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I have a 2003 50th anniversary edition and I was driving when I hit a bump in the road. It was a little jarring but not that bad. I noticed that the tach stopped working (went to zero and wouldn't move) and that the HUD went out. I hit another little bump and the tach started working again and has continued to work but the HUD remained out. I do not see any glow or lights down in the dash where the HUD is located. Any ideas what it could be or how to fix it?
AE50th: has the instrument panel ever been taken out? If so then probably just a loose connector, if not then could be a cracked solder joint within the IP. The HUD connector may be loose as well or again could be a cracked solder joint.
The IP connector is really a one-time mate due to the style of contacts or terminals used. They are an interference fit which is good for the one-time mate, but if un-mated and then re-mated, the contacts do not fit as tight and result in intermittent contact.
Repair is a PITA as each contact needs to be removed, bent and then re-inserted back into connector body. Took me about an hour to do this in a back-breaking position.
Or could be time to do some re-soldering within the IP and HUD.
I have a HUD sitting on a shelf in case you need it.
Last edited by LannyL81; Oct 22, 2017 at 09:18 AM.
I have a 2003 50th anniversary edition and I was driving when I hit a bump in the road. It was a little jarring but not that bad. I noticed that the tach stopped working (went to zero and wouldn't move) and that the HUD went out. I hit another little bump and the tach started working again and has continued to work but the HUD remained out. I do not see any glow or lights down in the dash where the HUD is located. Any ideas what it could be or how to fix it?
Thanks,
Bill
Bill, welcome to the Corvette Forum. As a fellow C5 owner, I think you'll find the Forum to be very useful, even entertaining at times!
You say that the HUD stopped working along with the tach. Then the tach came back but not the HUD. Did the HUD 'drop' by chance, or really go blank? If it dropped, you should be able to look into the HUD through the windshield and see it illuminated. If it really is blank, you'll need to check the connector that goes from the top of the IP to the HUD. If you can see that the HUD is illuminated but not visible in the windshield from the drivers seat, it has in all likelihood dropped. That is repairable and there is a Tech Tip for just such a repair.
Bill, welcome to the Corvette Forum. As a fellow C5 owner, I think you'll find the Forum to be very useful, even entertaining at times!
You say that the HUD stopped working along with the tach. Then the tach came back but not the HUD. Did the HUD 'drop' by chance, or really go blank? If it dropped, you should be able to look into the HUD through the windshield and see it illuminated. If it really is blank, you'll need to check the connector that goes from the top of the IP to the HUD. If you can see that the HUD is illuminated but not visible in the windshield from the drivers seat, it has in all likelihood dropped. That is repairable and there is a Tech Tip for just such a repair.
Good luck... GUSTO
The HUD is not illuminated at all, how do I get to the connector to make sure it is making a good connection?
AE50th: has the instrument panel ever been taken out? If so then probably just a loose connector, if not then could be a cracked solder joint within the IP. The HUD connector may be loose as well or again could be a cracked solder joint.
The IP connector is really a one-time mate due to the style of contacts or terminals used. They are an interference fit which is good for the one-time mate, but if un-mated and then re-mated, the contacts do not fit as tight and result in intermittent contact.
Repair is a PITA as each contact needs to be removed, bent and then re-inserted back into connector body. Took me about an hour to do this in a back-breaking position.
Or could be time to do some re-soldering within the IP and HUD.
I have a HUD sitting on a shelf in case you need it.
The HUD is not illuminated at all, how do I get to the connector to make sure it is making a good connection?
You will either need to remove the Dash Pad to access it from above, or drop the steering column down a bit and remove the instrument cluster. I've attached the C5 HUD Install document that covers installing a HUD in a C5 that did not come equipped with one. Read through it and you will have a much better understanding of how it works together with the instrument cluster and also how to access the individual components.
I've also attached he C5 HUD Repair document if this should be needed... in the future.
And I have to disagree that the HUD can be removed from below, the dash pad has to be removed in order to lift the HUD assembly out.
True enough, but if he's only checking the connection to the cluster there may be no reason to remove the projector. If the projector does need to come out then the dash pad will need to be removed.