jeffescortlx hello Jeff I need your help if you can help me if not I understand, I’ve been trying to find a bench tester to test out the gas gauge as you did on the video, I was thinking of the autel ms906 but I just wanted to know what bench tester do you recommend. Please let me know
@@jeffescortlx hi I need help with my 2001 gmc savana van I called 2 repair shops don't want to help. gauges don't work are the gas shakes bad. oil pressure bounces around. Temp and volts seems speed seems ok check gauge light is on had a mechanic drop the tank ok their and oil pressure checked out he said he think its in cluster any help with it thanks Joe
Have you ever done a cluster from a 98 Chevy Silverado? My fuel gauge is twitchy and I'm wondering if it's my sending unit or the air core. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
I have a 2001 Silverado and once the truck is turned off all gauges go to their correct resting places. Keys removed and doors locked, about thirty seconds later a click under the dash and fuel gauge goes back to reading like truck is running. Upon unlocking door, fuel gauge jerks back down to the proper key off position. I do have a parasitic draw that will kill the battery. Do you think it's the cluster? All my gauges function properly when driving with no flickering or cutting out. Anyway, great video with precise details. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I've watched this video a couple of times, but never to the end like I did this time. Question...with the oil pressure gauge, are you saying they always kind of just hang in that position and never go back to resting/zero position? I've got an 01 Suburban, but I'm coming from an 03 Silverado, and am used to the stepper motors. Thanks!
Perfect videoooo tytyty. Couple questions... what are you putting on solder joint before resoldering? Paste flux ? What kind of solder ? What are you washing it off with after resoldering? Isopropyl? What kind of oil for in the motor ?
What kind of oil do you use? Also is that syringe special, or just a normal deneedled one? I typically repair 03-06 but I bought an escalade to resell and wanna fix it. Also, will the pigtail from 03-06 work to bench test, or do I get to repin my connector?
Great video, Jeff! A couple of questions. Your tool list did not mention the oil syringe? I tried to rig one up but got poor results. What kind of oil did you use? Also, since I don’t have a bench-test setup, do you have another video about setting the gauges in the truck?
The syringe is something I picked up from Amazon about 10 years ago so I don't remember the details. The oil I use is just the heaviest gear oil I could find at Walmart.
I have 99 Silverado and when I hook up with hp tuners, I’m able to read fuel level, coolant temp and trans temp but my cluster reads all 3 inaccurately. So in this rare case where it’s not the sending unit what is it usually? Tans reads high than actual, fuel is bottomed way below E and coolant is reading low also. Any input is appreciated thank you.
I doubt it bout it off my father in law. I even swapped it over to a known good escalade cluster and it’s reading the same thing. Like I said all my readings on the laptop appear to be accurate. It’s got me scratching my head.
@@That_ac_dudeIf the message center is working correctly, then the instrument cluster can see the bus. The instrument cluster does do some smoothing and fakery to the bus gauges. So like the temp gauges do not accurately represent actual temperatures. There is some massaging done to make things look better than they really are.
Thank you for the great video. I do have one question, which I don't believe was answered in any other comments or the video: What is the fixed resistor value you use for the oil gauge, or can you give the range so I/we can come up with our own logical test values? A 5 minute googling does not show this info, although perhaps I need to refine my queries... Thanks again!
My 02 cluster's VFD has a couple of very faint thin black horizontal lines going through it, like dead spots all the way across. Do you know if this is usually a display problem or if removing and reflowing, as you did in this video, often solves that too?
Awesome videos on these 99-02 models. Quick question. I need to calibrate the oil pressure needle on my bench when powered up. Noticed in the video that you connected the wire A1 (tan/white) to ground with a resistor. What is the value of the resistor your are using?
