hi all,
weird problem with my truck. my instrument panel and radio will quit working sometimes. all the gauges with go to 0 on everything and my radio will shut off and go black. my air bag light will come on and my turn signals will still work. it varies from coming right back on to staying off for a minutes. it seems like it does it mostly when i press my trip button and then a few times after i hit it. i've smacked my dash board and sometimes it will come back on after. same with pressing my trip button again. the airbag light wont go off until i shut the truck off. i'm guessing its a loose connection on something but i wouldn't know where to start. it doesn't effect the way the truck runs.

 

I had similar problems with my truck after doing a cluster swap. There are some resistors on the ICs board that have weak solder joints. After resoldering, the problem went away.

I have pictures of the process if you want to give it a try.

 

Yeah if you could that would be a big help, any idea where I should look when I pull the dash apart?

 

The problem resistors are located on the inner side of the instrument clusters circuit board. You will need to remove the trim panel an the cluster surround to access the cluster. Then remove the 4 screws holding the cluster in place and disconnect the wire harnesses. Once the cluster is out undo the 4 to 6 clips on the clear plastic cover and remove it. Next remove the gauge needles using a fork or something similar (remember to mark the positions). Remove the screws from the back of the IC and the board should lift from the body (be careful and lift straight up to prevent damage to the stepper motors). Place its so the stepper motors face up. On the left hand side, right below the wiring connector you should see several large black surface mount resistors. These are the cause of many issues with the IC. You will need to add a small amount of solder to each joint on the resistors and make sure you have continuity afterwards. Reassemble the unit and you should be all set.

Ill add the pictures after work to make the wall of text a little clearer for you . Let me know if you have any questions.

 

OK I have it all apart, no idea what a resistor is.

 

Sorry for the delay, was on vacation . The resistors are the surface mounted black bars.

They are the ones you see in the red box.



These are the ones that need re-soldered to fix the problem.

 

well i appreciate your help but i had decided it was over my head (after i had it ripped apart). i put it back together and now its even more screwed up that before, bunch of gauges don't work right, lights blinking, lcd screen doesnt work. im not sure what to do other than find a used cluster with around the same miles (easier said than done). i've heard dealers can reprogram them, do you know anything about that?

 

Dealers can program the "As-built" data not the odometer. They have to send it out for that.

You probably missed the socket with the LED pins if its not working, blinking lights might be a loose connection. Did you make sure the wiring harness locked in properly?