Automotive Business Talk Automotive Business Talk    FAQ   Search   Memberlist   Usergroups   Register   Profile   Log in to check your private messages   Log in  OBC into E30 318is          Automotive Business Talk Forum Index -> BMW View previous topic :: View next topic   Author Message James Guest Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:00 am    Post subject: OBC into E30 318is I've seen BMW 13 button On Board Computers sold on ebay that are said to fit into an E30 318. I have a 1990 318is and would like to fit one - but not if it involves splicing wires or anything that could stop the car being extremely reliable. Is there a socket for the OBC to plug into? Is there anything else required, other than removing the analog clock (ie special mounts)? Can it be fitted without removing the dash? As the OBC will be a model removed from a US vehicle, can it be changed from gallons to litres, and miles to km? Thanks Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor R. Mark Clayton Guest Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:00 am    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is "James" <jdeakinsREMOVETHISBIT@pcug.org.au> wrote in message news:1215931080.753480@chilli.pcug.org.au... Quote: I've seen BMW 13 button On Board Computers sold on ebay that are said to fit into an E30 318. I have a 1990 318is and would like to fit one - but not if it involves splicing wires or anything that could stop the car being extremely reliable. Is there a socket for the OBC to plug into? Is there anything else required, other than removing the analog clock (ie special mounts)? Can it be fitted without removing the dash? Dunno. Quote: As the OBC will be a model removed from a US vehicle, can it be changed from gallons to litres, and miles to km? This is a simple setting on every OBC since 1982. Indeed you can usually set some parameters in km (e.g. range, speed, temprature etc.) and consumption in mpg, however be aware that since the USA left UK jurisdiction in 1776 some of their units are not "Imperial", in particular the gallon, which is 20% short. Quote: Thanks Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor John Burns Guest Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:49 pm    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is I took an easier path on mine :-) I fitted the six button digital clock / outside temperature unit. I had to run a wire to the back of the dashboard and another to the temp sensor in the brake duct. Not a hard job at all. Much easier than fitting the full OBC. -- Who needs a life when you've got Unix? Email: john@unixnerd.demon.co.uk, John G.Burns B.Eng, Bonny Scotland Web : http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk - The Ultimate BMW Homepage! Need Sun or HP Unix kit? http://www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/unix.html www.Strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible price Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor Michael Yeager Guest Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:37 pm    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:37:58 +1000, "James" <jdeakinsREMOVETHISBIT@pcug.org.au> wrote: Quote: I've seen BMW 13 button On Board Computers sold on ebay that are said to fit into an E30 318. I have a 1990 318is and would like to fit one - but not if it involves splicing wires or anything that could stop the car being extremely reliable. You will need thew harness that goes from the back of the instrument cluster to the OBC. These usually come with the OBC on Ebay but check to make sure. There is a second harness if you want the code feature to work (as well as a relay box) and the turn signal stalk can be changed if you want to be able to cycle through the OBC displays that way. None of the extra stuff is critical. There is NO splicing required and it's all plug and play. Quote: Is there a socket for the OBC to plug into? Answered above. Quote: Is there anything else required, other than removing the analog clock (ie special mounts)? Can it be fitted without removing the dash? You will have to remove the speedometer display and the heater / AC control panel enough to swap the OBC into the clock place. Mounts are the same. Quote: As the OBC will be a model removed from a US vehicle, can it be changed from gallons to litres, and miles to km? Actually, it defaults to KPH and Litres (German car). If you need Imperial gallons, there's an option for that as well. Quote: Thanks No problem Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor Michael Yeager Guest Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:37 pm    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:58:37 +0100, "R. Mark Clayton" <nospamclayton@btinternet.com> wrote: Quote: This is a simple setting on every OBC since 1982. Indeed you can usually set some parameters in km (e.g. range, speed, temprature etc.) and consumption in mpg, however be aware that since the USA left UK jurisdiction in 1776 some of their units are not "Imperial", in particular the gallon, which is 20% short. Thanks Are you serious??? Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor Jono Guest Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 7:06 pm    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is Michael Yeager pretended : Quote: On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:58:37 +0100, "R. Mark Clayton" nospamclayton@btinternet.com> wrote: This is a simple setting on every OBC since 1982. Indeed you can usually set some parameters in km (e.g. range, speed, temprature etc.) and consumption in mpg, however be aware that since the USA left UK jurisdiction in 1776 some of their units are not "Imperial", in particular the gallon, which is 20% short. Thanks Are you serious??? Serious about the smallness of the American gallon? <http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=1+uk+gallon+in+us+gallons&meta=> Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor Scott Dorsey Guest Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 1:52 am    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is Michael Yeager <myeager@nospam.cfl.rr.com> wrote: Quote: On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:58:37 +0100, "R. Mark Clayton" nospamclayton@btinternet.com> wrote: This is a simple setting on every OBC since 1982. Indeed you can usually set some parameters in km (e.g. range, speed, temprature etc.) and consumption in mpg, however be aware that since the USA left UK jurisdiction in 1776 some of their units are not "Imperial", in particular the gallon, which is 20% short. Are you serious??? Yes, sadly. American pints have considerably less beer in them. That said, I am wondering why the original poster wants an OBC. I have never found it very useful.... the temperature display and time are occasionally handy, but the timer functions aren't sufficient for rallies these days (and the