735i '88 Instrument Cluster went out and electronic chime came on when braking.....?

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scott - 25 Mar 2007 02:12 GMT

I was driving back from a longish trip and my digital instrument
cluster, gas and temp gauges went blank and when I braked the chime
came on continuously and rather loud. Two days ago the cluster went
out but came back on, then yesterday it did the same thing when I hit
a bump on the road. I made it home with the irritating chime on
whenever I braked or sometimes when I took my foot of the gas.... and
when I started the car up again in the driveway, everything seemed
normal,...the instrument cluster came on like normal. So.....I will
check the fuse tomorrow morning when it stops raining and hopefully
that might do it...but that would not explain why the cluster lit when
I restarted the car....what do you out there think...could it be the
early signs of the alternator going...or what? Looking forward to you
responses.....

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Anthony Wilson - 25 Mar 2007 14:18 GMT

> I was driving back from a longish trip and my digital instrument
> cluster, gas and temp gauges went blank and when I braked the chime
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> early signs of the alternator going...or what? Looking forward to you
> responses.....

I have the same car and it did the same thing. It's an electronic nightmare.
You may laugh, but when the dashboard display goes out or the dots light up
in funny patterns, I smack the right top edge of the dashboard that covers
them (not near the windshield, but on the edge). They always snap right back
on and are okay the rest of the time. A few times, turning the car off and
on again fixed it. They want one thousand dollars to fix it. Since most of
the same info is on the computer display near the radio, I'm not going to
worry. The gas gauge and temp is about the only thing you need. The
speedometer needle always works okay. Good luck.

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hsg@h-gee.co.uk - 25 Mar 2007 17:36 GMT

>> I was driving back from a longish trip and my digital instrument
>> cluster, gas and temp gauges went blank and when I braked the chime
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>worry. The gas gauge and temp is about the only thing you need. The
>speedometer needle always works okay. Good luck.

Apparently an EASY fix if you have a soldering iron and some minor knowledge of
how to use it and recognize the markings on a capacitor.

Simply pull the cluster and take note of the numbers on the side of the
capacitors. Drum shaped things with marking like 220uF 25v. the side that has
the - or negative side has a longer leg than the other side + DON'T put them in
the wrong way round.

One you have visited radio Shack or similar and bought new capacitors - remove
the old ones and replace with new ones and job done.

Should take about 1 hour to do the job and best part of a day to remove - get
new capacitors - fit them and replace cluster..........

Hugh

Sir Hugh of Bognor

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.

Intelligence is not knowing the answer but knowing where and how to find it!

Hugh Gundersen
hsg@h-gee.co.uk
Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

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Anthony Wilson - 26 Mar 2007 00:42 GMT

> >> I was driving back from a longish trip and my digital instrument
> >> cluster, gas and temp gauges went blank and when I braked the chime
[quoted text clipped - 45 lines]
> hsg@h-gee.co.uk
> Bognor Regis, W.Sussex, England, UK

Thanks for your advice. My Dad is an electronics engineer. I'll let him do
it. I just moved to FL from NJ. It was a quick fix on the road. TY again.

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