e to i swap car, tach off

#1

hey guys,

Bobby T did our e to i swap over the Summer, and the tach seems to read about 1.5 times high. In other words it looks like we have a 10k rpm rev limit.

We have had problems with the speedo intermetantly going dead, so I think he might have switched the dash out with one from a 318. Is there any way to convert it back to a 6-cyl? I thought there would be a switch on the back, but there isn’t only a black cylinder that you can pull out. I wasn’t sure if this is what keys it to a 4 or 6 cylinder.

I tried searching for instructions on what guys do when the take and m3 and put an s50 motor in it, but cound’t find anything about the tach readout.

Could always put another dash in it, but that would be too easy! Thoughts?

#2

I’m gonna go way out on a limb here - I think there’s a chip or a pill that you can swap out from the cluster. I have zero experience with this.

BUT, it sounds like you’ll need a new cluster. The tach reading comes straight from the ECU (i have the wiring diagram at home) and should go right into the cluster. An "i" cluster should be around $100 on e-bay, but strictly german should have some lying around, and if Bobby did the swap, I gotta imagine he’d hook you right up!

If it was my car, I’d get a new cluster. Sorry - prolly not the answer you wanted!

-Vic
SO #325

#3

It’s called the "coding plug" and it is white and rectangular, it’s inserted into the lower front right of the cluster. You need to make sure your coding plug matches your motor (i.e.- i-plug for i-motor).

#4

Fixed it this weekend. The black plug that looks like a large "T" that is inserted directly behind the tach was identical in both the backup cluster we had on the shelf and the one in the car.

Strangely enough, when I just removed it all together the tach started reading correctly. So that fixed it…

#5

crazy german stuff.