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      06-08-2018, 11:54 AM   #1
Tempxst
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E90 N52 Physical Coolant/Oil Temp Gauges

Been searching the interwebs looking for some sort of physical gauge kit I could get for me 06 330i.

I'd like to quickly be able to see how my car is running and if something is going wrong before reaching the extreme point of temperature warning lights.
However it's super annoying to have to go through the service codes on my dash (non-idrive) upon startup and pick which ones to look at and then not be able to view anything else while driving.

Does anyone know of an easy solution like this made for the 330i? Not sure where they would mount at the moment but they'd be very useful.
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      06-08-2018, 01:00 PM   #2
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E92 gauges, 335i gauges and M3 gauges all have the provision for the oil temperature (in place of the MPG needle) on them. You should be able to swap them in.
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      06-08-2018, 02:12 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Taskmaster View Post
E92 gauges, 335i gauges and M3 gauges all have the provision for the oil temperature (in place of the MPG needle) on them. You should be able to swap them in.
This would be much more useful than the stupid mpg gauge that swings back and forth every time the gas pedal is pressed.
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      06-08-2018, 02:22 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by CTinline-six View Post
This would be much more useful than the stupid mpg gauge that swings back and forth every time the gas pedal is pressed.
E X A C T L Y. Plus the MPG is on the cluster digitally anyways, the newer models get oil temp on the analog cluster :/
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      06-08-2018, 02:32 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tempxst View Post
Been searching the interwebs looking for some sort of physical gauge kit I could get for me 06 330i.

I'd like to quickly be able to see how my car is running and if something is going wrong before reaching the extreme point of temperature warning lights.
However it's super annoying to have to go through the service codes on my dash (non-idrive) upon startup and pick which ones to look at and then not be able to view anything else while driving.

Does anyone know of an easy solution like this made for the 330i? Not sure where they would mount at the moment but they'd be very useful.
The easiest way would be swapping a Gauge face with oil temp and for water temp use a obd2 gauge.
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      06-08-2018, 02:51 PM   #6
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You can code the MPG gauge to reflect oil temp instead (albeit with the MPG numbers still, or you can swap an E92 328i cluster). I did this on my 328i E90. There's a detailed thread in the coding section. One of the best changes I've made to my car, hands down. I simply changed the intervals for the oil range to be 0, 50, 100, 150, 200 Celsius so it matches the physical labels on the MPG gauge.
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      06-08-2018, 03:13 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tempxst View Post
E X A C T L Y. Plus the MPG is on the cluster digitally anyways, the newer models get oil temp on the analog cluster :/
You can code the mpg gauge to read oil temperature instead: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...9&postcount=22
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      06-08-2018, 04:09 PM   #8
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I followed the instructions above to get oil temp in my 05 325i.
It works perfect. Starts at 50c, 75c at 1/4, 100c in the middle, 125 at 3/4 and 150 at the top. It's great to see the oil temp and know when the engine is ready for punishment, however my fuel economy went up slightly since I was constantly trying to keep the gauge below 10l/100km before the coding.

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      06-08-2018, 04:49 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Taskmaster View Post
E92 gauges, 335i gauges and M3 gauges all have the provision for the oil temperature (in place of the MPG needle) on them. You should be able to swap them in.
Also the variable RPM region on the M3 gauges corresponds to coolant temperature (and if you're willing to mess with your tune, you can change the temperature thresholds)
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      06-08-2018, 06:53 PM   #10
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Also the variable RPM region on the M3 gauges corresponds to coolant temperature (and if you're willing to mess with your tune, you can change the temperature thresholds)
It’s based on coolant temps? Ahhh, I didn’t know that. I’ve wanted those gauges for a while, so too lazy to look.
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      06-09-2018, 01:54 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Taskmaster View Post
It’s based on coolant temps? Ahhh, I didn’t know that. I’ve wanted those gauges for a while, so too lazy to look.
On the actual m3 I think it’s based on oil temp, but the non-M DMEs determine the variable zone via coolant temp
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      06-09-2018, 04:30 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Terraphantm View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taskmaster View Post
It’s based on coolant temps? Ahhh, I didn’t know that. I’ve wanted those gauges for a while, so too lazy to look.
On the actual m3 I think it’s based on oil temp, but the non-M DMEs determine the variable zone via coolant temp
Yup, M3s base the variable redline off the oil temp. Although strangely it really does increase towards 8250 a bit quicker than the oil temp itself.
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      06-11-2018, 10:34 AM   #13
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Hmm, Anyone selling an M3 gauge Pod? - I'll sell OP my Stock one (with Oil temp)
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      06-12-2018, 12:51 PM   #14
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I'd like the M3 gauge cluster as well, but it looked to be a pretty expensive mod. I see them selling in the $300-500 range, but that could perhaps be avoided with patience. But then there is the issue of "virginizing" it. From what I saw, Bimmergeek will do it but it's about $300 for that service alone!

