Solution to partially dead speedometer (2004 Tahoe)

[[email protected]]

I may have a solution for people struggling with erratic cluster (not stepper motor related) and/or loss of power to the speedometer

This is not a solution to stepper motor problems and incorrect speed on gauge! There are several good threads on the web regarding this issue.

For me it startet with dim/faded lights in the gear display. Then a while later I started to lose power to the entire cluster from time to time. For a while it helped to tap the cluster or hit the dash, but eventually it died. However, I still had power to the upper part of the cluster; turn signals, backlight, engine light, etc. The lower part, gauges, gear display, drive info center, etc, was dead.

In addition, the battery started to drain and was destroyed. Seeing that I just fixed the speedo, I’m not sure that the battery drain is gone, or even related, but I will monitor this the next couple of days. I also changed my radio recently, so I can’t be sure that the drain comes/came from the radio or the speedo.


The solution to my problem:

1. Checked the wiring from the battery, through the fuse box to the cluster connector to ensure that the problem was actually inside the cluster
http://www.justanswer.com/chevy/3yi8a-instrument-cluster-check-engine-light-glow-plug-light-turn-signals.html

2. Opened the cluster (disregard removal/replacing of the stepper motors)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWELz904fj0

3. Inspected the cluster and found 2 areas that seemed exposed to heat (resistors). On closer inspection, using a 10x magnifying glass, I found several of the solderings to have cracks and heat damages.







4. Repaired the solderings by adding new material to all resistors in the damaged area to ensure good connection.

5. Tested the circuit board in the car. I did this by putting the circuit board in the back part of the cluster to ensure that the connector was inserted correctly. The cluster was working perfectly again. Reassembled the cluster and installed it in the car

Beware that I do not know why this area has been overheated, so the nature of the problem has not been fixed. So I guess this problem will occur again down the road, but at least for know my speedometer works!

I hope this can help other people struggling with similar problems!

 

[HatchCover]

Awesome thread! I do alot of LED conversions and stepper motor repairs on these clusters. Your issue is very typical. Soldier is a viscous metal and softens with heat. The area on the board in question is the power distribution side of the circuit and produces a lot of heat and after time can degrade and break the soldier joint.