1996 LCD Display has gone blank

[Satch]

Hello everyone. This is my first post. I have an issue with my '96 CE LCD Display. The display had been intermittently blanking out for the past month or so, and is now blank all the time. Jarring from bumps in the road did not seem to be the cause--the display would go blank while cruising on smooth road. And on some occasions, I would park the vehicle with the display functioning properly, get it in later and start up the vehicle to find no display. It might return during that next trip--or maybe not for a couple days.

Obviously, judging speed and fuel tank levels is a bit challenging without the display functioning. I was hoping to learn of some possible causes for this condition to determine if I can attempt repairs myself--or at least get some idea of the complexity and cost involved before I take it to a GM Dealer.

The vast Corvette knowledge and the helpfulness of this forum's members is very impressive to me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Satch

 

[jmccloud]

LCD

Look up member (motorhead) Vigman in this forum.
Hope he can help.

 

[RedRagTop]

Hello satch and welcome to You should do a search at the top regarding digital dashes probs. There are a lot of threads on this topic. My dash lights are starting to pulse lightly at about 1/3 second intervals and my alt readings are good at between 14.1 and 14.3 volts. Hope I'm not approaching your situation! There is also a guy on this forum that repairs dash sets. Good luck!:t

 

[Gorgon]

I had a problem with my dash scrambling every time I hit a bump. There is a thread in here on the topic. My issue was a loose pin on the LCD after I tore the whole instrument panel apart. You're problem sounds a little different.

I know that there are screws that hold the IP in the dash and this maintains pressure on the connector. If the IP pulls from the dash a bit you may not be making connection with the IP. Do your other gauges work? Temp, voltage, etc? The dash and IP assembly are pretty easy to get to, but you will need to drop the steering column to pull the IP out.

Leon

EDIT: Forgot to welcome you to the CAC.

 

[Gorgon]

Here's my first thread.

http://corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14980&highlight=display

And then the second.

http://corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15297&highlight=display

My web server is down right now so there are no pictures to go with the post. I will try to get them back up so that you can see exactly what I did to the IP.

Leon

 

[Satch]

96 digital display problem

Thanks guys for the suggestions. Sent an email to Vig (thanks jmccloud) and I'm checking out related problems in the Search area. RJSROCKET & Gorgon: I appreciate the welcome to CAC. I will study the threads you attached. All of my other guages are working fine--just a blank digital display. I tried something today: with the car running, I adjusted the dash lights and ambient light levels while staring at the blank display from many different angles, I can barely make out the fuel level bars and the 0 indication of the speedometer. (Don't know if this contributes to finding my problem). I'd rather not try to tackle pulling instrument panel, etc......once I get some direction, I'm hoping to find a loose or corroded ground wire connection or something fairly simple (wishful thinking). btw, tried pounding on the dash and rapping on the display (not too hard) with no results. Thanks again

 

[vigman]

Sorry for the late responce

and a BIG WELCOME to the CAC!!!!

Sounds like a take apart re seat & clean of the LCD...

Sorry,, no quick fix here.

Vig~

 

[Bmann08]

Late post here, but thought I would associate my problem to this one.

I had the same problems on my 91 with the LCD going blank. I took the cluster out completely and cleaned EVERYTHING. When I put the cluster back in, the display worked great, but the lens over the LCD is foggy. I used rubbing alcohol on it and may have produced a film on it. Any suggestions on how to clear it up? Maybe a place to get a replacement? Thanks.

 

[Ken Anderson]

The 90-96 used 3 different basic clusters and they are not interchangable. When your center LCD display malfunctions it could be due to a poor connection but is most likely delaminating from the contact pins. It will have to be serviced and will most likely need a new LCD. The use of strong solvents around these clusters is a big NO-NO. Email me offline if you cannot find a solution locally.