Speedo/gas/temp needles vibrate at start up
 

Ever since installing my IceLink I've seen an increasing incidence of a weird situation. While starting the car, an '02 MC, the three needles in the Speedo cluster vibrate up and down quickly for a couple of seconds then settle into position. This never happened until the IceLink went in. I asked the Dealer about it and they'd not heard of it, but looked and found a bulletin for 04 and 05 Coopers that this happens if the battery is disconnected. Ok, so the source was found--I had to do this when I put in the IceLink. But the bulletin provided no solution for the problem! BMW says this is normal and is part of the system recalibrating itself.

So my question for all of you who have disconnected the battery: Is there something special you need to do to get rid of this ridiculous vibration? I can't believe in 4.5 years, with the car in the shops at least 10 times for a variety of work, that the battery's never been disconnected before. And no one else seems to be talking about this problem.

Any thoughts or suggestions on a step I'm missing?

ive disconnected my battery many a time, and i have had no problems with the needles.

I think what you're seeing is normal, regardless of battery status as my MINI will do it regularly after sitting for 1 hour to 2 days, different amounts of vibration, just he needles re-zeroing themselves is the best explination I can come up with, as each needle rests a little differently, and it is noted at the factory how much adjustment is nessacary for an accurate reading, but with not power to the guage it kinda drops off when power returns the needle is adjusted to where it belongs. I drive an 05 MCS.

Not normal for my car for its first four years. It only started up after I disconnected the battery--or maybe it's a feature after 38K miles? :-)

If when starting I turn the key to the first stop and let it settle in, ie wait for the odo to show mileage before starting the motor, it wasn't typically happening. Now it doesn't matter how I start it. Sometimes when the car is warm it doesn't happen at all.

:confused: hmmm I'm going to wait and see wha the other have to say. I'll also try to get a video clip of what I have so you can see if its the same thing. No software updates recently correct?

No updates, correct. Only change to the car in the last year, electrically, was the IceLink install.

The behavior is the needles vibrate wildly up and down in a 1/16" or so distance of travel at the base of each gauge. Kind of a rattle noise accompanies the rapid motion. Then they move up or settle to the correct position (0 mph, low temp, gas tank level) and all is well. The tach is unaffected.

The speedo needle vibrate/clicking sound phenomenon started on my July 02 build 2002 Cooper about July of this summer, 2006. Not just an annoyance as I sometimes can't start the car. After the vibrating and clicking, there's just no juice and the Cooper doesn't start. This usually happens when the engine is warm -- not cold or hot. Doesn't behave as if battery charge is low -- there's just nothing there. After wiping my brow and trying 2-3 more times, the engine springs to life. No Alt idiot lamp or anything else out of the ordinary. One dealer service rep said this might be a battery that needs to be replaced. Is it possible to need a replacement battery on a 4-year old MINI that only has 19K and never sees very cold or very hot weather?

1) I'm ALMOST willing to put money on the fact you fall under a recent recall on Batteries.

2) Stock batteries are only "warrantied" for a year of use, 19k in 4 years means your MINI spends a significant mount of time sitting, puttting drain on the battery.

Motor On: Thanks for the info. Yes, Ringo spends a lot of time resting. Any ideas on where I get details about a possible stock battery recall?

Motor is correct. You need a new battery. As the battery dies, it recalibrates more and more. This is a sign of a dying battery. See the MINI2 FAQ, its all in there.

This happened to me.

http://www.alldata.com/tsb/BMW/11464...206/index.html

Nto sure of the exact build date, but you seem close enough you can see if you're affected, I just found one released last week that affect me thanks for having me take a look.

Motor On: Thanks. My '02 Cooper's VIN is before the range noted in the recall notice. Looks like I just need a new battery.

Hey, still under 5 years, so still might be worth seeing if they'll give oyu some warranty coverage. Glad you found this out before you got stranded.

Well, I wish my service department was aware of that problem. My car is an April 02 build, I guess I'm lucky the battery's gone this long.

Thanks all for the bulletin and I'll be getting a new battery.

It's the battery. Mine did that when my OEM batt died. Now, that I have the 11 lb DEKA....it does this now on startup but the battery is fine as far as I know. :sly:

I have the same experience as UKSUV. The OEM battery died about a month after the needle started buzzing.

Do you notice any other changes, such as your trip odometer resetting to "0" and your onboard computer data (mileage, average speed) being wiped out? I had the same sx - was not the battery, but the realy problem was never solved.

Nope, only the needles vibrating. All else operates normally.

The buzzing sound and recalibration is well documented on MINI2 and in many threads on NAM ... buzzing is the sign of battery death.

Dealers are not always a wealth of knowledge:impatient

Tried searching on it but got no hits the other night :sad: and for the first time in 5 years I didn't hit mini2 searching for an answer :o Live and learn.

And after 4.5 years driving a MINI the last comment is a well known fact! Its one reason I bypass that dealer for service and drive an addtional 2.5 hours to the next nearest one.

Thanks all for the info about a rattling speedo needle and a dying battery.

Since October, the problem has only gotten worse. Lately, it's not just a rattling speedo needle and trouble starting: I cannot start the car most days. Recently, when trying to start, there was no cranking of the starter and the foot well lights started blinking as well as the idiot lamps on the speedo. Also, the trip computer and trip odometer were reset to 0.0 and --. After patience and coaxing, I was able to start.

Ringo's at the dealer today for diagnostics and perhaps, a replacement battery. Most knowledgeable folks, both at NAM and at MINI, tell me that a four-year-old OEM battery in a Cooper with only 21 K miles is probably dead or dying. I've contacted MINI USA who tell me that because I'd reported a vibrating speedo needle to the dealer in August 2006 BEFORE the warranty expired AND because my warranty expired by time, not mileage, that I may get what's called a "good will" payment from MINI USA for this service.

I'll let you know what happens. For the most part, I just hope that this electrical problem is found and fixed. I'm nervous about the combination of "English car" and "electrical problem". Ugh...

No Lucas electronics here:roll: for what thats worth:)

The latest word from the MINI service dept. is that the electrical problem is due to a "bad positive terminal cable" that needs to be replaced. Had to leave Ringo over night as the part wasn't in stock.

I was nervous for a moment or two when the service writer told me that the repair was taking a while because the positive cable had to be traced from under the bonnet back to the boot where the battery is. My 2002 Cooper has it's battery mounted under the bonnet, left side. I hope the mechanic knows this!