Instrument Cluster Problems again - EEP 2 error

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Bumpa
Joined: Fri 23 Jun, 2017 20:31
Posts: 70

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Instrument Cluster Problems again - EEP 2 error

Post by Bumpa »

Is there anyone out there who knows the true story about the EEP 2 error code with dead instruments (except for the speedo) and how to fix it? I have 3 issues with my 2002 Z3 2.2 Sport's pack.
    • Now the weather is colder the instruments never work on first start up (except the speedo), and the EEP 2 code appears. After 2 or 3 miles, if I switch off and remove the key and then restart, it will generally be OK, but not always. It seems to be getting worse.
    • The tamper dot is illuminated even though the MOT history going back to 2006 shows the recorded mileage to be correct.
    • The speedo over-reads by more than 10% right across the range.
    I have had the cluster out and checked the part number with what is shown for my car (LK16956) on Real OEM and it is correct - 62116901519.

    The coding plug has obviously been out before as the plastic carrier is broken. The plug has the part number 62118360472. According to Real OEM this is incorrect. It should be 62118361231.

    I just don't know where to go from here. I contacted Cluster Repairs UK and was told that the car was so old they could do nothing to help. I am loathe to start buying secondhand parts only to find it is no better or even worse. A new coding plug of the correct part number can be obtained from Germany for about £150 and I would spend that if I knew it would sort it out.

    Someone must know the answer!
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motco
Joined: Tue 18 Aug, 2009 18:12
Posts: 728

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Instrument Cluster Problems again - EEP 2 error

Post by motco »

https://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtop ... =5&t=44266 for my story.

I had EEP_1 with the same other features of your problem. In short I bought a used cluster and fitted it - it worked. However the mileage was 80k too high and I couldn't accept that for obvious reasons. It turned out that the coding plug was the cause of the failure and also of the mileage discrepancy. A local mileage 'corrector' reset the miles reading to precisely where it should be with the s/h coding plug in my own cluster. The only remaining problem is the tamper dot, but as I have MOT records for years showing the mileage is correct, it is a minor irritation only. Nobody anywhere on the 'net seemed to have a definitive answer at the time (May 2016). Good Luck and keep us advised of progress for others' benefit please, thanks.
Bumpa
Joined: Fri 23 Jun, 2017 20:31
Posts: 70

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Instrument Cluster Problems again - EEP 2 error

Post by Bumpa »

Thanks for your reply. It's obvious that no-one knows for sure what the problem is. I'm researching places that can help. I'll report back in due course. These electronic gremlins are what kills older modern cars now. One place I phoned told me that my Z3 could be scrap as a result of this repair costing more than the car is worth. I don't think so !!!

However, the electronics was the one thing that almost made me not buy a Z3, and to be fair I have had some issues in the two years I have had the car. I have had to change both the motion sensors on the floor and the camshaft sensors, and now there is the instrument problem. I'm used to older cars. My MGB and Triumph don't give half so much trouble.
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pingu
Joined: Fri 30 Apr, 2004 16:01
Posts: 3412

  M roadster S50

Re: Instrument Cluster Problems again - EEP 2 error

Post by pingu »

I notice that you mention the time of year.

I suspect that dampness has got in somewhere. I'm not talking about drops of water, but water vapour.

If you have air-con, try running it for half an hour to dry the car out. That might work, but it's not a cure.

Finding the offending solder joint(s) will be next to impossible, but it would be where I started. If the coding plug has been tampered with, check the connectors at the back of the cluster. Use a bulb to earth, not a voltmeter. The bulb will not light if the wire/connection has high resistance, but a voltmeter will still show 12v.
Pingu
Bumpa
Joined: Fri 23 Jun, 2017 20:31
Posts: 70

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Instrument Cluster Problems again - EEP 2 error

Post by Bumpa »

It is definitely weather related. It never happened through the summer, although I had seen it just once or twice last winter. Now it is every time I start from cold. I've had the cluster out and all the plugs and contacts look fine - I sprayed them with electrical contact cleaner anyway. Anything more complex than that is beyond my pay grade as far as electronics goes! :)
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pingu
Joined: Fri 30 Apr, 2004 16:01
Posts: 3412

