Digital dash question 85
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,390
Likes: 2
From: New Castle DE
Digital dash question 85
I am getting ready to look at an 85 that is for sale and the owner says that the dash will occasionally flicker between metric and us readings. I have been searching on the forum and found issues with LCD's flickering but not like this. Just wondering if anyone has heard of anything like this and if it is going to be a big deal to diagnose or fix. I was thinking maybe it was a bad switch or something. Any help woul dbe great. Also does anyone have a list of all the ecm codes that could be given? There is also a check engine light on and i was going to try and jump the adl pins to determine what error it is getting
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,374
Likes: 86
From: Corbin KY
Does the whole display (oil water and MPH etc) change or just the speedo? There is a switch that changes it and that could be the problem and not the dash. If everything is changing I would look at the switch first.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,316
Likes: 246
From: Summerland B.C. Canada
I would start at that switch. For codes, here is one of my sites that shows the trouble shooting flow charts for codes. http://members.shaw.ca/corvette86/
The MAF code #'s will be the same as your 85, but the trouble shooting will be different. 85's used a different setup for MAF control.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,390
Likes: 2
From: New Castle DE
I think the owner said it only happened to the speedo. I was originally not looking at the car because i have heard horror stories about the dash and it costing upwards of $2k to fix dash issues. After searching it sounds like its not that much of a big deal just wanted to see if i am getting into a can of worms i won't be able to handle.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,374
Likes: 86
From: Corbin KY
I think the owner said it only happened to the speedo. I was originally not looking at the car because i have heard horror stories about the dash and it costing upwards of $2k to fix dash issues. After searching it sounds like its not that much of a big deal just wanted to see if i am getting into a can of worms i won't be able to handle.
I would not let that be a deal breaker. If you can live with it for a couple months I will make you a good deal on my dash and switch panel thing (whatever the he!! you call it) that all work fine. I am going to all autometer gauges this summer. Either way I would not think it would come anywhere close to 2K to fix it.
Slingshot
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,817
Likes: 24
From: Charlotte NC
You can have your digital dash serviced at Contemporary Corvettes for about $200. Had mine done 4+ years ago and it has worked fine ever since. 
http://www.contemporarycorvette.com/
http://www.contemporarycorvette.com/
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,390
Likes: 2
From: New Castle DE
Hey Joe how's it going? Awesome its kinda funny i was thinking about you when i was talking to the guy about the car...i wonder why hmmmm 
You still using those black ZR1 wheels on yours? 
You still using those black ZR1 wheels on yours?
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 9,226
Likes: 9
From: Irvine Ca
I would agree that the switch in the small panel may be the problem. The speedo doing it by itself?? this is info I don't have knowledge of as I have never dealt with it.
But just for your own edification.....
Batee.com has a great writeup on fixing your dash yourself. This is an afternoon job and if you have a $20 soldering Iron and you can read and comprehend English, you can do this job so very easily.
The Fix is so easy I cannot fathom sending the unit out for service and waiting any amount of time.
Finding the "right" bulbs (you replace them just as a precautionary maintenance practice, not necessarily because they are burned out) is the key here. The right ones only cost ~$3 each and there are 4 of them.
My motive here is to get you thinking that a flickering dash is in no way a deal breaker......and I was in your shoes just a few years ago....sitting in a really nice '85 with a freshly rebuilt 383, body kit, new paint, you name it, but the dash flickered and that gave the illusion of an old POS to me........'cause I didn't know better.
Now buying a garage queen and watching the dash flicker out anyway.....and then fixing the dash (Sunday afternoon while football was on TV here in the garage) I know better
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,991
Likes: 5
From: The Pines South Jersey
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
From: Lancaster SC
i had a similar prob on my 84--i just got a rebuilt dig dash for 200.00 and sent them my core--looks good as new-and no probz at all since i replaced--took about 10 minutes-popped it out--put the new one in---good luck with it
