My son just bought a 2000 528i, the first in our family, for a great price and it is in need of some serious TLC and we have aready started on the needed repairs but when we test drove it the power seats were not working properly (the guy had to play with it to get the drivers seat to move) and while driving the lights for the gauges were flickering (the backlights i guess) all the warning lights and gauges were fully functional. Well he had to have this car and when we left the power seat was not operating at all (the plug had come loose and the pins were bent) the power steering column was not working and the dashlights out so I assumed it was all due to the power seat switches, so yesterday we got the pins straightened out and the power seat plug properly secured and the seat and the steering column work as they should but still no dash lights, I pulled out the instrument cluster (twice) and there are no bulbs on the rear of it as I had seen in posted on this forum. The wiring was and is properly secured, the lighting on the light switch works and the dimmer works on the radio lighting (the cluster had the date stamp of 17-09-99 on it so I assume its the original one. Any help on this would be helpful. :dunno:
Mobius528
Instrument lights out
My son just bought a 2000 528i, the first in our family, for a great price and it is in need of some serious TLC and we have aready started on the needed repairs but when we test drove it the power seats were not working properly (the guy had to play with it to get the drivers seat to move) and while driving the lights for the gauges were flickering (the backlights i guess) all the warning lights and gauges were fully functional. Well he had to have this car and when we left the power seat was not operating at all (the plug had come loose and the pins were bent) the power steering column was not working and the dashlights out so I assumed it was all due to the power seat switches, so yesterday we got the pins straightened out and the power seat plug properly secured and the seat and the steering column work as they should but still no dash lights, I pulled out the instrument cluster (twice) and there are no bulbs on the rear of it as I had seen in posted on this forum. The wiring was and is properly secured, the lighting on the light switch works and the dimmer works on the radio lighting (the cluster had the date stamp of 17-09-99 on it so I assume its the original one. Any help on this would be helpful. :dunno:
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Realoem shows five bulbs. They are placed along the lower backside, and have special bayonet bases. Yours may be lit with LEDs.
Cluster diagnostics requires a BMW service computer.
Have you verified that the battery is healthy? These cars are very sensitive to battery voltage. Overnight, it s/b 12.5+. With the engine running at 1500 RPM, s/b 14+.
Cluster diagnostics requires a BMW service computer.
Have you verified that the battery is healthy? These cars are very sensitive to battery voltage. Overnight, it s/b 12.5+. With the engine running at 1500 RPM, s/b 14+.
There are 5 incandescent bulbs in the instrument cluster..they are #2 in the diagram and link to the part nbr database below. The problem you're having is that you have the low instrument cluster (uses GRAPHIC display instead of the 20 digit alpha/numeric display)...thus there's not lots of DIYs on opening them or replacing the bulbs since the low cluster doesn't usually have a "pixel" issue.
The image below is of a high cluster...the low cluster still has the 5 incandescent bulbs but they're located in different positions, and you may have to take the back off the cluster. (its hard to tell from the pic you posted because it's so small and lacks detail do to its size):
The image below is of a high cluster...the low cluster still has the 5 incandescent bulbs but they're located in different positions, and you may have to take the back off the cluster. (its hard to tell from the pic you posted because it's so small and lacks detail do to its size):
Here is a larger pic, looks like you have to break it to open it to be honest, with out the proper tool anyways. all the plastic tabs have to be rotated at the same time. Anyone know which wires in the harness feed the back lights so I can check if power is getting to them? Is its a switched ground or 12v? there are No bulbs on the exterior of this console, did they use LED in some (Door plate says 528iA) if that makes any difference?
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Thanks for the info, I don't even know if the bulbs are out they were flickering but ALL were working until the seat issue, guess I'll have to find a way to get into the cluster just to check the bulbs and go from there. 
