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While I'm in There...


The Kangaroo Man

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Hey folks, 

 

I'm planning on pulling my gauge cluster here shortly (before spring) and replacing the speedometer. My 2002 has undergone a heart transplant over the last 18 months with a newer M20 and has been off the road for probably a year before that with the previous owner. I was able to use Ireland's tach adapter which seems to be working well (will be thoroughly testing it once the car is registered and insured and road legal). But the speedometer is still out of commission for the time being. I'm planning on a GPS speedo from Speedhut. 

 

I figure though, while I've got the gauge cluster out... Is there anything else I should look at replacing/rejuvenating while I'm in there? Nothing serious. Just small, preventative maintenance tasks/jobs that will help freshen up the gauges and prolong the life of anything back there.

 

Any input would be appreciated! Thanks.

1976 Jade Green 2002 M20 swap (project)

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Inspect the circuit traces for burns and breaks. This is a good time to add grounds between the fuel/temp gauge pod nuts and the chassis. This tends to stabilize the gauges which sometimes get "bouncy" when blinkers and lights are turned on or off.

Jerry

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Jerry

no bimmer, for now

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8 hours ago, jp5Touring said:

LED lights are a nice upgrade also.

If you use LED bulbs, (1) make sure they're dimmable (2) don't use one in the alternator (charge) socket--it'll screw up your charging system as it depends on an incandescent bulb there to function properly and (3) unless you've changed your flasher  bulbs--and the flasher itself--to the type that'll workwith LEDs, leave the turn signal flasher bulb in the cluster as an incandescent.  Otherwise strange things will happen to the flashers.

 

If you decide not to go with LED illumination, at least replace all the lighting bulbs in the cluster.  Incandescent bulbs get dim with age well before they burn out.

 

mike

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'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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9 hours ago, Mike Self said:

If you use LED bulbs, (1) make sure they're dimmable (2) don't use one in the alternator (charge) socket--it'll screw up your charging system as it depends on an incandescent bulb there to function properly and (3) unless you've changed your flasher  bulbs--and the flasher itself--to the type that'll workwith LEDs, leave the turn signal flasher bulb in the cluster as an incandescent.  Otherwise strange things will happen to the flashers.

 

If you decide not to go with LED illumination, at least replace all the lighting bulbs in the cluster.  Incandescent bulbs get dim with age well before they burn out.

 

mike

Mike,  I have updated flasher and everything works as it should. I do have a LED bulb in the alternator warning light.

Been installed a summer with no problems,,Yet.  I can change it out to incandescent so everything is correct.

Half tempted to change out turn signal also cause its very bright at night.

Can you expand a bit on how it affects the  alternator.

 

Thanks  

Jim

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5 hours ago, jp5Touring said:

Can you expand a bit on how it affects the  alternator.

As I understand it (an EE can chime in here if my explanation is off) there are two + leads that go to that bulb.  When the engine is off and you turn the ignition on, the bulb lights via the battery.  When you start the engine and the alternator reaches charging speed (about 800 rpm or so), it feeds the other side of the bulb's circuit, canceling out the battery's voltage and causing the light to go out.  However, if the load on the alternator exceeds its capacity (you have the high beams, wipers, heater blower and your 250 watt amp all on simultaneously), battery voltage will again exceed alternator voltage, causing the light to glow--dimly and much brighter as the load increases.  And if your fanbelt breaks the voltage will all be furnished by the battery, so the light comes on.  

 

My amateur understanding of an LED is that current can only flow one way (an incandescent bulb doesn't care which terminal is + and which is -), and an LED really shouldn't work at all when presented with two + current flows.  And removing the bulb altogether will prevent the alternator from charging.

 

That's all I've got...I just know from previous posts that inserting an LED bulb in the instrument cluster charge socket will do strange things to the charging system.

 

mike

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'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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My friend Ray recently coached me through a problem where I learned a lot about what Mike is talking about...(I’m an AE and electricity baffles me).  I was driving my new to me 2002 in the early morning darkness for the first time with crane electronic ignition, lights and wipers on and car died.  I had recently taken out and reinstalled my cluster but did not notice that the alternator light was not on when the key switch was on before start.  Therefore, since the bulb was not on and getting voltage to it, the alternator did not get excited to charge, so the electrical load ran the battery down.  Battery was 5 years old and tested bad...alternator tested good.  After a new battery, the alternator light would still not illuminate.  Traced it down to the #12 pin in the connector that plugs into the back of the cluster...it was wallowed out a bit and was apparently not making good contact.  Bent it in with a pick and voila...alternator light on at prestart, alternator light off after start, excited alternator, and charging battery.  If the alternator bulb is not working then the alternator will not work properly either.  So you may also take a look at the connector plug to see if any connectors look unusual or bent.  (Used a plug-in digital voltage meter in my cigarette lighter, as Rob suggests, to help troubleshoot.  After fix, my voltage read around 12.8v with engine not running and 13.8v with it running).  Good luck with that demon electricity!

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And you  ^ didn't even let the smoke out! :D

 

I fried my expensive alternator, and low beams due to overcharging, caused, I found, by (one of) the PO(s) "twist connecting" the 3 wires in the VR harness and then professionally wrapping it all back together with electrical tape.

 

Argh...

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Ray

Stop reading this! Don't you have anything better to do?? :P
Two running things. Two broken things.

 

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On 2/28/2021 at 10:53 AM, The Kangaroo Man said:

But the speedometer is still out of commission for the time being. I'm planning on a GPS speedo from Speedhut. 

 

Going this route I would suggest using the Remote Reset button +$0.00 and a Custom BMW Face +$40, with the remote button you can put it where your Trip Knob is and you can put the entire gauge behind the BMW glass for a more "OEM" look

 

IMG_3889.JPG

 

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I don't take myself or opinions Seriously

My 4th 2002 and the first set of Square Tail-Lights

See the 4 versions of my 2002 project here: SoCal S2002 | Facebook

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...while I would hook up a DC motor, and take a signal

off of the driveshaft, do a f>v conversion, and run the motor

to spin the speedometer.

 

It would be be wildly inaccurate, but far more original looking.

 

Also, potentially, tunable if I went nuts with the f>v

 

('my car uses far more computing power to calculate road speed

than it does to do fuelling and timing combined')

 

hee

 

t

analog, but nuts.

"I learn best through painful, expensive experience, so I feel like I've gotten my money's worth." MattL

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