2005 RT Gauges LCD issues. (200k bike)

[Tooofast]

So I got a great deal on a 05 RT but one of the issues, well the only one really was the LCD display cannot be seen in sunlight,  At night with the backlight on its readable, not prefect but readable.  But as the sun comes up and any directly light the the info cannot be seen. I took it apart today and the LCD seems to have bubbled up? Has anyone else ever seen this? The first and 2nd photo is what the display looks like in sunlight, pretty much black, the 3nd is in the garage where the backlight is working.  Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[dirtrider]

33 minutes ago, Tooofast said:

So I got a great deal on a 05 RT but one of the issues, well the only one really was the LCD display cannot be seen in sunlight,  At night with the backlight on its readable, not prefect but readable.  But as the sun comes up and any directly light the the info cannot be seen. I took it apart today and the LCD seems to have bubbled up? Has anyone else ever seen this? The first and 2nd photo is what the display looks like in sunlight, pretty much black, the 3nd is in the garage where the backlight is working.  Thoughts?

 

Afternoon Tooofast

 

They can get like that as they get older, being out in the hot sun makes them get even dimmer. Every year my 1200RT seems to get dimmer. 

 

Have your tried adjusting the dimming?  Probably won't help much but worth a try.

 

 

 

 

[The Rocketman]

Didn't someone here a while back replace the LCD screen with a used one? There was a question as to functionality or programming it to match the bike's mileage (or something), but I think I remember reading it worked fine.

 

Edit:

Found it: 

 

 

[Tooofast]

So on my ride back 1800 miles back home with the bike last week,  I hated not being able to see ANY of the info like Temp, millage or fuel level, Pretty much in sunlight the screen was black.  M  y OCD was in high gear and i ended up gassing up every 2.5 to 3 hours max. Somewhere in KS as I was resting my rear end I got on ebay and found a couple of gauge clusters for ~$300 and a 2013 RTP cluster for $80, snapped it up and it arrived a few hours ago. I have the bike stiped down to replace the headlight bulbs so plugging in the new cluster was easy.  NO GO! The 2013 RTP gauge has a bunch of extra stuff like TPMS,  traction control, 90k miles not 208k and it had the big yellow triangle up an d and a bunch of other stuff.  It also seemed to be missing distance to empty etc but don't quote me on that as it was a quick test.  With nothing to loose i though i would have a go sat swapping the LCD screen and it really did take just 15 min. so far 100% success.  Here is how i did it. 

1. locate the 8 very fine hex head screws that hold the clear face on. remove them and keep them safe
2. gently remove the clear cover DO NOT TOUCH THE INSIDE OF THE CLEAR COVER. it as a coating that goes milky if it you, (see photo)  there is also a rubber gasket between the two that may stick to one side or another. no need to mess with it, leave it in place 
3. looking at the white gauge cluster CAREFULLY pull the RPM and Speed gauge needles off . pull straight up and they will pop off. the gauge faces are mat paint, be sure to have clean hands when you do this to stop marking them like i did. 
4. Look for the next 4 very fine hex head screws that hold the white plastic cluster face to black base, remove them, put them with the others. all the hex screws seems to be the same. 
5. Next look for the white tabs that hold the parts all tight. There are 4 of them, two top, two bottom. press the bottom pair in, lift up just enough to disengage the tabs, then the top pair and the cluster will come apart in 3 sections. PCB board, white gauge face and black back case. 
6. Now the tricky part, on the top and bottom of the LCD display you will see a flat ribbon cable going into a black connector on the board. on each end of the black connector is a small indentation, very small. pin head size, with something like a pick (dont use a knife for risk of cutting the ribbon cable), apply a little pressure up and these pop up just a few thou of inch, make sure you do the left and right on the bottom then the top and CAREFULLY pull the ribbon cable straight up, it should take VERY LITTLE FORCE . I posted a photo of one of black ribbon connectors open so you can see the tiny gap on each side, this shows how little they move up when they unlock 
7. the whole LCD display in is small square white plastic holder will come loose. when you put the replacement on you cannot install it upside down as it has 2 legs at the top and one on, i guess BMW are used to people like me. 
8. If you have not done so already  do the same steps for replacement cluster, swap the LCD display in its small square plastic holder onto your old cluster/PCB, press in the ribbon cables and GENTLY into the black connectors, snap the the black plastic connectors down to lock the ribbons in place  (do one ribbon cable at a time is my advice) At this time you can plug it in and test it before butting it all up. 
9. Reassemble  is the reverse of the above. Snap the white board onto the PCB, then both into the black back case, put in the 4 Torx into white cover, replace the needles pointing to zero,  just make sure when you put the clear case back on the black plastic plungers for the press buttons for trip and brightness are installed. Also when putting the gauge needles on they are pointing to zero
10. Watch for the rubber gasket when putting the clear cover on and again, dont touch the inside of this clear plastic. you can see my finger smudge in one of the photos. 
11. plug in and test. 

Bottom line its not hard, just fiddley. if you have fingers like a bunch of bananas it could be harder. Glasses and a head light for really good light were a must for me. 

Any questions, let me know.
Dave

 

Edited September 20, 2021 by Tooofast
spelling

[Tooofast]

2 hours ago, The Rocketman said:

Didn't someone here a while back replace the LCD screen with a used one? There was a question as to functionality or programming it to match the bike's mileage (or something), but I think I remember reading it worked fine.

 

Edit:

Found it: 

 

 

Thanks, looks like our posts crossed as i was posting. 

 

[The Rocketman]

Great minds think alike 

And thanks a lot for taking the time to chronical and photograph this repair. I'm sure referring to this post will help someone with a similar issue down the road, and save them lots of time, money and trepidation.

[The Rocketman]

Once you buttoned this up, did all these issues go away?

" the options were wrong. traction control and TPMS lights were on and flashing to name but a few."

[9Mary7]

 They should have as nothing is stored in the display... it's just a monitor screen, (very simplistic explanation).

[opsguy]

I had the same issue on my 2005 R1200RT. The LCD screen was faded out in places. I found a used one on ebay and bought it. The one I got was off a 2008 RT but it matched and installed the same and after installing all issues were resolved. LCD is nice and bright and clear now.