Speedo Chestnut, with a manual-auto twist
Printed From: Bavarian-Board.co.uk - BMW Owners Discussion Forum
Category: Technical & Model Specific Forums
Forum Name: BMW 6 Series
Forum Discription: This forum will deal with any issues on the BMW 6 Series (E24, E63 & E64)
URL: http://www.bavarian-board.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=31272
Printed Date: 18-May-2024 at 09:36
Topic: Speedo Chestnut, with a manual-auto twist
Posted By: GraemeH
Subject: Speedo Chestnut, with a manual-auto twist
Date Posted: 21-June-2006 at 12:20
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Hi fellow 6er Folk, Any help very appreciated on this one! Okay: same old scenario but with a twist. Speedo on '85 635csi not working. Twist: Car has had a manual from auto conversion. Also fitted with LSD. Mechanic has tried to fix this for me for 10 weeks. Yes, SI batteries replaced - but no luck. Has constructed 3 different complete "pods", but still not luck. Driving him - and me - spare! He's stopped charging and is now just doing it to "crack this b****y problem or else," he tells me! Any ideas, thoughts, *suggestions based on experience of auto to manual conversions? Many thanks, Graeme |
Replies:
Posted By: Horsetan
Date Posted: 21-June-2006 at 13:56
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Has he tried getting an instrument pod out of a manual car rather than an auto? -------------   
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Posted By: PaulS
Date Posted: 21-June-2006 at 14:01
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Has he tried replacing the speed transmitter from the rear diff or checking the connections to it. That'll cause the speedo not to work. They are £14.50 inc vat from the dealers.HTH Paul -------------  95 E34 530i V8 Auto Maldives Blue |
Posted By: Check it out!
Date Posted: 21-June-2006 at 14:33
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just run a test on the feedwire from the diff to the back of the instrument cluster. close inspection should be able to tell you which one. if the lines good its either the diff sensor, or the guage. Do the above though, and check the diffconnection first. the wires are very exposed to all weather etc, and are often the cause of such an issue. ------------- www.335itc.co.uk Its gonna be finished for summer!!! thats the plan!!! 
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Posted By: GraemeH
Date Posted: 21-June-2006 at 22:38
| Thanks all. Passed on information. After weeks of going through options, fingers crossed. New wings, new tyres, new spray job, new MOT, and no speedo! The last piece of the first part of the 6 series puzzle! |
Posted By: phb10186
Date Posted: 22-June-2006 at 09:29
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Could there be any possible connections loose anywhere, or any connections connected wrongly. If a lot of activity has been going on there you might have inadvertantly overlooked something basic, and may therefore be looking in the wrong place. It might be worth going back to the begining and double checking every wire and connection that has been touched. I have had this happen to me, and it was the simplest fix. -------------  
1985 635 CSI with Style 134's 1998 Z3 2.8i |
Posted By: GraemeH
Date Posted: 22-July-2006 at 11:21
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Hi All. Well, the mechanic has given up, finally! He says he's rebuilt 3 entire instrument pods; tried all things. It's been in his workshop since March (getting other things done also, including MOT) But he can't crack the speedo problem. Looks like it's over to me! Feel like I'm looking into the Abyss! But gonna start from square one. Thanks for all the suggestions: looks like it's about to get personal. Yikes! |
Posted By: GraemeH
Date Posted: 18-August-2006 at 19:36
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I have to report it, I feel like I've just discovered El Dorado! . . . ie. IMy 635 now has a speedo! Nah, must say it again, "I have a speedo"! 4 entire "instrument pod" rebuilds; untold hours; battery replacements; wire tracings; fuse replacements. . . But, errr, I now have a speedo! Am I impressed? Nah, not much! I think I'll go for a drive around and around town, just to watch the needle move! Thanks all for your assistance along the way. cheers, Graeme |
Posted By: Brucey
Date Posted: 18-August-2006 at 20:44
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-so, what was the problem in the end? Or did you not actually find any specific fault? Things that 'fix themselves' generally don't stay fixed for ever.... cheers
------------- ~~~~~~~ Brucey ~~~~~~ |
Posted By: GraemeH
Date Posted: 18-August-2006 at 22:33
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Ultimately, it was a simple lesson learnt. ie. each one of the secondhand replacements had battery leak damage, and both myself and the mechanic kept dismissing the fact 3 entire replacements could be similarly damaged. Because the car is an auto to manual conversion, many assumptions were thus made along the way that the conversion was the problem, or something connected with that. But, in the final wash, it wasn't. Twas simply a matter of going with the obvious; but being inclined to think the obvious was too simple, we gave ourselves more grief than we should have. |
Posted By: PaulS
Date Posted: 19-August-2006 at 19:45
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Glad you got it sorted Graeme Paul ------------- 95 E34 530i V8 Auto Maldives Blue |
Posted By: GraemeH
Date Posted: 20-August-2006 at 08:51
| Thanks Paul. One thing I might add, just picking up on "Brucey"'s point above, is that tracing everything back from sensor to dash, and then forward from dash to fuse box ended up being a tedious, but useful, exercise. At one point the car began running like an old mule, and we traced that to having stuck in a dubious relay when checking/replacing things, for example. Useful for future reference, I realised. Equally, I now have dashboard lights and all the check lights work, as does the tacho etc; the condition of the SI Board, and the servicing "behind the plastic" pretty much pointed to the fact the final, working, set of clocks would ultimately work; whereas the other sets we (innocently) tried, combined various degrees of "not-working-ness!". Whether that is a tip re: if everything works speedo will work, is up entirely debatable, I guess. But in this case the fact everything was in order was a good indication that speedo was going to work. So all the time spent trying to build bits back together into a fully functional pod was not as productive as simply looking for a good complete pod. |