How to fix your e36 dim radio display

[fliplap]

(cross posted in the maintenance section)

The real how-to-fix your e36 Alpine headunit's dim display

Credit to http://www.boston-bmwcca.org/bimmer/2002/10/radio.asp and Arturo Gossage. That site just isn't detailed enough. But it would have been impossible todo this or to write this without that site.

This is easy. IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT STUFF. If you don't, its impossible.

There are actually a couple things possibly wrong. The bulbs under your LCD might be burnt out, kinda unlikey, or they might not be getting power at all.

What you'll need:
A soldering iron, preferably with a fine tip.
Thin solder
A smallish philips head screw driver
A flat blade screw driver
Needle nose pliers
A multimeter
The security code for your radio

I took pictures, yes. But unfortunatly I didn't take one of what you really need todo and I don't feel like disassembling my headunit again.However, its not really needed, as it is totally possible to descibe how to do it.

First of all you need to pull your radio from the car. There are little hinged tabs on each side of the radio. Pop them open. The screw in here has 5 sides, but you can make a hex wrench work fine. Unscrew as far they'll go and jimmy the head unit out. For those with an M3 you can substitute a hard 1-2 shift at the redline for the jimmying, the radio will slide right out. Ask me how i know. Disconnect the big black connector by following the disgram on the top of it. You'll have use some force with the screw driver when prying it up, it will make a real ugly sound when it pops off, but everything is fine.

Bring it inside and take the plastic cover off. There are 2 screws, one on each side, near the top, towards the front of the unit. Then there are tabs near the bottom that need to be pushed in as well as one on the top that also needs to be pushed. Everything else is kind of a prying exercise

Now we need to take the top cover off of the unit. Two screws in the back, toward the top need to come out. Then it just pulls off.

Next stop is pulling the display circuit board out. There are 2 screws attaching it to the tape player assembly. Then there are 2 metal tabs on the side of the unit that need to be pushed in. Make sure you disconnect the little socketed wires for the volume knob on the left side of the unit. There's a black piece of wire holding it in place that serves no other purpose and is safe to bend. Now you should be able to pull the displayboard clean out. Set it aside.

The tape player now needs to be removed, there is one screw on the left side near that beige plastic thing and one on the right side down a square hole. Then just pull the entire assembly up, set aside.

You have now arrived at the main board, the source of all your problems. Time to head back your car with the unit, the front display circuit board and your multimeter. Plug that wired volume button back into the main board, and plug the unit back into the car. Put your keys in and turn on the electrics in the car. Now push the volume button in to turn on the stereo. You need to figure out if those bulbs under the display are even getting any power,Toward the front of the unit you will see 2 red connectors. Looking at unit head on, the socket on the left and the last pin hole all the way to the left is the one that powers the bulbs under the LCD. You should get just under 12v on your multimeter from it. I pull up the ciggarette lighter connector and use the ground under it for my ground.


IF YOU DON'T GET POWER FROM THAT PIN (scroll down for instructions if you do)
Head back inside with your radio. Disconnect the volume dial again. Take a look between those 2 red connectors again. In between them you will find a couple surface mount resistors. They are litte black rectanges with the number "180" on them. These have cracks in the solder on each side of them too small for the human eye to see. What you'll need todo is just touch up these joints (4 joints total) with alittle solder.

Now repeat the above paragraph and make sure you're getting 12V now. Turn off the radio, reattach the display board, including plugging the pins back into those red connectors. Turn radio back on. Does your display light up nice and bright now? Good! You're done! ......if it doesn't proceed to the next section.


IF YOU DO GET POWER FROM THAT PIN
This means those bulbs under the display are likely burnt out.

Extra stuff you'll need:
Copper desoldering braid
2 8v microlamps available at partsexpress.com

You'll need to remove the metal backing from the display circuit board. There are 2 metal tabs holding it by way of holes in the circuit board, desolder these tabs from the board and bend the tabs back. The display board should come off fine now.

Now removed the actual LCD display, again, more tabs to desolder, 3 along the top of the LCD, one of which is through the circuit board. Then 3 more along the bottom, but these may not be soldered, you probably just have to bend them back, Removed the display and you'll see the bulbs. Desolder them and resolder in the new ones. Go out to your car and make sure they work. If they don't, I don't know what to tell you, this all worked for me, Very sorry.

If it did work, congrats, reassemble your radio and enjoy!

Hope this helps a few people!
Keywords: BMW e36 radio headunit dim display blank display problem fix

[JuliusPleaser]

YES! Thanks for the tips!

I followed your directions, and now I have a bright radio display. It's easier than you think.

This thread deserves a sticky!

[BimmerDude18]

^

[Slick Willi]

sounds like alot of work but it may be a easy solution until i buy the new HU
Thanks so much for this, and i agree someone should make this sticky!

[atog]

this needs to be pinned

[dmw]

I have a related problem. The display is okay but the buttons on the radio aren't lit at all - none of them. Thoughts?

[SoonToBeM3]

Thank you! Finally, ill have to try this.

[jim66]

Originally Posted by dmw

I have a related problem. The display is okay but the buttons on the radio aren't lit at all - none of them. Thoughts?

My display was dim AND my buttons weren't lit at all before doing this fix. Resoldered the two resistors and now the display is bright and the buttons are lit up.

