Instrument cluster gremlin

[Andy Blumbergs <ablumbe1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have been having problems with my speedometer and gas gauge not working 
on a 1992 325IA. The gas gauge stopped working for about a week and then 
presto, it just decided to work again. when it didn't work, it just sat on 
empty. It has worked ever since.

Not too long after that, the speedometer would not work sometimes. The 
problem usually surfaced when the car sat outside on a cool evening and it 
either rained or there was dew on the car in the morning. The speedometer 
would usually only not work for the first 10 -15 minutes of driving. Then 
all of a sudden it started to register again.

Another odd symptom was noticed when you cornered hard to the right, the 
speedometer sometimes stops working in the middle of the turn. When you 
corner hard left, the speedometer started to work again. This is really 
driving me crazy because the windshield wipers are speed sensitive and when 
the speedometer doesn't work, I only have intermittent wipers.

If anyone has any experience with this type of problem or can suggest where 
to start and what the possible causes are, I would really appreciate it. My 
mechanic thought it might be the instrument cluster, but at $500 for the 
new cluster I would rather eliminate other possibly less costly items 
first. Could it possibly be a bad connection or corrosion somewhere?

Thanks for any potential help anyone can offer.

Andy

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