Hi Guys,

This is a long shot, but I'm hoping someone out there can help.

The meters on my instrument cluster no longer work so I am looking to find a replacement.

Anyone know a good place to find a part like this?

I assume you have checked the fuses and you have the cluster with the speedo in the center as the largest circle. Do any of the warning lights work? Does the tach work or is just the temp and fuel the only problem? Have you pulled the cluster and looked at the flexible circuit strip on the back?

Is it the old style or new style? If it is the old style, I have two, depending on auto or manual.

I love how the "fasten seat belt" guy is like taped in there. The dash i had with the old style cluster had that.

-Jeff

I love how the "fasten seat belt" guy is like taped in there. The dash i had with the old style cluster had that.

-Jeff

That was commonly added to the euro clusters when they were federalized. Many of the US models had the fasten seat belts warning in the top center of the dash between the upper air vents.

I also have several US and euro clusters and parts but we should try to find the problem before resort to complete replacement.

ok, sorry for the delay, the part is for my moms car.

its the odometer that doesnt work anymore, so she told me she needed a replacement cluster because the odometer is part of it....i know in one of my older cars you could just take the odometer out and put a different one in...is that true with this cluster?

If so, i just need the odometer, if not, I need the whole thing.

The car is an automatic, and the cluster looks just like the one you posted a pic of.

How much would you sell it for?

Let's ask this question first, "If the speedo doesn't work, are you sure the cable isn't broken?". The speedo comes out of the cluster, all you have to do is take the cluster apart. I have a complete auto cluster from a euro, pm me with an offer.

Let's ask this question first, "If the speedo doesn't work, are you sure the cable isn't broken?". The speedo comes out of the cluster, all you have to do is take the cluster apart. I have a complete auto cluster from a euro, pm me with an offer.

its the odometer that doesnt work, so she doesnt know how many miles she has driven, she drives the car cross country once a year and its important to know the mileage

Does anyone know if the "older" speedo's have the same problem with the gears breaking in the odometer like the newer speedo's? If so the gears and be replaced.

Does anyone know if the "older" speedo's have the same problem with the gears breaking in the odometer like the newer speedo's? If so the gears and be replaced.

good point CW.

Hash, if that is indeed the problem, there's a turtorial at this link: http://www.z3bimmer.com/OffTopic/E24Bimmer//OdoGear/
on how to replace that odometer gear...it's for the newer style clusters, but i would imagine it's pretty similar, if not exactly the same...i'd suggest removing the cluster (not at all complicated) and having a look around.


now a question for anyone else; will the old style cluster go in an E28-based 6er and work properly? and did they make 160mph speedo's for the old clusters? i've never liked the rectangular temp and fuel gauges and think the round one looks a fair sight better.

If I'm not mistaken, the the e12 based speedo's are cable driven while the later e28 based speedo's are electric, driven by a pulse from a speed sensor in the rear axle.

If I'm not mistaken, the the e12 based speedo's are cable driven while the later e28 based speedo's are electric, driven by a pulse from a speed sensor in the rear axle.

the mechanic said it was a cable driven one? he cleaned it up or something and it worked again for a little bit then stopped again..

If I'm not mistaken, the the e12 based speedo's are cable driven while the later e28 based speedo's are electric, driven by a pulse from a speed sensor in the rear axle.

The early (E 12 based) ones ARE cable driven.

The odo gear is very similar to the later style. I can remember when I was in school, I would scrounge the junk yards for old Audis and BMWs and get the gears. There were different numbers of teeth and they needed to be matched but I would think that these would be available from the same sources as the ones for the later models.


Hash328i, if the speedo works but the odometer does not, then you just need to replace the gear or send the speedo to a speedo shop for repair. They would have a tendency to stop on a 9 and the gear would start spinning on the shaft.

Here is a site that sells gears:
http://www.odometergears.com/subpages/bmw.html

The offending odometer gears:

I have a 79 633 Euro and I just plain need a new cluster (but with US units). The plastic covering is gone, the speedo bounces, the tach doesn't work. It seems that all of the gauges are inaccurate. My fuel gauge will not go up to full and the temp gauge barely moves.

Well, hooray for this thread.

I just took the M6 out for a good, lengthy drive. Put gas in the car, reset the trip odometer (and did not even notice if it had moved since leaving the house, to be honest) while the car was parked and OFF, not moving...then realized a few miles down the road that my odometer and trip odometer had died. Sigh.

A question on the Odometer Gears website, I'm assuming that the Electronic VDO 3 Gear Set is the way to go? I'd hate to replace just one gear and have another one die on my soon thereafter.

Adding another item to the list.

Does'nt resetting the odo while moving strip the gears?? I think I remember Steve Haygood telling me that once.......ALWAYS reset the odo while sitting still........or old wives tale??

Yeah, I've heard about that happening from the guys who claim they themselves did it. That's why I reset mine before I even start the car. It may not be an absolutely sure thing that you'll trash the gears, but it seems highly likely given the advanced years of the gears.

It happened to me (stripped gears from setting the trip meter while moving) in an '87 Mercedes I owned a while back - same VDO gauges as BMW.

As said above, I'd guess it's the gears have busted if it's only the ODO that doesn't work. I have to do the same with my M635.

Yes, you will break the gears if they are already fragile and waiting to crack, if moving. Happens on Volvo's to.

ok, here is what i found, mom brought the car over today, it is cable driven, all the gears looked in tact from what i could tell, so im not sure why its not working =(

That's an odd one.

I haven't pulled mine out yet, but need to soon. I hope I find something straightforward like gears and not a mystery like it seems you'll have on hand.

Drove the M6 a LOT this week, and yesterday went to a GoodGuys event, then met up with a bunch of old school BMWs afterwards. While hanging with the various Bimmers, I noticed my odometer had gone ONE flippin mile at some point during the day. It did not turn again the rest of the night. Ha!

Let's ask this question first, "If the speedo doesn't work, are you sure the cable isn't broken?". The speedo comes out of the cluster, all you have to do is take the cluster apart. I have a complete auto cluster from a euro, pm me with an offer.

woah, sorry for the delay here. the euro one does KMPH and not MPH right?

My odo gears are toasted. Both the little gear and the big gear in CW's photo. I have similar issues (only gauge that works is the tach, and fuel gauge appears to only work in the winter months), but I think it's the SI board since it is nearly covered in battery acid.

What about SI board contacts, or do the cable driven cars even have this issue?

Alex