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Cold and humidity has nothing to do with the gauges not working.
As you can see by the attached portion of the wiring diagrams, there is only a few electrical connectors to the HUD/Instrument cluster.
I'd be guessing that it's one of those connectors, or a pin in a connector that is not making good contact.
You may have to remove the Cluster bezel, the cluster and check the connectors and wiring at those locations.
Also, check the connectors at the BCM under the passenger footwell. Sometimes the (blue) connectors get shifted when a passenger pushes against the floor board.
Just disconnect the connectors, clean the pins with contact cleaner, and re-install them.
Put pencil erasers on each side of the BCM so it raises the floor board a bit, to prevent the floor boars from hitting against the connectors behind it.
This is all I can offer.
If the HUD is working, it has to be a connector or wire either at the cluster end, or ECM end.
Good Luck
For the life of me, I could not figure why my Speedo and tach plus all other dash gauges would not activate when I fired the car up. Everything else worked fine, radio, heads up display, interior lights, and the car ran like a champ…but no speedometer, tach or any gauge would activate. I checked and disconnected the battery, inspected the alternator, looked for loose connections to the dash housing, swapped out fuses even though they looked ok, etc. You name it, I did it and was about to take it to the dealer when I came upon this post. I removed the blue connectors under the passenger side foot board and sprayed them with contact cleaner. Reinstalled the clips and everything now works like it should! Thank you for posting this information…definitely a money saver!
Glad you found an easy fix. But there are other causes for similar situations. Others who find this thread may also find my experience helpful.
Three years ago the instrument panel (IP) gauges in my 2005 C6 went nuts and quit. The HUD and DIC worked fine. My research indicated it was likely the internal connectors in the IP. GM replacements were no longer available, only refurbished (about $450) or salvage. I was leery of ordering refurbished electrical parts, disassembling the dash myself and then not fixing the problem. So I took it to the dealer.
They agreed it was the IP and would warranty the parts and labor for a total cost a bit over $900. They ordered a refurbished IP and did the repair. Worth every penny because the first refurbished IP failed on my drive home. Then the second one failed on my drive home.
The refurbished parts supplier then doubted the dealer's work, required more diagnostics by the dealer and finally confirmed by the vendors own testing of the second returned part. The third IP was shipped, installed and worked out great.
My original fear was getting a bad re-built IP for a DIY project. Glad I payed the dealer to assume all the headaches.
Glad you found an easy fix. But there are other causes for similar situations. Others who find this thread may also find my experience helpful.
Three years ago the instrument panel (IP) gauges in my 2005 C6 went nuts and quit. The HUD and DIC worked fine. My research indicated it was likely the internal connectors in the IP. GM replacements were no longer available, only refurbished (about $450) or salvage. I was leery of ordering refurbished electrical parts, disassembling the dash myself and then not fixing the problem. So I took it to the dealer.
They agreed it was the IP and would warranty the parts and labor for a total cost a bit over $900. They ordered a refurbished IP and did the repair. Worth every penny because the first refurbished IP failed on my drive home. Then the second one failed on my drive home.
The refurbished parts supplier then doubted the dealer's work, required more diagnostics by the dealer and finally confirmed by the vendors own testing of the second returned part. The third IP was shipped, installed and worked out great.
My original fear was getting a bad re-built IP for a DIY project. Glad I payed the dealer to assume all the headaches.
Thanks for the follow up…seems like my fix was temporary. The cluster gauges went dark again after just a few days. So, guess it’s off to the dealer to figure out the problem, maybe it will be the same as your issue. Quick question, did everything else work like it should when you had the IP problem?
Thanks for the follow up…seems like my fix was temporary. The cluster gauges went dark again after just a few days. So, guess it’s off to the dealer to figure out the problem, maybe it will be the same as your issue. Quick question, did everything else work like it should when you had the IP problem?
@Ranger1143 Just came back to this thread today by happenstance. Always a good idea to use the @username in a reply to make sure a user sees your post or question. A private text message works, too.
Glad the post was helpful. And to answer your question, the car was back to normal and had no further instrument panel issues. Just be prepared to spend some $$$. In my case half the expense was the refurbished gage cluster part, but no doubt the pain was installing three of them to get one that worked. By the way, this process does not reset to odometer.
Good luck with your repair. Probably helpful to others if you post the outcome. I'd like to know, too.
Thank you…a legit money saver for me!
