i'm probably gonna end up taking my car car to the dealership if this doesn't stop happening, but i'll explain first and maybe someone can help me out.

when i first turn the engine on, the temperature and fuel gauges drop completely. this is followed by a short buzzing sound. two seconds later the engine is still running and the gauges go back up to where there supposed to be.if any of you have ever reset their ecu adaptive settings then you know what i mean, because this does the exact thing it does then. i should also let you know that it does not do this every time . about every 2 out of 5 times recently.also, this is the only problem. nothing happens while the cars running. any feedback would be much appreciated. thanks alot

 

Not an issue. The needles are just resetting themselves. Mine didn't do it for the first three years I had it. Now, it does it almost every time. I'm sure changing the color of my dash had nothing to do with it.

Also, it's not the ECU, it's the BCU.

[This may also draw more interest if it's in the 'Beneath The Bonnet' instead of the Cooper Non-S Mods forum. But I'm not a thread Natzi, so someone else would have to move it. ]

 

why would it start doing it now after four years?that doesn't make any sense to me. plus it is a little annoyance that i would never be able to deal with on a long term basis. it 's never done it before so why now? thanks for the reply though. anyone else have another possibility of why it would start to do this . thanks

 

Well, the instrument cluster is the only thing that controls itself and if it is doing it's calibration and started only after this amount of time, there is something wrong with your IKE. I know of no specific prod. range that does this on a normal basis, even though I have seen the prob...

 

Off topic I know, but I've been looking at your pictures lately, and I really like that , how would I go about changing my instrument colors??

 

nuff said , to the dealer it goes then.

thanks everybody

 

Could be related to cold weather/battery issues. Mine has done it twice recently, but only after the car had sat outside at work all day on cold days. It has never done it in the mornings, but my car is garaged at night. I think it has to do with a low or possibly dying battery.

 

Joe, this sounds suspiciously like what I experienced awhile back...does your trip odometer and onboard computer (mileage, range, etc.) reset to "0" when this occurs? If so, it has something to do with the connection between the instrument cluster and ECU (is what I was told). The problem was never completely diagnosed, and it only rarely occurs now after a new instrument cluster was installed.

Where are you taking it?

 

It's not an easy project - you have to replace 25 surface-mount LEDs, just for the faces themselves. I'm thinking about offering a service to folks who want it done, I'm doing another member's car right now, we'll see how time and cost turn out.

Like dansmini said, I was thinking too - it may have nothing to do with my messing with the boards. It's possible your battery is starting to run low. I'm still on my original battery, and know that it doesn't have long left. From an EE side of things, I can see how the starter will draw a little too much current from the battery, dropping the voltage enough to make the gauges need to re-calibrate.

Are you on yuor original battery, or been on this battery for a while?

I'm not really curious to see if it continues when I get a new battery for Moxie.

Me.

 

the only thing that happens is that the needles drop. nothing else. i kind of want to believe that it has a little something to do with a low or dying battery like the other guy said.it's still the original battery in the car, so..... i'll probably end up taking my car to mini of the main line. they usually help me out pretty well.or just putting a new battery in myself.

 

You may be covered by the battery recall...I was (I have an 03) but had already replaced it myself.

Peter knows his stuff at Main Line...I'm sure they'll get it figured out!

 

I had the same problem with my S, replacing the battery fixed it. I think it is a voltage drop caused by a weak battery.

 

funny i saw this---mine died yesterday at work after sitting in the cold all day--same sort of 'symptoms' tried to turn it over, nothing went, needles reset themselves...i even had to leave the window cracked (when you open and close the door--the window lowers...) since i guess there wasn't enough juice left for that!!! It started up fine in the morning too!!! Had to get it towed to mini of main line...

 

I hope the get to it soon, Hannawho. My only complaint about Mini of the Main Line is how overbooked their service department is.

 

I had the same issues on our 2003 MC. Had the Original Battery Replaced this
Past Weekend. Problem no longer Exists.

 

You guys are getting 3 year old + batteries replaced by the dealer for free? Or are you buying them yourselves? I know I wouldn't expect mine to last a lot longer than what it has.

 

I did not go to Dealer to have the Original Battery Replaced on our 2003 MC.
I bought The New Battery & had it installed. The New Battery is a NAPA Brand & is an Exact Replica of the OEM Battery. Not Cheap, but i now have some peace of Mind.

 

Iam seeing the same problem not all of the time just like you and I think its the OEM battery that is in the car. The counter has not reset the needle just bounces and makes a buzzing noise. Whats odd the car cranks just fine? but if its the drop in voltage-makes sense.

 

the voltage drop theory is somewhat correct however not the only casue.
there are actually two kinds of needle calibration. a long type and a short type.

the short type: happnes everytime the engine is started and after the car has been in "sleep" mode.

the long type (5-10 secs): if the power supply to the cluster has been interuprted. after a battery disconection. after a fuse or the cluster has been replaced. blown cluster fuse. however the speedo will still work. temporary cluster voltage drop below 8.5 volts.

so replacing the battery could solve the problem but the short tem calibration needle vibration may still be present or return. and the dealer most likely won't replace anything.