passenger can't easily use the thing). --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor James Guest Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 4:59 pm    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is "> That said, I am wondering why the original poster wants an OBC. I have Quote: never found it very useful.... the temperature display and time are occasionally handy, but the timer functions aren't sufficient for rallies these days (and the passenger can't easily use the thing). --scott The practical reason is that it shows average fuel consumption. It would be great if it showed instantaneous consumption, but I can't have everything. The main reason is that it's a cool gadget that wasn't standard on my model - and it's now cheap enough to try without breaking the bank. James Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor Scott Dorsey Guest Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:38 pm    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is James <jdeakinsREMOVETHISBIT@pcug.org.au> wrote: Quote: "> That said, I am wondering why the original poster wants an OBC. I have never found it very useful.... the temperature display and time are occasionally handy, but the timer functions aren't sufficient for rallies these days (and the passenger can't easily use the thing). The practical reason is that it shows average fuel consumption. It would be great if it showed instantaneous consumption, but I can't have everything. I'll buy that. I warn you that I have found the derived numbers on the OBC to be less than accurate; I have run out of gas while the OBC indicated I had 20 miles of gas left in the tank. So I don't know how much I trust it. Quote: The main reason is that it's a cool gadget that wasn't standard on my model - and it's now cheap enough to try without breaking the bank. I am suspicious of cool gadgets, but the OBC should not be a difficult retrofit because there are only a limited number of inputs. I suggest you avoid connecting the horn and the ignition disabler. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor Michael Yeager Guest Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:33 pm    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is On 14 Jul 2008 10:38:17 -0400, kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote: Quote: James <jdeakinsREMOVETHISBIT@pcug.org.au> wrote: "> That said, I am wondering why the original poster wants an OBC. I have never found it very useful.... the temperature display and time are occasionally handy, but the timer functions aren't sufficient for rallies these days (and the passenger can't easily use the thing). The practical reason is that it shows average fuel consumption. It would be great if it showed instantaneous consumption, but I can't have everything. I'll buy that. I warn you that I have found the derived numbers on the OBC to be less than accurate; I have run out of gas while the OBC indicated I had 20 miles of gas left in the tank. So I don't know how much I trust it. The main reason is that it's a cool gadget that wasn't standard on my model - and it's now cheap enough to try without breaking the bank. I am suspicious of cool gadgets, but the OBC should not be a difficult retrofit because there are only a limited number of inputs. I suggest you avoid connecting the horn and the ignition disabler. --scott I'll second the horn and ignition cutout unless you just want to have it all working. I installed it all and disconnected the horn. Have never used the code feature as I installed an alarm and it does the ignition cutout for me (as well as remote start). Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor Michael Yeager Guest Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:59 pm    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:06:33 GMT, Jono <nothanks@blueyonder.invalid> wrote: Quote: Michael Yeager pretended : On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:58:37 +0100, "R. Mark Clayton" nospamclayton@btinternet.com> wrote: This is a simple setting on every OBC since 1982. Indeed you can usually set some parameters in km (e.g. range, speed, temprature etc.) and consumption in mpg, however be aware that since the USA left UK jurisdiction in 1776 some of their units are not "Imperial", in particular the gallon, which is 20% short. Thanks Are you serious??? Serious about the smallness of the American gallon? http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=1+uk+gallon+in+us+gallons&meta= I am aware that the US gallon and the Imperial gallon are different but the original poster made it sound like the OBC was useless if you needed Imperial gallons. I can see that this topic is going to go way off course as most discussions seem to do on this forum these days but I was a bit baffled by the original posters comment... Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor Scott Dorsey Guest Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:46 pm    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is Michael Yeager <myeager@nospam.cfl.rr.com> wrote: Quote: I am aware that the US gallon and the Imperial gallon are different but the original poster made it sound like the OBC was useless if you needed Imperial gallons. I can see that this topic is going to go way off course as most discussions seem to do on this forum these days but I was a bit baffled by the original posters comment... I thought he was saying precisely the opposite, that in the very unlikely event you wanted to see values in imperial gallons the OBC actually had a mode for it. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor Michael Yeager Guest Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:05 pm    Post subject: Re: OBC into E30 318is On 14 Jul 2008 13:46:35 -0400, kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote: Quote: Michael Yeager <myeager@nospam.cfl.rr.com> wrote: I am aware that the US gallon and the Imperial gallon are different but the original poster made it sound like the OBC was useless if you needed Imperial gallons. I can see that this topic is going to go way off course as most discussions seem to do on this forum these days but I was a bit baffled by the original posters comment... I thought he was saying precisely the opposite, that in the very unlikely event you wanted to see values in imperial gallons the OBC actually had a mode for it. --scott Possibly, I may have read it wrong. I don't think so but it's not important enough to go find the original text Back to top   Ads Advertising Sponsor Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First         Automotive Business Talk Forum Index -> BMW All times are GMT Page 1 of 1   Jump to: Select a forum Automotive Business Talk----------------Automotive Business TalkAudiBMWFord  You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum 64 Attacks blocked Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group