Thanks for the awesome video. I knew these aircores could be fixed I read it on a forum probably 6 years ago but I couldn't find it again and wasn't sure of the technique. For some reason I thought they said to lithium grease and use a needle to get it in I just couldn't figure out in my head how that would ever work. I'm really glad you showed this. Luckly I've been saving all my crap ones so I've got about 30 of them to fix now. I hadn't looked too deep into it because I get these so cheap at the local junk yard but this saves me from wasting time on non transmission temp clusters for 99-02 lol. I personally haven't run into the solder points on the odometer connector being an issue expect on prior repair attempts. The resistors always are the problem for me.
Grease would be the right lube to use, I just haven't found a way to get it in. Heavy oil seems to do the trick. Keeps the needle from flopping around.
Hi can you help me I have a 2001 gmc savana 1500 van gauges I don't know if it has aircore motors or stepper motors oil pressure gauge bounce around fuel gauge shakes bad temp and volt speed seems good I called 2 repair shops and don't want to do anything so I hope you might help thanks Joe
I was an instrument systems tech for 11 years in the USAF. I suggest that if you think that you can do this sort of repair on your kitchen table to save money that you should send it to Jeff instead. The odds are not in your favor.
Hey, Jeff. I purchased an old RV with Chevy 8.1, and the fuel gauge had been always stuck at past full (3 o'clock position). I have changed the fuel pump module, and still the same. I wired directly from ECM to cluster instrument panel, and it reads about 2.15 volt with a half tank of gas. When I unplug the fuel module, then it reads 5 volt. I know my fuel level sensor is good and wiring is good, yet it still reads the past full. Does my cluster have issue? Is it normal that gas gauge reads about 2.15 volt half of gas tank full? Appreciate your help!
After unplugging the fuel pump module, it read 5 volt and stuck at 3 o'clock. With the fuel pump module plugged back, it read 2.15 volt and stuck at 2:45 position.
Depending on what year the chassis is, information from the ECM to the instrument cluster is data bus. So voltage reading wouldn't really be a reliable indication of few level. But typically the problem ends up being the wiring between the sending unit and the ECM. But again this is all year dependent.
Wher can i get the damping oil also would 12 volt source work for resetting gauge needle position or would it have to be connected to truck ecm cause i have a spare connector
Hello. You had asked if someone had a different issue with the fuel gauge. Well mine hasn’t quit completely it reads or is empty and bounces between the two like a bad ground. Thoughts?
Jeff, great video!, the ticking noise that the dials make when starting the car, is that normal or does it needs the oil and bubble removal ? they are so noisy , you can also hear the RPM dial ticking when idling. thanks
I have a 2002 chevy 2500hd 6.0 and my fuel gauge bounces around like crazy then lodges itself downward. And when i took the cluster out, is it normal for the speedometer needle to move around freely like that? Saw that in the video as well. And lastly any idea why my speedometer is acting like a tachometer? Ill sit there idling and it's at the 10mph and when i rev up the truck it moves with the tachometer needle. Has me clueless.
I had an 01 tahoe, I miss this cluster. I had LED color bulbs in it. It made a neat effect in the way i had them. only issues ive had in the 17 years that truck was owned by my family was the fuel gauge. But that was indeed the sending unit issue
What kind of jumping wire gauge do you use? If possible could you let me know where you buy them from? I am just starting to learn and would greatly appreciate it.
Nice attention to detail. How about using a thin shim when positioning the tach and speedo needles. Would make it quicker and easier and more consistant.
Good video. My problem is the oil Guage. My needle was shaking when idle periodically so I just installed a gm oil sending unit and still seems a little jumpy or sticky. Can I pull the oil Guage motor and oil it then install or does it uave to be calibrated?
Great vids Jeff... Quick question I've been dealing with for a few months now. Intermittently all the gauge needles will flicker back and forth... Along with all the lights that come on when the engine is initially started... Then it seems stop and run the ignition cycle while im driving and then everything will go normal for a while until it does it again... It all started when I changed the turn signal switch and put in a stereo system (same weekend) 2700w... Then installed 220 amp alt; 155 at idle... Installed Big 3... Still flickering... Im lost... I've tripple checked my work... Can you maybe send me in the right direction?
