E36 Instrument Cluster not working

[Scott Gilbert]

After doing an engine swap in my ’92 325is I have been working through the problems. The major issue was that the engine was cutting out and the problem was consistently getting worse. It seemed as the engine would loose electrical power and then keep going. I identified the problem as a loose ground wire for the FI by the thermostat housing. Fixed it and now it runs fine, but during the end of fixing it the instrument panel went dead. All of the gauges do not work, no odometer or inspection lights, but most of the warning lights work fine. I reset the computer by taking the power off of the battery, and it worked for 1 day and then it quit working again. I checked all of the fuses for conductivity and they are fine. I really don’t want to rip the dash apart. Any clue as to why the gauges do not have power?

[87Bertone]

Hi -

I had a dead cluster after I replaced a bulb. The lights worked in the instrument cluster and the car ran fine but none of the gauges worked. Long story short there was a frayed wire, I think it was green, that was causing the issue. It was in the connector, way in the back near the firewall and a mother F*er to splice. But it solved the problem. It must have gotten frayed/broken during the cluster removal. Good luck