[bmw] RE: bmw-digest V10 #175

["David Morales" <davidm@xxxxxxxxx>]

Stephen, 

The odometer is electronic, and driven by an electrical motor, and has a
bunch of plastic gears inside.

The odometer of my '85 535i went south about a year ago. On inspection,
I found a plastic gear had disintegrated, cracking apart radially
through the valleys of several of its teeth. This gear is a link to the
electric motor that drives the odometer. I solved the problem by buying
a whole instrument cluster off eBay, for about $25.00. I simply popped
it in, but changing the gear would have been relatively easy with simple
tools. Changing the instrument cluster is also pretty simple: you tackle
a couple of screws on the underside of the dashboard top, and pull down
and out the whole cluster from the top. Then you tackle a bunch of
harnesses and connectors, the majority of which are color-coded.

The interesting thing about this story is that, about six months ago,
the same thing happened with my '85 318i. I haven't checked this, but I
bet it's the same problem.

Best regards, 

David Morales
Nashville, TN
'85 318i
'85 535i
'87 Alfa Milano

> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2004 07:29:30 -0800
> From: "Stephen Mickelsen" <stephen@domain.elided>
> Subject: [bmw] Dead Odometer
> 
> The odometer on my '87 L6 has stopped working.  All the other 
> gauges work, including the speedometer and the trip computer. 
>  Are odometers of this vintage mechanical devices connected 
> via a cable or electrical devices?  Does anyone have any 
> repair ideas before I tear the dash apart?
> 
> Thanks,
> Stephen
> 
> 1987 L6
> 2000 M Roadster
> 
> ------------------------------
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