@@jeffescortlx so, I re-soldered all the joints on the board where the connector attaches.. and can't believe it... after more that a few months, actually, of flickering and cleaning grounds, and running new grounds... not knowing what speed I was going... it finally works... the joints didn't look bad, but I redid them anyway... and wow like new... thanks a lot... really makes driving the truck enjoyable again.
Great video Jeff. On a mechanical stand point that fuel gauge issue on the chevys, it's always the fuel level sending unit located in the fuel pump assembly inside the gas tank. The part is around 40 bucks but will require the fuel tank to get removed in order to do that so most people just replace the fuel pump while the mechanic is already there.
Yep! I have to break this news to a lot of people with fuel gauge issues in the 99-02. But they must have corrected the sending unit issues in the 03-up, I hardly ever hear of those needed replacement.
I'm having a problem with my 1999 silverado instrument gauge. When I'm driving my battery light will come on my gauges bottom out. If I hit my dash it will resume but fail again. What's your guess. I removed it to check my connection it seems to be tight
Have a 2002 Tahoe and the speedometer, odometer and cruise control has stopped working. Changed the VSS and they still do not work. What should we check?
Hello. I have a 2000 camaro and I recently had to replace the oil pressure switch because it was damaged and puking oil. After replacing it, the gauge is showing 50 psi with the key out of the car. When cutting on the ignition but not running the car, the needle goes over 80...more 100+. I'm thinking of just popping the outter plastic off, removing the needle, and setting it to zero when the ignition is on but the engine is not running. If you have any thoughts on this situation I would appreciate it.
@@jeffescortlx I know roughly the past 3 years. Prior to the recent events, the oil gauge was bouncy, but generally read the right values. The recent events were a bit longer, so I was sparing some of the details. I had recently taken the car into a transmission shop to get the case repaired. They removed, did a partial disassembly, and reinstalled the trans. When I picked up the car, the oil gauge was bouncing off the column and was 50 psi with the key off. I had only driven a mile when I noticed this. I immediately took it back and pointed out the new problem. They said it was just incidental that the oil pressure switch went out when they worked on it (I have some doubts on that) and I would have to pay them to repair it. I drove it home with the intention of repairing it. I had driven it a total of 20 miles and noticed I was also now losing engine oil. The oil pressure switch had somehow been split completely in half and was blowing oil everywhere. I have replaced the switch and the engine is not leaking, but the gauge is behaving the way previously described. I was concerned that maybe the fact that the needle was bouncing off the column may have knocked it out of zero. I am concerned about it actually being accurate, but that would mean that I have 120ish psi when the ignition is on and the engine not running and 50 psi when the ignition is off which would make no sense. Thank you for looking at my long winded reply. It has not been easy dealing with the local mechanics or working on this car.
Jeff, I'm asking a question for my younger brother. He has a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 that was nearly 100% submerged in water recently. The vehicle was retrieved from the water rather promptly but it does have issues. The vehicle does run but the instrument cluster does not work except for the backlighting. I am fearful that the cluster is not repairable. What is your opinion on a cluster that has been under water? Thanks.
@@jeffescortlx My understand is that the vehicle was running when this occurred. My thoughts are that since this happened the water allowed current to flow where it was not supposed to. Personally my opinion is that cluster is toast.
have 2000 GM Astro. Mileage goes dark, but if hit reset number of times it will come back on, but maybe for a few seconds or a few minutes. What might cause that, and can you fix?
I have a 99 cluster and the fuel gauge works but after having it fixed the guy told me oh they all go past the full mark and it goes empty way before, is that just poor needle placement? Love the videos been waiting for mine to pop up to compare, thank you!
@jeffescortlx I re-filled the oil but the only gauge that springs back like yours did (RPM & Speedo) was my volts gauge; all the rest move and stay where ever I put them. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?