I would think there is some other explanation other than 5 bulbs going out at once in a cluster that appears to not be DIY friendly...Are the dimmer switches known for going bad easily? The only common colored wire is the brown with a black stripe (assuming a ground, meter was stolen and I haven't replaced it yet)
I would think there is some other explanation other than 5 bulbs going out at once in a cluster that appears to not be DIY friendly...Are the dimmer switches known for going bad easily? The only common colored wire is the brown with a black stripe (assuming a ground, meter was stolen and I haven't replaced it yet)Ok so I pulled the console out again and after about an hour found a way to get it opened, nothing on the web for this, stripped it down to the circuit board and NO BULBS as shown everywhere I looked. I tried pulling the gauge face off but when pulling the fuel gauge needle off and the coil wire coming unwound I decided that it wasnt meant to come off without replacing the motors as well. Pried the circuit board loose as much as I could and looked down between the face and the circuit board and there appears to be a clear plastic plate with four pins that sit above four Leds that light the gauges, :banghead: anyways I got the fuel gauge rewound and slid back into the motor, plugged it all back up and it works like before, still no back lights, this sucks...guess I am back to the drawing board...hope this helps someone in the future any ideas are welcomed
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There has to be some lights in there somewhere for backlighting.
All of the white square boxes at the bottom have LED's in them, they all work, right?
If someone doesn't post which wire supplies power to the cluster for lights I'll see if I can dig it up tonight.
You did say that the cluster lights were flickering before you fixed the seat switch connector, so they have to be there somewhere.
Q7, that cluster pic looks very familiar, just like the pic I took of mine sitting on my desk at work, lol.
All of the white square boxes at the bottom have LED's in them, they all work, right?
If someone doesn't post which wire supplies power to the cluster for lights I'll see if I can dig it up tonight.
You did say that the cluster lights were flickering before you fixed the seat switch connector, so they have to be there somewhere.
Q7, that cluster pic looks very familiar, just like the pic I took of mine sitting on my desk at work, lol.
Yes all the leds work they light the warning Symbols. I cant disassmeble it to rhe point I woukd like to but it seems that the backlight is leds and there is a clear plastic "plate" with 4 nipples that sit on the LEDs to illumiate the gauges, there are no bulbs going thru the circuit board and no room for there to be one between the face plate (gauges you see) and the circuit board. The 3rd pic is of these nipples coming off the clear plate going back to the circuit board
EDIT: seems I was a little slow finding the WDS images and composing my post. I didn't intend to repeat information in the prior post.
I've no clear answer for you, but the attached images from WDS may help.
I'd start with checking for voltage on circuit 58G at the cluster. It may possibly be a PWM signal, since 58G is used to illuminate some switches with LEDs. If so some digital multimeters will have trouble detecting the voltage.
References to "LC" seems to be the liquid crystal display used for check control message in the low (Kombi) cluster, i.e. light out/fail, door open, washer fluid low, etc. Not the general illumination backlighting.
I am almost certain that all cluster warning lights are LEDs, so at least some of the references to cluster LEDs are refering to those, rather than backlighting.
The phototransistor mentioned is probably the small dot/circle in the lower right corner of the leftmost panel in the Kombi cluster, i.e. the one with the CEL/SES, battery warning, oil pressure warning etc.
I included the sunroof switch schematic to demonstrate that 58G is a dimming circuit without any need for K-bus too. (I find the description of instrument dimming a little ambiguous as to whether 58G and K-bus are both required for dimming. Perhaps they are in the instrument cluster, but not necessarily.)
Regards LEDs or incandescent bulbs for backlighting illumination; I've seen posts in which the early MIDs used bulbs, later MIDs used LEDs for backlighting. The same may have happened in the instrument cluster. I don't know the MID change date.
I've no clear answer for you, but the attached images from WDS may help.
I'd start with checking for voltage on circuit 58G at the cluster. It may possibly be a PWM signal, since 58G is used to illuminate some switches with LEDs. If so some digital multimeters will have trouble detecting the voltage.
References to "LC" seems to be the liquid crystal display used for check control message in the low (Kombi) cluster, i.e. light out/fail, door open, washer fluid low, etc. Not the general illumination backlighting.
I am almost certain that all cluster warning lights are LEDs, so at least some of the references to cluster LEDs are refering to those, rather than backlighting.
