks like it lost its coding....have to get recoded
with BMW equip-->never seen one do that B4

[Wayne 962]

You might try to get a used one off of eBay (maybe with cracked plastic), and swap the boards with yours. These units are tempermental, and have a tendency to fail once and a while. Also, check your trunk wiring - short circuits in the wiring leading to the trunk lid have caused strange instrument cluster problems...

-Wayne

[axvel]

Thanks to all of you. The problem did start from the rear right bulb that went out, and i just didn't had the time to change it, now the entire cluster just shut down, so i think i'm going to buy the new cluster

thanks againe
to everybody who responded

[DR.WA///M]

ahh im going to change myy bulb now!

[BMWCowboy]

A lights not going to cause this->>when we get new clusters to install and we dont code-->just plug them in it will come up with pppppppp
I would try and recode first!

[Wayne 962]

I would not be surprised if strange wiring problems in the rear of the car have caused this - I have seen a lot of screwy things happen when the lights go amiss back there. Replace the bulb, and see if it the bulb works - it may be a crossed wire somewhere back there. Check the wiring to the trunk too, it's very often broken...

-Wayne

[axvel]

Wayne, but the rear lights don't have wiring, they simplu screw in

[axvel]

BMWCowboy, you mentioning something about recoding, do you know how much it cost? And if it could be done without a dealer? I alway though that the instrument cluster is a simple monitor and that all miliage and everything else is stored in the computer, and the cluster simply shows it.

[Wayne 962]

See my pic in this thread:

is my 97 M3 dying? (radio, a/c, brake lights, dash LEDs... problems)

-Wayne

[axvel]

thanks Wayne i'll take a look tonight and will let you know

[axvel]

Hi all,
now i've checked the rear wiring and it's like new, i took out the speedometer and it looks fine and all the conections are not loose, if you guys have any other ideas please help me out, otherwise i'm almost giving up and probably will schedule an appoitment with BMW service in a week. Also here is some more pictures of the speedo
out. Thanks

[Wayne 962]

It might just be that the gauge cluster is dead. I have heard of people having to replace these occassionally. I have a few spares that I had from the book that I was going to dump on eBay in a few weeks, if you need one. And they are located in El Segundo...

-Wayne

[axvel]

Well the price of 1000$ is the cost that i will pay to replace the cluster it's 498$, 220$ diagnostic and 250$ labor
At the BMW Dealer

[Wayne 962]

Dude, just pick up a used one and swap it out - I've got a used one to sell, and instructions on how to do it in about 30 minutes...

-Wayne

[axvel]

and instructions on how to program it too? I will still need to oay them for them to reprogramm it