@@jeffescortlx No power. But I re-installed cluster after my message to you and the gauges are all in the wrong places and RPM still doing nothing. I will re-arrange needles and try again. RPM must be a different problem.. something before the cluster. Anyway, thanks again for your help! Much appreciated!!
Hey Jeff love the videos man. I have a 99-02 truck and recently bought a 99-02 cluster with trans temp gauge. My old mileage is stored on my old cluster, what’s the process on swapping my original miles onto my new cluster? Btw nothing was wrong with my old one i just wanted the temp gauge.
You'll either need to send it to someone with a programmer or buy a programmer. Fixed until broken channel shows you how to edit the hex code if you want to tackle it yourself.
What type of oil do you use for the motor dampening? And do you have a link or some information for that "T" shaped soldering iron tip? That made the job look like a piece of cake!
You want to use the heaviest oil you can push through a syurange. I'm using a heavy gear oil, I don't remember the weight off the top of my head. The soldering T tip is a hakko T-12/15 tip. You can purchase a genuine one directly from the hakko website.
Where did you get a new lens?! I looked all over the place for one. (Junkyard, many different online sites, and electronic stores). I ended up buying a new Escalade lens on amazon haha. I had to cut the tips of the four right gauge needles to make it fit and the lens kind of obscures parts of the icons but at least it works.
I really enjoy your videos, great explanation on your work, but I have a question, could provide where do you buy the damping oil, i hope ingit the name right. Thanks.
My gas gauge has gone past full and is pointing directly down at the oil pressure gauge and doesnt move anymore. Is it my sending unit or the gauge itself?
Great video! Question, why didn’t you refurbish the other motors? Wouldn’t it make sense to do them at the same time as you did tach, speedo, fuel, and temp??? I mean... it’s like sending a transmission to get refurbished and the shop only changing what’s worn off and leaving what is still not fully worn off. I know I wouldn’t leave internal components that wear with use, while changing others that already wore out. Anyway, curious why not do them all since it’s just a lube change
Which wire is the sending unit for fuel. I have a service truck which would be a cab and chassis 3500 that had duel tanks. It uses both tanks and sendong units to get a fuel gauge reading. Truck has had multiple sensong units. I replaced the front tank myself last year. Gauge would randomly go to empty and low fue message would be on. Now it has full tank of fuel and it is pegged on empty. I thought it was great because this has been an on going problem with this fuel gauge. Thought I might actually find the problem. So far I have not.
Hey Jeff, thanks for taking the time to show us the process. When I put the gauge needle back do I need to remember the position it was at before I pull out the needle? I'm just curious.
On my 2000 chevy Silverado the fuel and temperature only works sometimes and the voltage light lights red and no gear selection works would you know what it could be ?
Great video, but I am trying to fix chevy S10 pickup cluster 1998. A couple years ago the tach and speedometer started acting jumpy. Then I noticed the odometer still lit, but does not count. I changed the VSS first but did not fixt the problem. As I researched more I tought maybe the ECM or PCM (computer device) was at fault. I first verified continuity between VSS connectors to the ECM pins and not ground outs. Went ahead and ordered a new ECM and tried it but did not fix either. Now I can't return for anything other than core charge. To keep it will cost me $130 to flash it, so I kept the old. Now I took out cluster. Took apart carfully without taking out any components. But I did blow out step motors. Tach started working. Speedometer remains at 0 mph and odometer remains lit but still stuck in mileage from two years ago. What would you suggest is problem. Is mileage held in cluster component or somewhere else. Didn't seem like speedometer and odometer counting would necessarily be related. THakns for your help and videos. Paul
@@jeffescortlx Could that be a grounding issue for the B/W stripe ground, or would that be in the EPROM area. I didn't touch that or take it apart. The tach started working well for a or so now it works sometime then sometimes not at all. I pushed some thin oil into the step motors for speedo and tach.
@@pbv61 if the ground or eeprom was bad you would have different systems. The air core motors don't need oil to function, only is needed to dampen the movement.
