Again with the cluster
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,658
Likes: 4
From: Clifton Park NY
Again with the cluster
Okay here we go again. This is my problem with the dash cluster, the pic below is a video. Turn the key to the on position and its fine. Start the car and it goes crazy.
Now, I sent this out to get fixed and was told the center LCD was bad. This didn't make much sense to me but hey he's the proffesional right? $275 later it still does the same thing so I sent it back to him. It worked fine in his car so he sent it back to me again. Still the same problem.
This is what I've done so far.
At the pin connector
Ohm the grounds D1 and D3 and they zero'd out, so the grounds are fine.
With the alternator hooked up (car running)
C16 and D16 to D1 I get 14.7 volts and the same with D5 to D1
With the alternator disconnected (car running)
C16 and D16 to D1, 12.1 volts and the same with D5 to D1
I'm getting all the right voltages so what would your next step be?
Now, I sent this out to get fixed and was told the center LCD was bad. This didn't make much sense to me but hey he's the proffesional right? $275 later it still does the same thing so I sent it back to him. It worked fine in his car so he sent it back to me again. Still the same problem.
This is what I've done so far.
At the pin connector
Ohm the grounds D1 and D3 and they zero'd out, so the grounds are fine.
With the alternator hooked up (car running)
C16 and D16 to D1 I get 14.7 volts and the same with D5 to D1
With the alternator disconnected (car running)
C16 and D16 to D1, 12.1 volts and the same with D5 to D1
I'm getting all the right voltages so what would your next step be?
Last edited by qws; Apr 5, 2008 at 08:34 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
We need a description of the problem. Posting a picture and then assuming the problem is obvious isn't condusive to getting any help. It looks to me like your battery voltage is indicating 10.9 volts with the engine off. My 87's voltmeter reads 11.8 engine off and it reads low, but reads correctly with the engine running. The repair center probably tested the cluster, engine running (cluster tests ok) and didn't get from you a good description of the problem. While it would be better to have the voltmeter read correctly engine off, GM didn't design it that way.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
Likes: 33
From: The Top of Utah
It looks good from here. The battery voltage will drop with the key (and who knows what else) on and the engine (no alternator) off. All I can see is that you need to fill up.
RACE ON!!!
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
From: West Newton Pennsylvania
Thats wild!!! 
Never seen that before. It almost looks like its keeping time with the firing of the plugs. Almost like a timing light. Good luck with this one. There are many guys that rebuild these, maybe you can email them the clip, and see what they think. It may be something simple.
Never seen that before. It almost looks like its keeping time with the firing of the plugs. Almost like a timing light. Good luck with this one. There are many guys that rebuild these, maybe you can email them the clip, and see what they think. It may be something simple.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,226
Likes: 9
From: Irvine Ca
The Dash itself is working....if the LCD is gone then it doesn't light up. YOURS is getting signals from all over the place that leads to that kind of display. Understand, the "liquid" receives a voltage and that moves it to the side allowing the light to shine through. Your is getting signals that are wacky.
What sends the signals to the display?? I don't have that answer, but that is the correct question.
The Display is fine, it is getting signals that are garbled.
What sends the signals to the display?? I don't have that answer, but that is the correct question.
The Display is fine, it is getting signals that are garbled.
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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,658
Likes: 4
From: Clifton Park NY
The Dash itself is working....if the LCD is gone then it doesn't light up. YOURS is getting signals from all over the place that leads to that kind of display. Understand, the "liquid" receives a voltage and that moves it to the side allowing the light to shine through. Your is getting signals that are wacky.
What sends the signals to the display?? I don't have that answer, but that is the correct question.
The Display is fine, it is getting signals that are garbled.
What sends the signals to the display?? I don't have that answer, but that is the correct question.
The Display is fine, it is getting signals that are garbled.
however, whats not making sense to me is that the voltage readings from C16,D16,D5 and the Grounds are within the range given by the fsm when the key is on and while running. The connections are the main voltage connections.Signal inputs should only interfere with that part of the cluster not the entire cluster so if its the car doing this I would presume that it would be a main signal thats garbled up... since the entire cluster is going crazy.
One by one I have disonnect signal inputs to see what happens and there are no changes in this light show.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
From: West Newton Pennsylvania
Have you looked at the site www.batee.com/corvette in advanced problems on the digital display, it says rapid flashing means the IC9 is bad. Now, I don't know what that is, but maybe someone will.
Cruising
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Dallas Texas
I rebuilt my unit using the Bates site and it worked well until I let it sit out in the Texas sun last summer with the windows up - the heat destroyed two of the LCDs. I gave up on it. I am installing a Camero analog dash. An added benifit, my battery drain problem has gone away since I removed the digital unit. It's much cheaper also.
Bill
Bill
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,130
Likes: 2
From: seattle WA
I've got to be the only idiot that ever did this. Well my alternator was going south, so I replaced it, at the same time I did a tune up. Well turned the key to on and the digital display looked good, fired it up and it went wacko, kinda like what I saw in your video. Called Gordon Killebrew and he said the low voltage from the alternator probably took out the display. WRONG. I re-inspected everything I had done, what I found was when I installed the new coil in the cap I crimped a wire, it was causing a small arc, replaced the coil and bingo.....end of display problem. BTW, the car was ideling fine when this happened. You may want to check out the coil. Kinda left me wondering if a coil was going bad could it cause the same effect?
Last edited by rick lambert; Apr 7, 2008 at 11:00 AM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,658
Likes: 4
From: Clifton Park NY
Thanks guys for all your replies and help. After 3 hours of troublshooting I finally found the problem. I ended up learning quite a bit about that 36 pin connector. Anyways I was having an intermitant connection problem between D1 and D3. I noticed that sometimes it would zero out and others it didn't. So I took two paperclips and connected them to the pins then took a temp wire direct to battery ground....and woolah no more light show. So I wanted to see which one is was. D1 or 3 and it was both of them not just one. Now I spliced in a nice new ground wire to both and ran to a nice solid ground point thats easily accessible for future problems.
Slingshot
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,817
Likes: 24
From: Charlotte NC
Thanks guys for all your replies and help. After 3 hours of troublshooting I finally found the problem. I ended up learning quite a bit about that 36 pin connector. Anyways I was having an intermitant connection problem between D1 and D3. I noticed that sometimes it would zero out and others it didn't. So I took two paperclips and connected them to the pins then took a temp wire direct to battery ground....and woolah no more light show. So I wanted to see which one is was. D1 or 3 and it was both of them not just one. Now I spliced in a nice new ground wire to both and ran to a nice solid ground point thats easily accessible for future problems.
