I bought an '87 325iS that's in really good condition. It runs, stops and corners perfectly. It has M3 hubs and an amazing Koni/IE suspension. The 2.5L motor was stroked to 2.7L and seriously performance tuned by the late Pete McHenry (documented). Aside from 17" wheels and an interior swap from tan to black there is little to do to the car. Granted there are little odds-and-ends. It needed an oil pan gasket when I purchased it, which has been done and it had a single burned-out instrument cluster light.....and that's where my story begins.
I was given a spare instrument cluster circuit board loaded with lights with the car. The previous owner also walked me through the simple procedure of swapping-out the dead bulb for a good spare. I was able to get the instrument cluster removed without a hitch, replaced the bulb, reconnected it, took it out after dark and I still had a dark Tach! The next day I pulled the cluster out again, pulled the other spare out of the extra board, installed it, reinstalled the cluster, pulled the highlight switch and still an unlit Tach. Argh. Bad circuit board?? Hmm.
On my original drive home I also noticed that the odometer wasn't working and while I did some research and found a rebuild kit, it was like $80! For a set of plastic gears?! This got me thinking; why not just swap-out the whole instrument panel with working, lighted gauges? Hell, they're cheaper than the odo rebuild kit.
I found one in the classified section here on r3vlimitedand so I purchased it along with 4 black door panels. The cluster was reported as 100% functional and the door panels were described as near perfect.
My box of goodies arrived about a week later. I pulled the panels out and sure enough the vinyl was clean and without so much as a scuff. Hooray! The instrument cluster was wrapped in paper and since I didn't want to risk losing any of the bulbs I kept it that way.
I did the panel swap after work this week and it was surprisingly easy. [Note to other Noobies - take the back seat out when doing this, it makes your life a whole lot easier!]. The rears went in smoothly, the passenger's side went in without a hitch. When I got to the driver's side though I hit a bit of a snag. The door card (the crap pressed cardboard BMW used) was missing the section where the door lock pull goes through, it literally looked it was cracked off. While the vinyl that faces it looked great, the missing section really messes-up the upper rear corner of the door panel when installed. Frustrated, disappointed and slightly pissed-off I had the bright notion to cut the broken piece out of my (perfectly good) tan door panel - effectively making a patch. I busted-out my trusty Dremel, carefully cut-out the patch, fitted it to the black panel and used 2-part epoxy to secure it. I waited 15 minutes to really let the epoxy cure, carefully drilled the hole for the lock pull and attempted to rehang it. There was a moment where it looked like I would triumph over the stupid door panel, but nooooooo. The corner snapped off and I was now left with a broken black panel and a once perfectly good Tan panel that were useless to me. I contacted the seller who will do nothing for me other than selling me a replacement for $50 (shipped). Great offer, eh? :(
Needing to make some progress on my 'new' car I figured I'd tackle the cluster swap today. I mean, how hard can it be? My intent was to literally unpack it and install it in my car expecting to have a working Odometer as well as fully lit instruments, however, when I unwrap the cluster I'm immediately hit by (and you'd have some familiarity with electronics for this to register) the smell of blown capacitors! Not a good first impression. I pull the cluster out and set it on my bench and it was then that I noticed that there wasn't a single bulb installed in it. Argh x 2.
Over the next 3 hours I proceed to install virtually every iteration of boards, bulbs and gauges in my car and in every instance have at least one major issue. The 'new' speedo is DOA in all combinations. New new Tach is too. The fuel gauge is stuck in the middle in another. No temp gauge in another. This is supposed to be a simple project, right?! I mean I'm not swapping engines here!!!
It's now 6:30PM (EST), I've killed an entire afternoon in 90 degree heat and I'm without a driver's side door panel, a working odometer (I guess I'll be buying that rebuild kit after all) or a lighted tach. I've destroyed a perfectly good tan door panel and I'm pissed-off and disappointed. :(
In hindsight the shortcuts I was attempting (e.g. I'll just buy a whole new cluster!) were probably stupid ideas. Can anyone provide some advice on what to do here? I'm likely going to throw good money after bad and purchase another door panel, I mean what choice to I have? I'm more interested on thoughts around that damn instrument cluster. What the Hell is up with that light?! Is it dumb to focus on something so trivial? Is it wrong to expect to have little things like this working on a nearly 25 year old car??
