Fixed my odometer. Now my temp gauge doesn't work.

[Chubtone]

So I was mildly annoyed that my odometer and trip meter didn't work. I ordered the new gears from the guy on ebay and read through his directions and watched his how to video.

It was a pain getting the gauge cluster out, but it will be much easier the second (last!) time. :)

I ordered all new light bulbs for every position in the cluster, for this next time I pull it out, but does anyone know why as soon as I start the car, the temp gauge pegs all the way to the right/red and doesn't move at all. It's cool that my odometer works now, but that working temperature gauge was much more important.

Any tips on what I might have done wrong or suggestions on what to do next time I pull it out, or for who I can send the whole cluster to for testing and repair?

Thanks

[Kershaw]

si board battery.

[nando]

si board battery.

...has nothing to do with the temp gauge.

I believe it being pegged to the red means the connection could be open. Check the grounding nut on the back of the gauge. it's pretty simple - the gauge motor itself gets power, and there's a resistance curve input from an NTC sensor on the engine. that's it. no SI board batteries. :|

for the gas gauge - same thing. check the nut on the back. it's the ground for the gauge itself.

It's sort of a stupid design, and a common problem. On the E36, the gauges are exactly the same, except they fixed the ground nut issue and made it a pin inside the cluster instead.

[jlevie]

A bad SI board can kill the temperature gauge, but generally in that case the tachometer & econometer will also be inop.

The gauge driving to the red means that the gauge is seeing a very low resistance or even a short. But a bad connection where the gauge mounts to the main PCB in the cluster can cause this also.

[Chubtone]

Thanks guys! There's a few things for me to check.

[Chubtone]

Just wasn't grounded correctly on the back of the gauge. It had the wrons size nut on it so I put the right size on and it is back to working fine. Thanks for the help.