Hello All, I have an 88 E30 M3 and my trip computer is no longer showing anything on the display. I have checked all the fuses and they are all ok. Any ideas where to look? Does the trip computer have a replaceable blub or is it a sealed unit? Any help would be great! jay
Yes, the bulb is replaceable. Here's a Pelican article describing the process: http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techarticles/JF-Tech/BMW_E30_3_Series_ODBC_light_replacement.htm I had a hard time finding a site with pics and I don't have the time to look for one right now, but that should be adequate.
There's a light bar that's replaceable - if you can see (or barely see) the display and can see that the OBC is functioning, but display just not visible, then I'd say try replacing the light bar. If the display's completely gone and you have no evidence at all the OBC is working, then you might have to replace it altogether. Link to previous thread on OBC lightbar replacement - http://www.bmwcca.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1227
I actually just replaced the bulb panel in my OBC--and, long story short, it was a pain in the arse. Lol...had remove screws that I didn't even know exist, tear out the entire dash, and then remove the OBC to swap out this little annoying light panel...but what a difference it makes! So if you have any questions, I'm now a veteran of this surgery...lol. Check out the pics. In the photo with the new and old light bars, the one with the yellow panel is the old one, the white is the new unit obtained from Bavarian Autosport ($34.95----makes me wonder if I could've gotten away with soldering some new LEDs into the old unit instead of sticking with incandescents that'll die after another two decades...). P.S.--If you're planning to take care of this yourself, it might be worth your while to clean out bunch of the dust and crap on the other side of the dash--I was able to unclog my mechanical climate controls pretty well...
