"BMW X5 - Cluster Ribbon Cable Replacement"

By Ron Stultz

13 April 2013

Summary: my model cluster requires the gauge pointers to be removed to get to screws holding LCD in place. I did not have proper tool and damaged water temp stepper motor. Cautious do-it-yourself (DIY).

Background:

BMW X5: model year 2000, 4.4i, 188,000+ miles.

Have "high" cluster with various missing pixels in display.

Internet research revealed that there is a ribbon cable between the cluster circuit board and LCD display.

Pixel display problems related to ribbon cable.

Note here that problem could also be a bum LCD display.

Ribbon cable (black or carbon based and silver or solder based) replacement ribbon cables sold on Internet.

Silver ribbon cable, preferred to withstand thermal range inside of car) costs about $30-40.

Those selling ribbon cables want you to buy a special soldering iron tip, which costs another $10 or so. I honestly do not know if this tip is required or not. I did buy one.

There are various ribbon cable replacement services on eBay and other, charging $120+ shipping.

Various videos of ribbon cable replacement and appeared easy enough but none of the videos showed how pointers on gauges removed.

So I bought silver cable and soldering tip.

Removal cluster from X5 easy enough.

Getting to cluster circuit board easy enough.

But in my case, needed to remove gauge pointers to get to screws holding LCD to circuit board.

Each gauge uses a "stepper motor" and has a very small coil on the shaft that acts as a return spring.

Pointers are on tight and will not simply pull off stepper motor shaft.

Tried to use surgical clamp to hold shaft of stepper motor to pull off pointer but did not have small enough clamp.

So in the end, bundled up cluster and shipped to a repair service of which there are many listed on the Internet.

Note here: perhaps you could take cluster with pointers attached to a clock repair shop and have them remove the pointers??

Summary:

Perhaps your model cluster is different and you can get to LCD screws without removing pointers.

Perhaps you have a tool that you can use to hold stepper motor shafts while you pull/twist off pointers.

The final point I am making is perhaps you can repair DIY or perhaps not. I wound up destroying a stepper motor that now is going to cost me another $50 to replace.

With cluster out of X5:

At least for my year and model X5, the X5 will start and run with cluster removed.

However:

- Although turn signals work, no clicking noise is heard.

- On-board computer functions such as fuel consumption, distance, etc, do not work as part of radio display.

- Radio does work.

- Passenger side mirror that normally tills down when reversing, does not tilt down.

- Although cabin heat works, the air conditioning (AC) compressor will not click "on" when commanded to do so.

- Drove X5 for 20 miles or so with cluster out being repaired. Once cluster reinstalled, no sort of "tamper" display related to mileage change or other.