[jim66]

Originally Posted by jim66

My display was dim AND my buttons weren't lit at all before doing this fix. Resoldered the two resistors and now the display is bright and the buttons are lit up.

Scratch that.... it was the connection on the back of the unit causing my buttons not to light up. When I put the plastic holder back on, my buttons stopped lighting up because I had the holder cocked. Removed it and put it back on straight and they're lit up again.

[BRADSPEED600]

Awesome! i'm gonna try it

[Lex325]

I did this today and it actually worked!!! I am so happy....after just guessing what station I was on all these years I can finally see the display dammit!!

Mind you, I have never soldered anything before in my life and am not familiar with this type of work.

If you have this problem, try this fix.....it's alot easier than you all think!!!

Thanks again!!

[davester]

I just did it and it worked great! Two issues though: 1) Be careful when you put the faceplate back on or you will lock the cassette door closed and have to take the thing apart again; 2) Those two resistors are so absurdly tiny that it's very hard to solder them. I made do with magnifying reading glasses and a regular soldering iron, just poked around there with the iron and a bit of solder and got lucky. It seems to me that it would be very easy to damage them or the circuit board this way. To do a proper, more reliable job, the proper tool would be a soldering iron with a tiny tip, and it would be way easier with a more powerful magnifying glass...or just pick up the most powerful cheap reading glasses available from the drug store.

I didn't even bother testing the bulbs, since mine have been intermittently working (not very often though).

Thanks a lot for the great post.

Also, while the radio was out I installed the panavise cell phone dash mount. I'm combining it with one of the Pro clip phone-specific cell phone holders...fits very nicely and looks professional. Highly recommended.

[BavBB05]

Thank you for this post. It was also the resistors in my case. I agree that the soldering tip should be TINY if you want to play it safe. I used one that was way too big, but it still did the trick.

[EOSphoto]

Or you can just take it back to the dealer, pay 50 bucks for labor and they'll give you a new one.

[BavBB05]

Originally Posted by BavBB05

Thank you for this post. It was also the resistors in my case. I agree that the soldering tip should be TINY if you want to play it safe. I used one that was way too big, but it still did the trick.

Is that right? Just fifty bucks?

[Pmack11]

Well, I needed this fix badly--I took the radio apart as described (great instructions)..The resistors were so tiny I didn't attempt to solder them, I just took a tiny eyeglass screwdriver and sort of scrapped the connections a little bit. I am still not getting any voltage from the LAST LEFT pin ?? I was getting voltage at both resistors tho (whatever)...the display was now nice and bright BUT the buttons are still not lit and Im not exactly sure where the light source for those buttons are ?.....There are two orange coated tiny bulbs on the face circuitboard that ARE lit that I thought would make all my buttons light when I put the radio back together but no luck there....next step: making sure the back connector harness is alighned correctly (seemed to solve it for another poster) and then maybe go back in and do the whole soldering deal.....are there other resistors for the button lights perhaps ?

[fliplap]

I'm glad to see people are still getting use out of this :-)

[kram328i]

great fix
i just did it
damn easy and saves alot in your pocket
thanks again for the write up

[krayon]

I just did it five minutes ago.

It was extremely easy and now I have a bright display

However, I almost got screwed. I was using a soldering iron that was way to big and one of the transisters came off. I ended up just laying a nice blob of solder down where it once was and everything works fine. I thought I had ruined my deck, but no, I fixed it.

Now if I only knew the code.

the write up was great, thanks.

[hkk4235]

Guys,
The buttons on my radio display are on only intermittent. So, I embarked on my first diy on the 328.

I got the unit out of the car, and am unable to get the face plate out. I removed the screws, and pressed the tabs. The face plate came off a little bit out, but it seems the power/volume button is holding it back from coming off completely. There's a clear plastic piece behind the volume buttom (that lights up when the unit is on), that's behind the volume button.
Does the volume button come off before the face plate? Help please!

Thanks

[hkk4235]

ok, I got to the point of removing the cassette player. The display itself is bright, but the buttons come on only once in a while. Should I be looking at anything else?

Thanks

[wannaMMM]

Before you deck went dim did it go on and off randomly. Mine is mostly bright as it should, but once in a while (maybe once a month or two, not very often) and it could just be the soder cracking? and could look into this for a fix of that. Anythoughts?
-Evan

[volkl77]

Here is a possible fix for the radio BUTTON LED's and auto dim function not working. It was the solution in my particular case.

This is in addition to the repair info about the LCD display bulbs/resistors.

On the main board again, just a little behind and to the right of the 2 resistors that will fix the LCD display issue, is one more resisitor, marked "240". It is tucked in between the third blue capacitor to the right of center, and a bank of transistors.
Same problem as before, a cracked solder joint. touch this one up as well and you will have your button LEDs light up again.
I also noticed that the tape door & volume knob lamps brightened up as well.

Hope this helps some of y'all!

[FiveO540i]

Is there a fix for a radio volume knob that doesn't work? The button turns the radio on and off, but the volume control doesn't work. I can only adjust using my wheel-mounted control button.

Thanks

[bluebridge]

Many Thanks;
I had worked down to pulling the bulbs without success and your thread pointed to the problem. Other than lifting one of the 180's off the board and a delicate task of reattaching, it went well and I once again can see what I'm hearing!
cheers
Bluebridge