# Gauges spazzing out **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** bmw, 318\ **Created:** [July 7, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gauges-spazzing-out/73407 "2012-07-07T03:00:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![em167](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ccd318/32.png) [@em167](https://community.cartalk.com/u/em167)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gauges-spazzing-out/73407/1 "2012-07-07T03:00:39Z")
I have a 1995 BMW 318i and my gauges freak out when I drive or when I am stopped. All of them, not just one or two, like flip back and forth over and over and then eventually will return to their accurate readings. Then they do it again and again. It’s not always the same how long they do it for and sometime they will go a whole day without doing it and then other days like today they just dont stop. Any ideas on whats wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 4:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gauges-spazzing-out/73407/2 "2012-07-07T04:30:27Z")
Check for a bad power connection going to the instrument panel. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 4:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gauges-spazzing-out/73407/3 "2012-07-07T04:42:19Z")
It’s likely either a bad connection in a connector in the wiring harness to the gauges, or the voltage stabilization circuit on the guage circuit board is on the fritz. Sometimes it is as simple as a bad capacitor. Unless someone has been routing around in the wiring harnesses for some other reason, which could have uplled a connector loose, you’ll probably need a BMW specialist to check this out for you. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Marc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Big\_Marc](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Big_Marc)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gauges-spazzing-out/73407/4 "2012-07-07T16:43:25Z")
bad ground maybe