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325 Instrument Gauges

2K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  techforyou 
#1 · (Edited)
I have a 88 325 E30 and while driving my Fuel gauge, Tachometer & Fuel consumption indicator, Temperature gauge stop working but my Speedometer still works. I check my Fuses and they check good and I don't think all the gauges died at the same time any thoughts on what I should check next.
 
#3 ·
You maybe right it could be the batteries on the SI Board (Service Indicator) because I notice something after I let the car sit overnight. When I first started the engine the gauges work for a few seconds then died but the turn indicators works along with the Fog light, Battery Charge, High Beam, Instrument Panel Lights all works. I'll stop by Radio Shack and pickup 2 AA NiCads batteries and replace them on the SI Board to test if this is the problem or I'll stop by the Junk yard and pull out a SI Board and let you if it works - Thanks.
 
#4 ·
Here's an odd question... Are the SI boards for E30's all compatible with each other? If I went to a junkyard and pulled one from a 318i or a 325is, would it still serve its function with my 325e? My SI board is BADLY corroded, so I am currently driving without it in my instrument cluster, and so far, no ill effects other than looking at the Check light flash all the time. Oh well, I could just snip the wire to the Check light and be none the worse for wear I suppose, but that would be disrespectful to my bimmer.

Josh W.
 
#7 ·
Apparently the SI boards do not all interchange. I just bought a new SI board from the dealer. ($145 plus a $25 core charge). When I removed the old one, I noticed that the pin configuration is different. I can't find a brand on the old board. I suspect the previous owner replaced it once with an aftermarket board. The one from the dealer is Moto. I'll sort it out with them Monday.

The symptoms I had were like those mentioned above. The tach was intermittent, the fuel guage would work at first but when it got to 3/4 tank would drop to 0 in about 20 minutes. The water temp needle would occasionally bounce. Finally the odometer stopped turning. :huh:
 
#9 ·
Try, Try, and Try again

I replace the Batteries & Capacitors but the gauges still doesn't work. I went to the junk yard and got and Instrument panel for $45.00 and even though it's not exactly like mine I was able to plug in all the connectors. It did the same thing as mine and I notice that my heater fan and AC doesn't works. I read a posting about the same problem and it was his wiring next to his gear shifter grounding out causing the problem so off I go again with Gods help.
 
#10 ·
Kiss

I remove the Gear shift & Parking brake console between the seats and found some wires that was a little pinch but the Insulation wasn't cut. As I check the other wires I thought about what I was told a long time ago about KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). I thought to start over again with the easy things first so I went back to the Fuses and there it was No.10 Fuse blown I replace it and now everything works. I was told God looks after Baby's and Fools and I'm not a Baby. And about the batteries I found the exact ones at a local place call Batteries Plus.


Thanks to everyone for you help - God Bless.
 
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