Speedometer Not Working any ideas?

[1985_318i]

My speedometer has half way worked since I bought it 2 weeks ago. It would work on occasion if you slapped the dash but i has only worked for about 103 miles in the past 200 or so I have driven it. It has just recently stopped working completely. Any ideas what may be wrong? All I can think of is that the speedometer itself may be going out but Im hoping it's something simplier. Any suggestions.

 

[sm32589g]

I had this problem on my BMW it is the gears on the inside. They don't make brand new gears for those cars so you would have to buy some refurbished ones of ebay or another site. It is easy to fix but might cost you a little bit of money, adn the parts are hard to find. As i recall there is a site just for those so search it and you would probably find it.

 

[jrt67ss350]

Is it the actual speedometer that quit working, or is it just the odometer that quit working? If it is only the odometer that quit working and the speedometer still indicates the correct speed, then one or more of your odometer gears have broken (extremely common). Go to www.odometergears.com to get yourself some new ones - I have replaced two of the three in my speedo with this guy's gears, they work great, and it is an easy job to replace them.

If the actual speedometer isn't working, then either the speedo itself is bad (in which case you'd probably be best off finding yourself a used one on ebay or in a junkyard - new ones are over $200 from BMW), there is a bad solder connection in your gauge cluster, or the speedo sending unit in the back of the differential housing is either bad or the wire connections are corroded and need to be cleaned.

 

[1985_318i]

The speedo, odometer, trip meter, and mpg gauge and cruise control quit working. When the speedo is working all of the others work fine.

 

[echothreezero]

Easy - loose plug on the back - the gauges are electronic - if a slap fixed it before, it prob knocked the plugs back onto the contacts - now nothing is working, probbaly fallen out too far.

Either that or the whole thing has fried meaning you need a new instrument cluster. Pull it out and have a look - also try changing the internal battery - sometimes this can cause probs too.

 

[echothreezero]

To pull out undo two "thumbscrews" (largish aluminum knobs you undo by hand) behind dash at bottom (one below headlight switch one same place on other side) and pull panel below cluster off. Undo srews at top and bottom of cluster and pull out top first.

Firmly seat plugs in back and test.

If no go, remove plugs and clean terminals.

Undo plugs from back and cluster comes out with a bit of jiggling around steering wheel.

You can then clean with ease.

Try again, if no go pull out again and check internal battery.

If still no go, buy a new one.