  M roadster S50

Re: Instrument Cluster Problems again - EEP 2 error

Post by pingu »

Bumpa wrote: Sun 27 Oct, 2019 09:08 It is definitely weather related. It never happened through the summer, although I had seen it just once or twice last winter. Now it is every time I start from cold. I've had the cluster out and all the plugs and contacts look fine - I sprayed them with electrical contact cleaner anyway. Anything more complex than that is beyond my pay grade as far as electronics goes! :)
https://www.zroadster.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=311566

As you can see, I've had my own problems with instrument clusters :shock: .

I'm afraid that it is going to cost you money unless you are prepared to play with a soldering iron and some test equipment.

In the end, it only cost me £25 to fix my issue, but I spent around £300 finding that £25 solution :oops:

Electrical cleaner is a good quick attempt at a repair, but it won't cure the underlying problem. Have you taken the back off the cluster?
Pingu
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motco
Joined: Tue 18 Aug, 2009 18:12
Posts: 728

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Instrument Cluster Problems again - EEP 2 error

Post by motco »

Mine was fine after a few miles, then only after a few miles and sunshine on the car, then not at all. It read the odometer very briefly as you switched on but immediately changed to EEP_1. Good luck with the search - been there...
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Gazza
Joined: Tue 04 Oct, 2005 20:58
Posts: 9521

  M roadster S54
Location: Romford Essex

Re: Instrument Cluster Problems again - EEP 2 error

Post by Gazza »

It’s a comms problem between the cluster and Ecu, mine always surfaces when the weather becomes damp, usually clearing itself when the car is warm inside on subsequent starts.
Gazza

"Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"

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Bumpa
Joined: Fri 23 Jun, 2017 20:31
Posts: 70

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Instrument Cluster Problems again - EEP 2 error

Post by Bumpa »

I said I would let you all know the outcome of my failed instrument cluster. If you remember I had three issues:
  • Only the speedo worked on first start up with code EEP 2 showing. Sometimes the other gauges came back on after a restart but not always.
    The speedo was wildly optimistic reading 80 mph at a true 70 mph.
    The tamper dot was illuminated.
After much research and some amount of trepidation I sent the instrument cluster to Autotronics of Leicester who have a very good web site (https://www.autotronics.co.uk/) and say they can fix all sorts of electronic modules from cars, including instruments, ABS pumps, ECUs, remote keys, etc. etc. I may have been a bit foolish but I paid them £175.20 up front, their standard charge for the instrument repair. They arranged the pick up from my home by DHL. They have a web chat facility which was always promptly answered and they assured me that if they couldn't make a repair, the money less the carrier charge would be refunded.

After a couple of weeks I phoned them and was able to speak to the technician who was working on my instruments. He said that the unit was continually failing their tests which included putting the thing in the fridge to see how it responded to cold. He had been through the circuit boards looking for dry solder joints and that hadn't fixed it, and he was wondering if it was beyond repair. I had told them when I sent it down that the coding plug was the wrong part no. for my car, and he said he was trying to source a new plug of the correct type.

It came back on Tuesday and it is fixed! Well items 1 and 2 are fixed. The gauges now work properly and the speedo now reads within 1 or 2 mph of the true speed as measured by the GPS on my phone and TomTom. The tamper dot is still illuminated, which doesn't surprise me as they had no way of testing the unit on the car. I can live with that as the MOT history going back to 2006 proves that the displayed mileage of about 81,500 is correct. They have fitted a brand new EEPROM coding plug and it has an anti-tamper label stuck over it, because the repair is warrantied for 2 years.

Overall I'm really pleased and consider the money well spent as I have zero electronic know-how. It would be nice to find out what mileages are stored in the car's other modules, because if 81,500 is the highest figure I could do the synchronising procedure to turn the dot off. Any ideas? I have the INPA software.

Mike
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