digital dash help
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
digital dash help
i have tried everything to fix my digital dash in my 86 i have went to batee.com followed there instructions i have taken a working dash out of another corvette and i didnt work right now my dash rarely comes on and if i comes on it only stays on for about two minutes and the lights scrabble around a lot on the screen or it will just be frozen on the screen with every light light up i have the shop manual for my year and have tried following wires with no luck i have tested all the wires at the connector to the dash and all the powers and grounds have 12v except for one of the grounds had about 6v so i tried finding out why that might be and had no luck plz help
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 3,444
Likes: 0
Does the old instrument cluster and the new one have the same problems? Do you know for sure the new one worked? If their behavior is the same my trouble shooting instinct would to be put the old dash in another of the same generation car and see if it works ok. But this is highly inpractical considering so I would start looking upstream.
Good luck, electronic grimlens can be a real PITA sometimes.
Good luck, electronic grimlens can be a real PITA sometimes.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
If both clusters do the same thing, the problem isn't in the cluster, it is in the connections to the cluster. No wire going to ground should have 6 volts on it, it should be zero volts! With the ign off, you should see zero ohms on the ground pins on the connectors with an ohmeter. If not, trace the ground wire and find out why it doesn't go to ground.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,866
Likes: 60
From: Hellinois
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
You say ALL the powered wires & grounds have 12 volts except one that is 6 volts. There should be power ONLY at the power wires, grounds should have NOTHING.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 496
Likes: 4
From: Cordova TN
I also have an 86 with a crazy dash. The dash itself is fine. Our problem is in the wiring. I have ran a ground wire directly from the battery and connected it to all three ground wires but the dash still does exactly what you just described. It works more than it doesn't so I guess we will just live with it.
It does seem to do it more when it is hot outside. Most of these electrical gremlins seem to pop up when it is hot outside.
It does seem to do it more when it is hot outside. Most of these electrical gremlins seem to pop up when it is hot outside.
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,428
Likes: 7
From: Chewelah Wa
I also have an 86 with a crazy dash. The dash itself is fine. Our problem is in the wiring. I have ran a ground wire directly from the battery and connected it to all three ground wires but the dash still does exactly what you just described. It works more than it doesn't so I guess we will just live with it.
It does seem to do it more when it is hot outside. Most of these electrical gremlins seem to pop up when it is hot outside.
It does seem to do it more when it is hot outside. Most of these electrical gremlins seem to pop up when it is hot outside.
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Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,428
Likes: 7
From: Chewelah Wa
You may not be able to see the cracks. I am referring specifically to the joints on the pins and the female connector on the other board. You may hit the joints with a soldering iron and add a small amount of new solder, this is easily done and may fix your problem.
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
hold on a sec so your saying if i touch an ohm tester to the positive on my battery and i stick it to the grounds in the connector it should read 0 volts because they read 0s when you touch negative to the grounds but i thought when you touch positive to the grounds it should come up 12v am i right or are they suppose to be 0s
anyways my dash works in the same model corvettes i have tried it someone has had to have had a perfectly good dash before and cant get it to work in there car anyone?????
anyways my dash works in the same model corvettes i have tried it someone has had to have had a perfectly good dash before and cant get it to work in there car anyone?????
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
You connect the negative test lead of a voltmeter to ground (or the battery negative terminal) and the positive test lead to each ground wire on the sockets the cluster plugs into and you should read zero volts showing that the grounds actually make connection to ground.
If your cluster also doesn't work in someone elses same year Corvette, then you have a cluster problem and you should have one of the repair stations fix it.
If your cluster also doesn't work in someone elses same year Corvette, then you have a cluster problem and you should have one of the repair stations fix it.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,328
Likes: 15
From: Jacksonville FL
Thread Starter
8th Gear
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
no my cluster does work in other corvettes its not the dash and batee.com is no help because that only helps you fix it if its the dash mines either the connectors or prolly some ground wire but i think the grounds are good
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,328
Likes: 15
From: Jacksonville FL
