| MayanArch |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 23rd 3:50am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 1391
Florida, USA
Baur E21 2.7 1982, Baur E30 318i 1985, 323i 1978 |
Where are the dash bulbs located, and can you change them without removing the entire dash?
Can you remove the instrument cluster without removing the dash or the steering wheel?
Can you get to the bulb behind the center console AC panel from up top? |
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| KenDanielson |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 23rd 4:23am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Junior Member
Post nr. 192
Petaluma CA
'82 320is, '78 320i |
Dash lighting is located in the top of the instrument cluster. The cluster comes out MUCH easier if the steering wheel is removed but I have heard of people doing it with the steering wheel in place. I remove it to make life easier. There is only one thumb screw under the dash to remove the cluster-easy stuff. The speedo cable must be disconnected first and electrical connections must be undone when you pull it out enough to get access to them.
ken |
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| MayanArch |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 23rd 5:01am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 1394
Florida, USA
Baur E21 2.7 1982, Baur E30 318i 1985, 323i 1978 |
Are ALL the dash lights sitting over the instrument cluster? Do those light the trim labels over the headlight pull switch and the ac center console?
Theres got to be more bulbs.. |
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| ichiwan2 |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 23rd 5:35am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 292
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
BMW320/6(e21) |
There are definitely lights to be had behind the light/ defogger switch panel. If ur e21 has the ac controls on the centrals switch panel, there's lights there too. Also behind the cigarette lighter.
The panel below the instrument cluster can come off if you lower the steering by removing the bolts holding it at about midpoint along the steering assembly.
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| ichiwan2 |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 23rd 5:35am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 293
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
BMW320/6(e21) |
Double posting - deleted
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| MayanArch |
Posted
Sunday, Sep 23rd 6:01am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 1396
Florida, USA
Baur E21 2.7 1982, Baur E30 318i 1985, 323i 1978 |
| ichiwan2 wrote: |
The panel below the instrument cluster can come off if you lower the steering by removing the bolts holding it at about midpoint along the steering assembly.
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I dont get this. |
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| Madhatter |
Posted
Monday, Sep 24th 4:18am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 243
Australia - QLD
E21, E24, E30 |
he's telling you to remove the bolts through the column and drop the whole thing down so you can get clearence. There was a post somewhere about hot wiring your ignition switch, it had a good photo of the underside showing bolt locations etc. |
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| nowloadingrage |
Posted
Monday, Sep 24th 4:35am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Junior Member
Post nr. 1
Tennessee, U.S.
83' 320i -w- Century Turbo |
Ken is on the right track with removing the instrument cluster. Pull the steering wheel. Make sure the key is in the on position. In the off position it locks the wheel to the column. Anyway, back to the lights. One bulb located above the the head light switch and other switch on the back side. It is fitted into a piece of clear plastic that lights the names up above the switches. Can be reached from under the dash. There are 3 bulbs above the instrument cluster. Which has already been established that to get to those you need to pull the cluster. One for each orange rectangle. One bulb for the air controls(in clear plastic) and one lighter bulb. Both of which you would have to pull the radio and faceplate radio is in to get to. So don't pull the dash and don't take the steering column loose. Hope this helps. |
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| MayanArch |
Posted
Monday, Sep 24th 5:42am [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 1397
Florida, USA
Baur E21 2.7 1982, Baur E30 318i 1985, 323i 1978 |
| nowloadingrage wrote: | | Ken is on the right track with removing the instrument cluster. Pull the steering wheel. Make sure the key is in the on position. In the off position it locks the wheel to the column. Anyway, back to the lights. One bulb located above the the head light switch and other switch on the back side. It is fitted into a piece of clear plastic that lights the names up above the switches. Can be reached from under the dash. There are 3 bulbs above the instrument cluster. Which has already been established that to get to those you need to pull the cluster. One for each orange rectangle. One bulb for the air controls(in clear plastic) and one lighter bulb. Both of which you would have to pull the radio and faceplate radio is in to get to. So don't pull the dash and don't take the steering column loose. Hope this helps. |
Totally helps. The AC panel I was refering to was the center console...not the one where the radio is...but just above it.
I guess the only difficult ones are the instrument cluster. |
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| BarryA |
Posted
Tuesday, Sep 25th 9:40pm [Edit] [Quote] [IMS] [View car] |
Member
Post nr. 202
Sacramento CA
81 320 |
Don't think this was mentioned elsewhere - at least on the post facelift cars (80-83), the lighing for all the ventilation controls in the panel above the console comes from a single bulb and is distributed via fiber-optics and clear plastic "runners" to the various lighted segments.
If the panel lighting is dim, there's good possibility that years of accumulated dust and other debris has coated the bulb and or surfaces of the optics - I found that scrubbing the panel clean and replacing the bulb when the dash was apart for a pad replacement and a/c work made big difference in the amount of light that was visible at the controls. |
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