I have a 320i 1991 4door [old shape], the speedo has stopped registering, I have tried to locate a cable but have been unsucsessful, I have been told that it works of the engine management system, is there any easy way to remedy this.
The speedo and the Cruise Control work from the speed sensor that is located in the differential. Look at the diff and you will find a pair of wires coming off, these are the speed sensor.
If the cruise works properly, but the speedo is dead, then the speedo is the trouble.
Duh, sorry.
If neither the speedo or the Cruise work, then the speed sensor is toast.
not nessesarily. check to see if the odometer is still working.. if it is, then the speed sensor in the diff is OK... when checking mine i noticed the wires for the speed sensor in the diff are quite exposed,.,, could be damaged by stones/twigs etc
i dont have cruise in my E30 but i do have an intermittent speedo.. loose connection im sure; when it dies i tap the binnacle and it works again.. ive had it out several times but can not find where the bad connection is. Im living with it untill i get a replacement one from a breakers yard.
keith
This is certainly true. The odometer can't work unless the speed sensor is working.
when checking
I doubt that simple stuff like a stone will harm the wires to the speed sensor. I suppose that road salt and crap like that can cause troubles relative to corroding, but if a stick or stone was going to take the wires out, surely this would be a driving event worthy of rememberence.
The instrument cluster is all driven by electronics, and there are assorted ground points that can cause intermittant problems. I suspect you can remove your instrument cluster and turn it over a few times to look at it, perhaps replace a few bulbs inside, and put it back in and it will work properly again for many years. The good news is you will have fixed it, the bad news is you won't know why. My guess is the connections are faulty, and disconnecting and reconnecting them will fix the troubles.
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