Clusters revisited

[browntown]

Ok I've done the search. I read the strictlyeta business. Here goes:

Have an 85 325e (motometer guages). Will get a m/s5x motor in it. Found a non-cracked dash with a 7k VDO cluster out of an 88 automatic. Does the whole coding plug vs chip or motometer only business matter if I put an e36 motor in?

The strictlyeta site says:

1) If you have a Motometer cluster, then you must pull a tach from another Motometer cluster. Likewise, if you have a VDO cluster then you'll need a VDO tach. They aren't compatible, so don't try mixing and matching.

2) If your car was manufactured on or before 12/85, then you must use a cluster off an '84-'85 318i. After 12/85 BMW stopped using the tachometer coding plug and switched over to a chip, mounted on the lower front right of the cluster. The easy way to tell if a cluster has a chip or a plug without searching for a production date is to look at the back color of it: If it's white then it has a plug, if it's blue then it has a chip. If your car was made after 12/85, then use a tach from an '87+ 325i.

Is the wiring harness or sending unit not compatible? I don't understand the problem. Once I get a s50 and ZF tranny in there, is the eta harness really going to foul things up that much?

Don't mean to ramble, basic question: If I buy the 7k vdo cluster will it work?

[mentaleeill]

motometer and vdo complete clusters are interchangable. if you have a vdo you you can switch to a motometer or vise versa. you can not take gauges from one to put in the other though. ie. cant pull a tach from the vdo and put in in a motometer as the article you posted states. just run the correct year range 7k cluster for your car and you will be fine with the m/s50 swap.