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Mad_Max

E32 735iL Gauge cluster question

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I picked up another toy a while ago, and haven't really had a chance to touch it until today. When I bought it, if the battery was connected, you'd see smoke rising from the dashboard. So I started to pull the dashboard out, got as far as removing the cluster and found this.

Luckily, I have an E34 525i which has the exact same connector to the cluster, and nearly the exact same cluster itself. The plug and socket both need changed, and wiring will need replaced. The question I've got is this:

Can I simply change the plug and use the 525i cluster instead? The only differences that I'm aware of (apart from the software versions) are the fuel gauge and the odometer will be wrong. So is there a module that stores the mileage that can be swapped, along with the fuel gauge? Or do I need to desolder the sockets and mess around with that instead?

If I can get away with just swapping the plug and using the 525i cluster, that would obviously be the easier route, however I do want to keep the mileage as correct as possible, as this thing has under 90k on it. If I need to swap the sockets on the PCB then I can do that, just trying to avoid messing with the board.

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What years are the cars? Are the clusters both in km? Auto? If they are both white back clusters as you say then you should be able to swap the coding plug on the back on the cluster over from the old one to the new one provided it hasnt been damaged somehow. Can't hurt to try and see.

I think the E32 probably had a bigger fuel tan so the actual fuel gauge reading its self may be off?  

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46 minutes ago, Eagle said:

What years are the cars? Are the clusters both in km? Auto? If they are both white back clusters as you say then you should be able to swap the coding plug on the back on the cluster over from the old one to the new one provided it hasnt been damaged somehow. Can't hurt to try and see.

I think the E32 probably had a bigger fuel tan so the actual fuel gauge reading its self may be off?  

The 735iL is an 89 and the 525i is a 90, both are auto. Both clusters have the white backs and, apart from the software versions, are the same part numbers. All gauges are the same except the fuel gauge. What I think is the coding plug doesn't appear damaged at all, so I may be lucky there, I've been given the same sort of advice in another post so will wire in the new plug and try the 525i cluster first.

The 525i cluster has an 80l fuel gauge and the 735i has a 90l one, assuming the 525i cluster works then it won't be hard to swap the fuel gauge over to correct that.

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