M
militant_x
Guest
So i woke up today and decided it was time i get to fixing that dash. I got the car almost 2 months ago now and i havent fixed it. Ive read up on it, in these forums and other sites and so i think maybe i can fix it.
My dash didnt display the sings of a bad ground, my turn signal lights werent always on. With the exception of those bulbs, the other dash ones never turn on. Speedo and tach are blank, and the only thing that i read a number off is the temperature and mpg.
So i take it apart, I have some snags along the way but eventually i get it out. I take off the back cover i see someone had already tried to fix the dash before.. Theres a wire connecting the ground pin on the interboard connector (bottom board) to where it should go on top... the little plastic piece that pins slide into is half melted/destroyed for the ground pin.
I felt so happy then, i thought that would be the problem.
Just to be safe i take the whole thing apart, clean everything and do alot of sodering to any joint that looked funny or held something large (capacitor etc).
I ran a new wire from ground at the interboard connector to the lights (just as shown in the DIY corvette information project).
I also ran a new wire like the origional repair person had done, but i found it hard to make it stay in contact with the top board. The connector looked really dead.
I put 4 new bulbs in, 194s not 882s, they are a loose fit and too large for the little metal caps to go back on... but i just want to see if it works.
I put it all together, run to my car (its now night time) plug in the 2 connectors and turn the keyforward.
The dash was dark. Pitch black, just as it was before. I check to see if atleast the temp guage still works and it does. (under a light of course).
What a let down.
I then decide to see if that wire i ran from the bottom board to the top board is actually doing anything. I pull off the back cover and disconnect the wire from the top board.. tape it so it cant touch anything and put the unit back in the car for a test.
Nothing has changed.
Im getting desperate, ive been dropped so low now. I take off the top board and start sodering every joint that looks faint.
I try to take the power supply boad off, but i chicken out after i have 2 of its legs out and 1 left. The last leg was impossible to get out, and any more movement and id be stretching the little ribbon cable.
I test again... no difference.
Reality sinks in, i know nothing about electronics i should be happy i still have my temp gauge.
i want to run a new ground wire to the door post thing. Only i have no idea how to do this or where to put the cable (both ends). The fact that the lights never come on is strange.... i mean.. if the turn signal lights come on shouldnt the other ones also? Im thinking its either a bad overall ground (but i can read the temp gauge).
Im thinking maybe its the power supply board (cause i didnt get to soder it).
Im thinking maybe it has something to do with the weird interboard connector ground (but i can see the temp guage.. thats the lower board!)
Im thinking its maybe the light bulb sockets, they looked really brown and nasty (but shouldnt i see everything else like i see the temp gauge?).
Im thinking, im hoping that the LCDs themselves are not dead. I dont know what that means or if its possible. It sounds expensive.
For whats it worth here are things i notice when i start the car.
The top corner of the speedometer suddenly gets a bit greener when the i turn the key forward, a few seconds later it goes back to looking really dead. This isnt very noticeable unless your just staring at it looking for a difference. Everything gets just a little brighter as soon as the key is forward, a few seconds later it looks dead.
On the plus side i learned how to solder today.
But its a really downer man... putting back together i kept picturing how it was going to look... Finally a fuel gauge! A tach!
but not for me today.
Help im really lost. Vigman save me.
My dash didnt display the sings of a bad ground, my turn signal lights werent always on. With the exception of those bulbs, the other dash ones never turn on. Speedo and tach are blank, and the only thing that i read a number off is the temperature and mpg.
So i take it apart, I have some snags along the way but eventually i get it out. I take off the back cover i see someone had already tried to fix the dash before.. Theres a wire connecting the ground pin on the interboard connector (bottom board) to where it should go on top... the little plastic piece that pins slide into is half melted/destroyed for the ground pin.
I felt so happy then, i thought that would be the problem.
Just to be safe i take the whole thing apart, clean everything and do alot of sodering to any joint that looked funny or held something large (capacitor etc).
I ran a new wire from ground at the interboard connector to the lights (just as shown in the DIY corvette information project).
I also ran a new wire like the origional repair person had done, but i found it hard to make it stay in contact with the top board. The connector looked really dead.
I put 4 new bulbs in, 194s not 882s, they are a loose fit and too large for the little metal caps to go back on... but i just want to see if it works.
I put it all together, run to my car (its now night time) plug in the 2 connectors and turn the keyforward.
The dash was dark. Pitch black, just as it was before. I check to see if atleast the temp guage still works and it does. (under a light of course).
What a let down.
I then decide to see if that wire i ran from the bottom board to the top board is actually doing anything. I pull off the back cover and disconnect the wire from the top board.. tape it so it cant touch anything and put the unit back in the car for a test.
Nothing has changed.
Im getting desperate, ive been dropped so low now. I take off the top board and start sodering every joint that looks faint.
I try to take the power supply boad off, but i chicken out after i have 2 of its legs out and 1 left. The last leg was impossible to get out, and any more movement and id be stretching the little ribbon cable.
I test again... no difference.
Reality sinks in, i know nothing about electronics i should be happy i still have my temp gauge.
i want to run a new ground wire to the door post thing. Only i have no idea how to do this or where to put the cable (both ends). The fact that the lights never come on is strange.... i mean.. if the turn signal lights come on shouldnt the other ones also? Im thinking its either a bad overall ground (but i can read the temp gauge).
Im thinking maybe its the power supply board (cause i didnt get to soder it).
Im thinking maybe it has something to do with the weird interboard connector ground (but i can see the temp guage.. thats the lower board!)
Im thinking its maybe the light bulb sockets, they looked really brown and nasty (but shouldnt i see everything else like i see the temp gauge?).
Im thinking, im hoping that the LCDs themselves are not dead. I dont know what that means or if its possible. It sounds expensive.
For whats it worth here are things i notice when i start the car.
The top corner of the speedometer suddenly gets a bit greener when the i turn the key forward, a few seconds later it goes back to looking really dead. This isnt very noticeable unless your just staring at it looking for a difference. Everything gets just a little brighter as soon as the key is forward, a few seconds later it looks dead.
On the plus side i learned how to solder today.
But its a really downer man... putting back together i kept picturing how it was going to look... Finally a fuel gauge! A tach!
but not for me today.
Help im really lost. Vigman save me.