Any words of wisdom from you experienced 325 owners would be much appreciated right about now.
Thanks!
p.s.
Another note to Noobies: Be careful buying parts for your 325. Ask LOTS of questions and assume nothing with regards to condition and/or proper operation.
I was given a spare instrument cluster circuit board loaded with lights with the car. The previous owner also walked me through the simple procedure of swapping-out the dead bulb for a good spare. I was able to get the instrument cluster removed without a hitch, replaced the bulb, reconnected it, took it out after dark and I still had a dark Tach! The next day I pulled the cluster out again, pulled the other spare out of the extra board, installed it, reinstalled the cluster, pulled the highlight switch and still an unlit Tach. Argh. Bad circuit board?? Hmm.
On my original drive home I also noticed that the odometer wasn't working and while I did some research and found a rebuild kit, it was like $80! For a set of plastic gears?! This got me thinking; why not just swap-out the whole instrument panel with working, lighted gauges? Hell, they're cheaper than the odo rebuild kit.
I found one in the classified section here on r3vlimitedand so I purchased it along with 4 black door panels. The cluster was reported as 100% functional and the door panels were described as near perfect.
My box of goodies arrived about a week later. I pulled the panels out and sure enough the vinyl was clean and without so much as a scuff. Hooray! The instrument cluster was wrapped in paper and since I didn't want to risk losing any of the bulbs I kept it that way.
I did the panel swap after work this week and it was surprisingly easy. [Note to other Noobies - take the back seat out when doing this, it makes your life a whole lot easier!]. The rears went in smoothly, the passenger's side went in without a hitch. When I got to the driver's side though I hit a bit of a snag. The door card (the crap pressed cardboard BMW used) was missing the section where the door lock pull goes through, it literally looked it was cracked off. While the vinyl that faces it looked great, the missing section really messes-up the upper rear corner of the door panel when installed. Frustrated, disappointed and slightly pissed-off I had the bright notion to cut the broken piece out of my (perfectly good) tan door panel - effectively making a patch. I busted-out my trusty Dremel, carefully cut-out the patch, fitted it to the black panel and used 2-part epoxy to secure it. I waited 15 minutes to really let the epoxy cure, carefully drilled the hole for the lock pull and attempted to rehang it. There was a moment where it looked like I would triumph over the stupid door panel, but nooooooo. The corner snapped off and I was now left with a broken black panel and a once perfectly good Tan panel that were useless to me. I contacted the seller who will do nothing for me other than selling me a replacement for $50 (shipped). Great offer, eh? :(
Needing to make some progress on my 'new' car I figured I'd tackle the cluster swap today. I mean, how hard can it be? My intent was to literally unpack it and install it in my car expecting to have a working Odometer as well as fully lit instruments, however, when I unwrap the cluster I'm immediately hit by (and you'd have some familiarity with electronics for this to register) the smell of blown capacitors! Not a good first impression. I pull the cluster out and set it on my bench and it was then that I noticed that there wasn't a single bulb installed in it. Argh x 2.
Over the next 3 hours I proceed to install virtually every iteration of boards, bulbs and gauges in my car and in every instance have at least one major issue. The 'new' speedo is DOA in all combinations. New new Tach is too. The fuel gauge is stuck in the middle in another. No temp gauge in another. This is supposed to be a simple project, right?! I mean I'm not swapping engines here!!!
It's now 6:30PM (EST), I've killed an entire afternoon in 90 degree heat and I'm without a driver's side door panel, a working odometer (I guess I'll be buying that rebuild kit after all) or a lighted tach. I've destroyed a perfectly good tan door panel and I'm pissed-off and disappointed. :(
In hindsight the shortcuts I was attempting (e.g. I'll just buy a whole new cluster!) were probably stupid ideas. Can anyone provide some advice on what to do here? I'm likely going to throw good money after bad and purchase another door panel, I mean what choice to I have? I'm more interested on thoughts around that damn instrument cluster. What the Hell is up with that light?! Is it dumb to focus on something so trivial? Is it wrong to expect to have little things like this working on a nearly 25 year old car??
Any words of wisdom from you experienced 325 owners would be much appreciated right about now.
Thanks!
p.s.
Another note to Noobies: Be careful buying parts for your 325. Ask LOTS of questions and assume nothing with regards to condition and/or proper operation.
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