ok. so on my 11K mile Z i just bought a few months back, i noticed the HUD flickering on my way home when i'd hit bumps on the highway or rough areas etc.

now the dimmer switch works intermittently and does strange things

-if i move the switch around a good bit and go to max intensity sometimes it works, and works well, but only at max brightness, othertimes it just flickers or doesnt work at all.
-if i do get it to work with no flickering (whether the car is static or moving, also function is largely intermittent from one day to the next) and manage to get it to hold a dimmer than full bright setting, as soon as i use my turn signal, its back to full bright. also sometimes happens without turn signal for no apparent reason. but consistently the turn signal causes a change.

ive pulled the dash apart to see if i could disassemble the rheostat, and it doesnt appear to be possible, but maybe i missed something.

?? where else can i look? does anyone know where/if there is a chassis ground that is specific to the HUD that i can check/clean? fuse connection? or is there some other solution/idea you want to throw my way? i havent actually checked any electrical plugs that would be on the projector itself.. it got dark on me, and it was the biggest local cruise of the year so i had to throw it back together that particular day very quickly.

battery voltage is good, and ive already cleaned the two chassis grounds behind the headlights after i read the thread from bill curlee. mine were very clean but i cleaned them anyway.. no change.

 

Id start by replacing the HUD switch, I'm not sure there is a ground specific to the HUD and if you are having no other issues its a good place to start.

 

This sounds like a lot of work but,,,i would pull the dash pad and remove the HUD. Inspect the connection that connects to the top of the IPC and look for poor, dirty contacts. Once you eliminate that, reassemble the HUD back to the dash and see if that the issue. If you still have the issue, i would inspect the HUD circuit board for poor connections. It that isn't the answer, then you have a failed dimmer pot. You will need the entire HUD control assay as I do not believe that the pot is serviced separately.

BC

 

thanks for the responses.

when i get a full day to throw at it (who knows when the F that will be) ill take it all apart and see what i see. im not exactly sure what the controller assay is and what the dimmer pot is unless you are referring to the switch, but i'll wait and ask those questions once ive actually put my hands on everything, as it might be self explanatory.

ive never had HUD so im fine without it, but it sure seems like a convenience i'd like to have the option of using. cant believe a car with so little miles has had so many issues... ahh well i have a garage full of tools that says i'll iron em all out one by one.. and so far, all thats left that i know of is this HUD thing and flushing my clutch and brake fluids as both are black (guess my car was beat on pretty hard when it was actually driven)


thx again. if i find a solution sometime down the line ill post up.

 

Believe it or not, cars with very low miles have more electrical issues than driven cars. Frett Corrosion between electrical contacts causes issues. Most likley just removing the HUD, cleaning the connection where it plugs into the cluster and reassembling it is all you will need to do.

Yes the Pot is the dimmer potentiometer on the HuD control panel. If thats the issue, they sell an electrical contact spray that may resolve that issue.

Brake fluid get black very fast. So, I wouldnt mark your car as abused unless you see other signs of abuse.

Bill

BC