Does anyone have a lot of info about the swap? I basically wondered if 'virginizing' could be done via DIY, and also exactly whether or not the 'dynamic redline' would work or not with our DME. Then there is the shift light found on the auto M3's, which would be awesome!, however I believe I read that there is no way to get that functioning on MT.

Somehow two small (~1mm diameter) 'smudges' made their way onto the left silver ring around my speedometer. Who the hell knows how that is even possible. They annoy the hell out of me and I've wanted to replace my cluster ever since I bought the car.
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      06-26-2018, 03:35 PM   #15
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Thanks for all the replies guys,

I'm not really wanting to go through the process of swapping my whole cluster and then coding the gauges to different temps.

HOWEVER I found a thread about the UltraGauge and it seemed like everyone loved that. It's a digital screen you can suction wherever with a mount and it hooks up through OBD2.

Has tons of options as far as what measurements and temperatures to display. Displays 4 screens at a time and isn't a huge tablet. Also is extremely inexpensive for the value. Does anyone in here have experience with this monitor?

Highly thinking about going this route since I could use it in any car and have all the info I need at a glance!
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      06-26-2018, 03:53 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by atmosphericM View Post
I'd like the M3 gauge cluster as well, but it looked to be a pretty expensive mod. I see them selling in the $300-500 range, but that could perhaps be avoided with patience. But then there is the issue of "virginizing" it. From what I saw, Bimmergeek will do it but it's about $300 for that service alone!

Does anyone have a lot of info about the swap? I basically wondered if 'virginizing' could be done via DIY, and also exactly whether or not the 'dynamic redline' would work or not with our DME. Then there is the shift light found on the auto M3's, which would be awesome!, however I believe I read that there is no way to get that functioning on MT.

Somehow two small (~1mm diameter) 'smudges' made their way onto the left silver ring around my speedometer. Who the hell knows how that is even possible. They annoy the hell out of me and I've wanted to replace my cluster ever since I bought the car.
yes, it will work. IIRC, it can also be configured to use oil temp, but it's not set up out of the box.

You can viriginze the DME with a programmer that can write to the Odometer chip - those cost between $50-$100.
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      06-27-2018, 11:37 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by hassmaschine View Post
yes, it will work. IIRC, it can also be configured to use oil temp, but it's not set up out of the box.

You can viriginze the DME with a programmer that can write to the Odometer chip - those cost between $50-$100.
Thanks!

Looking into it now. Seems 'simple' enough. Man, I do miss the days of just bolting the bish in there and watching it work though...

So it looks like virginizing = either soldering on a new EEPROM chip, or reprogramming the one that's on there via physically connecting to it directly. Apparently both methods require opening up the cluster. I'd like to avoid removing the faces/needles, but I can't find a definitive answer on whether or not "clipping" to the existing chip while it's mounted is possible without removing the needles.
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      06-27-2018, 11:51 AM   #18
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if you want somehting that fits in a pod or something smaller

https://www.plxdevices.com/OBD-OBD2-...7346002436.htm

PLX makes good stuff.
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      06-28-2018, 09:33 PM   #19
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P3 gauges installs in vent and will monitor water temp. Little more $ but looks best
http://www.p3cars.com/
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