motometer to vdo?

[Helltime]

Ok, i have searched on here and i am seeing conflicting info so i will ask here.
I have an 85 325e, has the stock motometer cluster...i bought a vdo unit from an I car i think it was an 89...will it work in my 85 without modification?

[Exodus_2pt0]

Contact B15u on these forums.

I just sold him a motometer ETA cluster that we thought would work on his VDO car. Maybe you guys could swap clusters out.

[Helltime]

Contact B15u on these forums.

I just sold him a motometer ETA cluster that we thought would work on his VDO car. Maybe you guys could swap clusters out.

Not interested at this time due to the fact i don't know if everything works on it and i don't want to rip anyone off. So it won't work? When i searched i kept getting mixed answers. Anybody here done an ETA motometer cluster to VDO cluster from an I car and had everything work?

[Exodus_2pt0]

I heard that it will work....

So we decided to go ahead and make the deal, however the motronic I pulled was untested as well. So it COULD be that the cluster is bad. Or they just arent compatible. Need to find a known good unit to try.

[mrgraphics]

It's a mixed bag depending on the year I've found. I have an 86 VDO cluster and picked up a motometer speedometer from an 89 (I believe) - no housings, just the actual speedometer module. Seemed like it would work, but the location where the pins actually go into the cluster were different. It was about a half inch higher on the motometer's speedometer circuit board.

[Helltime]

I guess i will see how hard it is to get this cluster out and report my findings (when ever i have the chance to do so). Can't be too hard to get out.

[bastianshaw]

lots of disinfo on this topic
from what I understand; they are direct swaps IF the SI lights are the same eg late and early just try it

[Varinn]

There are a few things that are different between the stules. Motometer and VDO are entirely different internally.

A VDO cluster and Motometer cluster are (as a complete unit) interchangeable. Early and late are (as complete units) interchangeable
Early and late are interchangeable as individual parts EXCEPT for the SI boards/Casings AND they must be all VDO, or all Motometer pieces.
Early model coding plugs are interchangeabl between both motometer and VDO clusters as long as they are early style.
Late model coding plugs are interchangeabl between both motometer and VDO clusters as long as they are late style.

I have swapped many clusters, starting with a VDO '91 318is cluster I put in an '84 325e VDO tach and '88 325e coding plug, installed into an '84 325e. I then picked up a '91 Motometer 325i cluster for my b25 swap and have used it in a VDO original '87 325i, but replaced it with a VDO cluster from another 1991 318is that I dropped a motometer 325i coding plug into. In other various forays I have swapped early and late VDO speedos, and 55L/65L fuel gauges when testing clusters in cars using different tank sizes

[Helltime]

It works! everything but the odometer (suprise surpise) works including my econometer. I remember reading something about service lights/inspection lights have to be the same..well mine are not and it all works good.

[Helltime]

oh and i noticed my clutch master cylinder is leaking..hurray =/

[reelizmpro]

It's because you swapped the entire cluster. However, since your 85 cluster uses a plastic peg instead of a chip your tach will be off. You need an 86-87 chip (coded plug on SI board) from an ETA cluster.

[Helltime]

It's because you swapped the entire cluster. However, since your 85 cluster uses a plastic peg instead of a chip your tach will be off. You need an 86-87 chip (coded plug on SI board) from an ETA cluster.

I did notice it was off slightly...but not more than 200-300rpm. At idle is close to the same, and now my rev limiter kicks in at just a shade under 5k rpm on this tach...so its close enough for me. But i will keep that in mind when i go to replace the odometer gears this spring.

[Frog]

There are a few things that are different between the stules. Motometer and VDO are entirely different internally.

A VDO cluster and Motometer cluster are (as a complete unit) interchangeable. Early and late are (as complete units) interchangeable
Early and late are interchangeable as individual parts EXCEPT for the SI boards/Casings AND they must be all VDO, or all Motometer pieces.
Early model coding plugs are interchangeabl between both motometer and VDO clusters as long as they are early style.
Late model coding plugs are interchangeabl between both motometer and VDO clusters as long as they are late style.

I have swapped many clusters, starting with a VDO '91 318is cluster I put in an '84 325e VDO tach and '88 325e coding plug, installed into an '84 325e. I then picked up a '91 Motometer 325i cluster for my b25 swap and have used it in a VDO original '87 325i, but replaced it with a VDO cluster from another 1991 318is that I dropped a motometer 325i coding plug into. In other various forays I have swapped early and late VDO speedos, and 55L/65L fuel gauges when testing clusters in cars using different tank sizes

So I can use a late model 325i VDO cluster in a 1984 which originally had a motometer.

[AndrewBird]

Read here:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showpost.php?p=520605&postcount=6