Fixed my broken DIC
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 242
Likes: 1
From: Tampa, FL
Fixed my broken DIC
Well last week my DIC (Driver Information Center) died, so I did a little troubleshooting and took my IPC (Instrument Panel Cluster) out of the car and saw that the inverter for the VFD had failed. Went to a local Corvette recycler and purchased an inverter board from a parts cluster for $25.00. It was worth a shot that this would fix my problem as the alternative was an IPC refurb for around $500.00 or so. Well the part worked and I am back in order, so if anyone's DIC stops working this fix may work for you. A brief pictorial below.
A broken DIC makes me sad :-(
IPC removed from the car.
Main lighting inverter and back cover removed from IPC.
Failed inverter on the left, "new" one on the right.
Yeah I can read my mileage again, DIC repaired.
Unfortunately this is the only way I could get this part is second hand, if anyone knows any different please chime in.
Time for a beer, electronics this week have been something else for me, first this and then my TV bulb was shot, I have made my financial sacrifice to the electronic gods this week, I'm done.
A broken DIC makes me sad :-(
IPC removed from the car.
Main lighting inverter and back cover removed from IPC.
Failed inverter on the left, "new" one on the right.
Yeah I can read my mileage again, DIC repaired.
Unfortunately this is the only way I could get this part is second hand, if anyone knows any different please chime in.
Time for a beer, electronics this week have been something else for me, first this and then my TV bulb was shot, I have made my financial sacrifice to the electronic gods this week, I'm done.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 681
Likes: 11
From: Carson City MI
Nice post. Does removing the IPC give you access to the driver side actuator? If so, I would think that would be much easier than removing the whole dash or blindly going up from under the dash . 4000 C5 owners want to know.... Thanks..
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,962
Likes: 29
From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
You might want to post the name/website of the Corvette recycler that you used so the rest of us will know about them. Please check with a moderator first so you don't violate any rules. I'm just thinking it would be nice if we had a source like that for these special items.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Very nice and well documentated post. I agree about posting the name of the recycler. Were all going to need stuff like this in the future. I know of a few reclclers but,,,if there are some that provide quality parts, it will be a welth of knowledge to know of the GOOD trusted suppliers.
Bill
Bill
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 242
Likes: 1
From: Tampa, FL
Wow, that sucker really failed in a big way! Surprised you didn't mention smelling it but either way, glad you found it.
Nice post. Does removing the IPC give you access to the driver side actuator? If so, I would think that would be much easier than removing the whole dash or blindly going up from under the dash . 4000 C5 owners want to know.... Thanks..
You might want to post the name/website of the Corvette recycler that you used so the rest of us will know about them. Please check with a moderator first so you don't violate any rules. I'm just thinking it would be nice if we had a source like that for these special items.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 242
Likes: 1
From: Tampa, FL
Very nice and well documentated post. I agree about posting the name of the recycler. Were all going to need stuff like this in the future. I know of a few reclclers but,,,if there are some that provide quality parts, it will be a welth of knowledge to know of the GOOD trusted suppliers.
Bill
Bill
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh PA
Question: the inverter is the PC board on the left in the above photo? And that's the part that failed that caused the digital display to go out?
Reason I'm asking is I've been having problems with the digital display in my '99. First it would flicker, go out for awhile, and eventually come back. Now the digital portion is completely out.
I have tried other things: checking/cleaning grounds, removing the door accordions to get to those connectors, to no avail.
Today I removed the cluster, figuring there was a loose/corroded connection back there somewhere. nada
The analog gauges are working normally.
Also did Bill Curlee's ignition switch fix. No improvement, the digital display is still dead.
Is the inverter my next move?
Gurus?
Reason I'm asking is I've been having problems with the digital display in my '99. First it would flicker, go out for awhile, and eventually come back. Now the digital portion is completely out.
I have tried other things: checking/cleaning grounds, removing the door accordions to get to those connectors, to no avail.
Today I removed the cluster, figuring there was a loose/corroded connection back there somewhere. nada
The analog gauges are working normally.
Also did Bill Curlee's ignition switch fix. No improvement, the digital display is still dead.
Is the inverter my next move?
Gurus?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Question: the inverter is the PC board on the left in the above photo? And that's the part that failed that caused the digital display to go out?
Reason I'm asking is I've been having problems with the digital display in my '99. First it would flicker, go out for awhile, and eventually come back. Now the digital portion is completely out.
I have tried other things: checking/cleaning grounds, removing the door accordions to get to those connectors, to no avail.
Today I removed the cluster, figuring there was a loose/corroded connection back there somewhere. nada
The analog gauges are working normally.
Also did Bill Curlee's ignition switch fix. No improvement, the digital display is still dead.
Is the inverter my next move?
Gurus?
Reason I'm asking is I've been having problems with the digital display in my '99. First it would flicker, go out for awhile, and eventually come back. Now the digital portion is completely out.
I have tried other things: checking/cleaning grounds, removing the door accordions to get to those connectors, to no avail.
Today I removed the cluster, figuring there was a loose/corroded connection back there somewhere. nada
The analog gauges are working normally.
Also did Bill Curlee's ignition switch fix. No improvement, the digital display is still dead.
Is the inverter my next move?
Gurus?
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh PA
Pull the inverter and examine the component's and look for damaged/burnt parts and cold solder joints. You may be able to match up a new component if something common (like a resistor/capacitor ) is bad. If your not good with electrical work, any TV Shop can help you out.
Thanks for the suggestion, Bill!
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh PA
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
That transistor really made a mess!
The bad thing about that part,, its really tough to figure out exactly what the damaged part is and and what to replace it with.. Most of the DELPHI stuff is sans any manufacture part numbers.
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh PA
Took the plastic cover off the back of the cluster to get a look at the PC boards:
Inverter:
No outward signs of damage. Looks OK?
Main board:
Does that look like water damage? Tried to remove any obvious corrosion.
Put the cluster back in the car................no difference. The analog gauges work perfectly. The digital display does not work. I don't even know if it IS the cluster.
Am I screwed? What are the chances it is something else?
Inverter:
No outward signs of damage. Looks OK?
Main board:
Does that look like water damage? Tried to remove any obvious corrosion.
Put the cluster back in the car................no difference. The analog gauges work perfectly. The digital display does not work. I don't even know if it IS the cluster.
Am I screwed? What are the chances it is something else?