Replacing BMW Gauge
Cluster Light Bulbs
Wayne R. Dempsey

Difficulty Level: 3
Difficulty scale: Adding air to your tires is level one
Rebuilding a BMW Motor is level ten

[click to enlarge]

     It’s inevitable—one day, one of the lamps will burn out in your gauge cluster. Most people just tolerate this because, in their minds, the bulbs are difficult to reach and nobody knows how to get to them anyway. In reality, it’s quite easy if you know the procedure for safely pulling out and removing the gauge cluster.

     The first step is to write down which bulbs are burned out, and then disconnect the battery (see Project 84). I really can’t stress this enough, for reasons I’ll explain later in the text. Make sure you have the proper radio code required to reset your radio if you do disconnect the battery. Nothing is more frustrating than realizing your radio is dead and you don’t have the code (although it is available from the BMW dealer).

     With the battery disconnected, use a small stubby screwdriver to remove the two screws that fasten the gauge clusters to the top of the dashboard. On some later cars, these screws may require a stubby Torx driver—or you might be able to get away with using a small flat-head screwdriver in the top of the Torx head.

     With the two screws removed, you should be able to pull the cluster out of its home in the molded dash. This, of course, is easier said than done. There isn’t a big grab handle to pull the cluster out with. The best method is to grab the top of the cluster with your fingernails and pull it down. Using a soft plastic wedge, such as an old credit card, can help, and it won’t damage the delicate plastic assembly.

     With the gauges pulled out from the dash, you now need to reach behind and disconnect the wire harnesses from the rear. For each harness, you need to push a small tab on the rear of the connector, which then allows the white retaining lever to be lifted up. Don’t use too much force, as you will break the delicate retaining levers; then the connectors will never be secure. (See Photo 2 for details.)

     With the harnesses disconnected, you can now maneuver the gauge cluster out from the car. Be careful not to scratch the front of the gauge cluster on your steering wheel column. The removal process will require you to turn the steering wheel. Insert the key into the ignition and turn it so you can rotate the steering wheel. Verify that your battery is disconnected—if you turn on the ignition with the gauge cluster disconnected, the air bag computer will sense a fault and will trigger the air bag warning lamp. The air bag warning lamp can only be reset by using a special reset tool (see Project 83). If you don’t have one, you’ll be taking an expensive trip to the dealer.

     With the gauge cluster removed, you can use a small screwdriver to replace the bulbs. There are three large green ones; they illuminate the analog gauges (3-watt bulb, part number 07 11 9 978 372). There are two medium-sized white/tan ones that illuminate the odometer display (1.5-watt bulb, part number 62 11 1 391 260). Finally, the small black ones are for illuminating the warning lamps (1.2-watt bulb, part number 62 13 1 383 311). I recommend replacing all three of the large green ones, the two white/tan ones, and the two turn-signal lamps, as they are lit the longest and tend to burn out more than the others.

     When you are ready to reinstall the gauge cluster, make sure that the small retaining levers on the wire harnesses are pointed upward. Don’t force them, as they are fragile and can break.

     So what can go wrong with instrument clusters? Well, there are a lot of strange problems that can be attributed to faulty clusters and/or faulty wiring. The cruise control computer acquires speed information from the cluster, so when the cluster is having problems, the cruise control often shuts off. Radio volume on OEM radios is integrated with the gauge cluster output, so problems with the gauges often cause the radio volume to be lowered as well. Also adding to gauge problems may be a faulty door switch (see Project 67) or faulty wiring in the trunk (Project 82). Sometimes, when you install a short shift kit (Project 42), the installation may accidentally pinch some wires in the tunnel, so double-check your work if you have recently installed one of these kits.

     Also problematic are the harness plugs on the back of the gauges. Previous owners may not have been as careful with them and may have broken the connector-securing brackets. It’s possible for these to vibrate loose after many miles.

     A neat feature of the gauge cluster is the self-test function. This is used by the BMW dealers to diagnose various problems with the cluster, and also to test the various instrument modules. To activate the diagnostic mode, press and hold the odometer button. Then turn the ignition switch to the radio position, which is the first position on the ignition switch. The display should read something like “tESt 01.” Once you see that message, let go of the odometer button. The instrument cluster will then cycle through some test cycles and display some numbers. Here is what they mean:

First display: BMW part number (six digits)

Second display: code number (five digits)—the internal coding plug number

Third display: K number (four digits)

Fourth display: chassis number (five digits)©part of your BMW’s VIN number

Fifth display: software version (three digits)

Sixth display: revision index (two digits)—hardware number

     After all of the information is displayed, a set of tests of the analog gauges will be performed. You can also use this test/diagnostic mode to reset your odometer. See www.101Projects.com/BMW/95.htm for more details on this procedure.

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