Gauge cluster thred...

[BeirBrennerE30]

ok... what are the differences between the US and Euro gauge cluster exactily??? anyone have pics of both in stock form??? what are other differences are there between other clusters(eta vs m3 vs is vs everything else)??? are all gauges interchangeable between all types of clusters??? where does the MPG meter get its signal from???

basically id liek to see a comprehensive stock gauge cluster thred with all information about different clusters and the different types of tachs (pics if possable)etc.

goin into my engine swap id liek to swap over my gauge cluster... ive already discussed pulling the factory engine temp and fuel gauge in favor of some VDO Vision units built into the factory cluster but id like to see what i can use from the factory first...

[PanamaE30]

I would have to say, the prime difference between euro and US is...

Units?

One is in miles the other in kilometers? I would think that's it.

[Axxe]

Canadian cluster is also metric system.

[///M Powered]

Gas gauge has different measurements as well.

[BeirBrennerE30]

i thought the warning lights were in pictures instead of words as well....

also did the euro cluster have red needles stock???

[mikeedler]

no, euro cluster needler were white too, just the M cars had the red. some earlier euro clusters onlt read up to 200kph, the laters read to 240kph the euro guages also dont have a check engine light.(the flashing one to pull codes from) but mainly what was said here earlier is about the extent of the differences.

[e30Matt]

Isn't something different in the speedometer electronics? I remember reading somewhere that if you put US faces on a Euro cluster the speedo will read off by a good bit. Anyone got any info on that?

[BeirBrennerE30]

no, euro cluster needler were white too, just the M cars had the red. some earlier euro clusters onlt read up to 200kph, the laters read to 240kph the euro guages also dont have a check engine light.(the flashing one to pull codes from) but mainly what was said here earlier is about the extent of the differences.

the motometer clusters dont have the check engine light either.... well atelast mine doesnt

[DanGillan]

my motometer US cluster does have a check engine light, it must be your bulb.

[Stu]

Here is a euro cluster from an '86 325i. It has symbols instead of words (brake lining, parking brake), km/h obviously, fuel is in litres, and the mpg gauge is different.

[BeirBrennerE30]

my motometer US cluster does have a check engine light, it must be your bulb.

not the bulb.... ive taken my cluster apart(si battery) and there isnt even a bulb in there... and no wiring... definately no check engine light..


and stu.... is that cluster stock or did you paint the needles(ie do they still light up like stock)???? because that is what im looking for in a cluster... correct tach(i think) and all except i want to swap in the vdo visions instead of the fuel and temp gauges...

[Stu]

Yes, needles were painted red with testors model paint. They do not illuminate, but seeing them at night is not a problem

[BeirBrennerE30]

Yes, needles were painted red with testors model paint. They do not illuminate, but seeing them at night is not a problem

hummm... well i guess ill wait to see it in person... as for now i think ill be ordering the same euro gauge cluster as you stu since obviously it works with the s50 swap.... is there anything special i need to order???


do the red needles on the m3 cluster illuminate???

[mikeedler]

do the red needles on the m3 cluster illuminate???

no they dont.
and as far as the question about the electronics-- the faces will not match up because the us face is used on the older 200kph scaled euro face--if you can find an older euro fguage from the 4 cyl car, it is fairly close and will work. plus the guage will still read in miles on the odometer not really a prob though.

[ian332isport]

When you talk about Euro gauges, you are fogetting about the UK. We are most certainly Euro, but we still measure in MPH, not KMH.

I have an original UK spec E30 M3 cluster in my car. It has red needles from the factory. The speedo reads up to 160mph, and the tacho reads to 8K (useful with the S50B32 Euro engine). Being from the M3, it also has Oil temp in place of the Econometer thingy. All the warning lights are the symbols, not text.

As far as I'm aware, no UK clusters had the Check engnie light. My car certainly has no wiring for it. I'm pretty sure the electronics are all the same though.

Ian.