Tranceshark wrote on 01-13-2004 11:18 AM:
Well, if you measure the system on an M5 you can find out which cable connects the OilTempGauge with the instrument... By installing an OilTempSensor and connecting it directly to the gauge - bypassig the original system - you can make it work

I want to add an oil temp gauge to my E38 (which will be through the ///M5 dash)

Easier said than done. Our cars do NOT have a oil temp sensor.

So what I will need to do is first add one (which type where? what does that entail exactly?)) and then wire it directly to the gauge (and what does that entail exactly?) :dunno

Thanks for any help. Special thanks to TranceShark for his help thus far. :buttrock

:redspot

Rob Levinson - UUC - would be a good resource for this. Rob?

Originally posted by Auraraptor
I want to add an oil temp gauge to my E38 (which will be through the ///M5 dash)

Easier said than done. Our cars do NOT have a oil temp sensor.

So what I will need to do is first add one (which type where? what does that entail exactly?)) and then wire it directly to the gauge (and what does that entail exactly?) :dunno

Thanks for any help. Special thanks to TranceShark for his help thus far. :buttrock

:redspot

Are we sure there isn't already temp sensor? Shadowchaser / Justin said that the //M5 cluster will work plug 'n play. It would need to be installed by a dealer, though, who can properly download and upload the data so you don't have a red dot.

I don't have first hand knowledge -- this is just what I was told.

Originally posted by jayadam63
Are we sure there isn't already temp sensor? Shadowchaser / Justin said that the //M5 cluster will work plug 'n play. It would need to be installed by a dealer, though, who can properly download and upload the data so you don't have a red dot.

I don't have first hand knowledge -- this is just what I was told.

It is plug and play but since our cars dpnt have a oil temp sensor the oil temp will not work. The rest will...including the tach lights, but they only will work as if its a hot engine since we lack the oil temp sensor.

I don't know for sure, but here's what I did on my former E28.

It didn't have an oil temp gauge, either, but, as with our E38s, there has to be an oil sensor somewhere on the block, or else the oil idiot light wouldn't work.

With the E28, I bought an adaptor (VDO maybe) that was threaded into the same spot as the idiot light sensor. This sensor had two "outlets", so you could keep the idiot light but then also run wires to another gauge that allowed you to monitor actual oil temp.

Sorry, this is not very technical, but there should be something like this for our cars (then again, I could be dreaming...)

Originally posted by Auraraptor
It is plug and play but since our cars dpnt have a oil temp sensor the oil temp will not work. The rest will...including the tach lights, but they only will work as if its a hot engine since we lack the oil temp sensor.

That's not what Justin said -- He said that it was 100% functional in the e38 -- indicating to me that there IS a OIL temperature sensor.

Are you sure there isn't or is it your hypothesis that there isn't?

@Jayadam63
Hi!
Justin got his info from me. And I guess you misunderstood what he told you. It is PnP, right. You have to reprogram it, right (Otherwise it won´t work at all!). But you will need an extra oil temperature sensor to make it function. I am the guy who has the M5 cluster in his E38. I guess right now I am like the only one in the world who has done that (At least for Europe I know for sure) The pics ghosting around here are taken of my car.
http://www.7er-stammtische.de/upload2/80731bild_0102.jpg

If you install an oil temperature sensor and bypass the original dataflow to the temperature gauge it is fully functional. Otherwise it will work like Auraraptor said.
Hope to have been of help!

Please excuse my bad use of English.
Greetings from Germany,
Marc

Marc,

Thanks for the post. At the time I spoke with him, Justin had the understanding that it worked fully. It's no big deal either way as I'm not looking to spend the money on the cluster.

Were you able to get your oil temperature gauge working?

Thanks for your reply,

Jay

Originally posted by FlyingHigh
Rob Levinson - UUC - would be a good resource for this. Rob?

KMS has an oil sensor adapter block which they designed that was used with conventional aftermarket oil temp and pressure sensors. KMS can be reached at 440-338-1650.

You can run just one or the other gauge, or both.

I had considered the E39 M5 cluster - it looks really nice and it's great to have an integrated temp gauge, but I also wanted an oil pressure gauge which required an alternate solution. Not to mention that I just got my cluster replaced for the missing pixel problem.

Quite frankly the cost of the M5 cluster is hard to justify. For about $1K, there are a lot of other more functional things that could be done. That sort of money is a good chunk of a diff swap, wheel upgrade, or really anything on the list. Heck, $1K will get you springs, swaybars, and leave enough for two performance tires!

- Rob

Originally posted by Rob Levinson
Quite frankly the cost of the M5 cluster is hard to justify. For about $1K, there are a lot of other more functional things that could be done. That sort of money is a good chunk of a diff swap, wheel upgrade, or really anything on the list. Heck, $1K will get you springs, swaybars, and leave enough for two performance tires!

- Rob

Agreed! :)

Originally posted by jayadam63
Agreed! :)

*whines* but the M5 cluster is so sexy! i must have it, even if it means cutting into my diff upgrade. no wait, the diff will definitely come first.

aaron