The phototransistor mentioned is probably the small dot/circle in the lower right corner of the leftmost panel in the Kombi cluster, i.e. the one with the CEL/SES, battery warning, oil pressure warning etc.
I included the sunroof switch schematic to demonstrate that 58G is a dimming circuit without any need for K-bus too. (I find the description of instrument dimming a little ambiguous as to whether 58G and K-bus are both required for dimming. Perhaps they are in the instrument cluster, but not necessarily.)
Regards LEDs or incandescent bulbs for backlighting illumination; I've seen posts in which the early MIDs used bulbs, later MIDs used LEDs for backlighting. The same may have happened in the instrument cluster. I don't know the MID change date.
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I checked and while we have a lot of instrument cluster threads in the bestlinks, I don't see one on just replacing the incandescent bulbs (or LEDs) per se.
There are these threads on removing the instrument cluster:
- How to remove the E39 instrument cluster (1) (2)
And this thread on all the warning messages:
- List of all possible BMW E39 instrument cluster 20-digit alphanumeric display warning/information messages (1)
And these on getting the pixels fixed:
- What are 'all' options when your instrument cluster or MID pixels slowly die due to a press-fit pink electrical-connection tape lifting off its contacts over time (1)
So, I'll add this thread, to the bestlinks, so that the information isn't lost for someone, in the future, long after we're gone, who needs help in replacing burned out, damaged, or removed bulbs and LEDs.
- How to remove and replace the incandescent bulbs and LEDs in the instrument cluster (1)
![Image]()
There are these threads on removing the instrument cluster:
- How to remove the E39 instrument cluster (1) (2)
And this thread on all the warning messages:
- List of all possible BMW E39 instrument cluster 20-digit alphanumeric display warning/information messages (1)
And these on getting the pixels fixed:
- What are 'all' options when your instrument cluster or MID pixels slowly die due to a press-fit pink electrical-connection tape lifting off its contacts over time (1)
So, I'll add this thread, to the bestlinks, so that the information isn't lost for someone, in the future, long after we're gone, who needs help in replacing burned out, damaged, or removed bulbs and LEDs.
- How to remove and replace the incandescent bulbs and LEDs in the instrument cluster (1)
A current cluster-replacement raffle, if anyone is interested, is here:
> E39 (1997 - 2003) > E39 Cluster Speedometer Pixel Repair Raffle Give-Away!
![Image]()
> E39 (1997 - 2003) > E39 Cluster Speedometer Pixel Repair Raffle Give-Away!
Today, this question was asked:
> E39 (1997 - 2003) > cluster bulb
![Image]()
See also:
- How to remove and replace the incandescent bulbs and LEDs in the instrument cluster (1) & how to cross reference all light bulbs for any BMW E39 including for the headlights, stoplights, backup, blinkers, dome, vanity, side markers, licplate, parking, fog, trunk/boot, glovebox, etc. (1)
> E39 (1997 - 2003) > cluster bulb
If the problem turns out to be a missing LED, does anyone know what a good replacement part is?
See also:
- How to remove and replace the incandescent bulbs and LEDs in the instrument cluster (1) & how to cross reference all light bulbs for any BMW E39 including for the headlights, stoplights, backup, blinkers, dome, vanity, side markers, licplate, parking, fog, trunk/boot, glovebox, etc. (1)
Looks like poolman ran into a burned-out set of bulbs today ...
> E39 (1997 - 2003) > Pixcles?
![Image]()
EDIT: adding information on the bulbs...
- How to cross reference all light bulbs for any BMW E39 including for the headlights, stoplights, backup, blinkers, dome, vanity, side markers, licplate, parking, fog, trunk/boot, glovebox, etc. (1)
> E39 (1997 - 2003) > Pixcles?
EDIT: Reposting QSilver7's picture from the thread above, so that it's not lost, over time.
EDIT: adding information on the bulbs...
See also:
- How to cross reference all light bulbs for any BMW E39 including for the headlights, stoplights, backup, blinkers, dome, vanity, side markers, licplate, parking, fog, trunk/boot, glovebox, etc. (1)
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