If you were to put the oil needle back onto the oil gauge, at what point of the gauge do you put it at? Is it the same as the fuel and temp gauge where you would put it at where 0 would be?
jeffescortlx Ok, thank you. I took the needles off of my 99-02 cluster to paint them and before I took them off, I made sure to put tape under them and mark where each needle came off at. My mph needle now doesn’t work at all and the oil, temp, and fuel gauge isn’t reading correctly. The oil is reading much lower than normal and the temp gauge stays at 260 no matter what, even when the engine is cold. I also have a full tank of gas and its only showing 1/2 full. I had absolutely no issues before I pulled the needles off. I’m assuming these issues have to do with the air cores? Prior to removing the needles, I could feel that they had no fluidity in the movement, and they were very free. Should I re-oil the air cores like you do in this video? What do I do to get the needles recalibrated????
@@hreg9107 air core motors don't have a stopping point like stepper motors do. There is no stopping point to mark if it doesn't have a stopping point. You need to calibrate it with it powered on
jeffescortlx It won’t damage the cluster or needles to have the engine on and put the gauges back to where they should be? Also, what do I do about my MPH needle? It stays at 0 when I drive the truck
i have 2002 Yukon the check engine light is not coming on when I turn the key .what should I do first to determine if it is cluster or something else. awesome video
@@brettmullins751The check engine light is more than likely a problem in the instrument cluster. Although it's not impossible for the problem to be the wire that runs from the instrument cluster to the ECM. A mouse could have chewed it up or something.
@@jeffescortlx i didn't realize on 2002 service soon and check engine light is the same place. so it passed emissions test. I thought there was 2 different lights but both are in the same location on instrument panel. thx for your help
A lack of dampening oil will not affect the gauges accuracy. Even if all of the lube has dried up, it will still read correctly. It will just bounce as it moves. If you're gauges are very inaccurate then you have something else going on.
Hello Jeff, and thanks for doing these video's. Excellent information. I'm curious as to what you use for the class 2 Serial data to run the gauges? Thank you.
hello you had a video that i had watched on a gauge cluster that you showed which part of it that would cause your battery to die could you please tell me what chip on there would cause that . i have a 2004 trailblazer .
I've had an issue with mine with fuel gage when truck is full the gage would jump to empty. But I could tap dash and it would return to full. After running several miles it would not do it once off full. Then out of no where all at once the airbag, ABS lights are on, the trans temp gage not working, fuel gage on empty and the information Center flashes battery, security, low fuel when truck is off the security light stays on. I first thought it was the sending unit on fuel but if that was it why would it return when you tap the dash and now all the other issues?
zx8401ztv hey I was going to change my cluster lights to LED so that my cluster is brighter do you have any recommendations on bulbs ? I have this same cluster he is working on👍
I have an 02 where the VFD exhibits odd behavior. Sometimes it doesn't turn on, sometimes it does, rest of the cluster is fine. I'll have to go check if it's the entire VFD or just the gear selector portion. I also don't have reverse lights, and when the VFD does function, neutral exhibits odd behavior, once it pops into neutral the VFD will shoot down to park (the solid blocks around the lettering) then the block itself disappears. I know my neutral switch is out of alignment or just outright bad (previous owner rebuilt/replaced the engine and transmission, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't properly align the switch at the very least), but do you have any idea if a bad switch, bad ground, bad connection, etc., would cause issues at the VFD itself, or is my VFD also just on its way out. The truck may or may not have a slight power issue as well, the person who rebuilt it apparently can't wire for shit, the aftermarket head unit is always on (not on accessory) and currently only one speaker works (I'm not sure which audio package the track came with, I know some have D pillar speakers), so who knows what else is wrong with the wiring. Bought this thing while another vehicle is being worked on, and I guess this thing is going to turn into yet another project. Also, what's your bench setup for testing these? I'm sure I can find a wiring diagram for the plug, but diagrams also don't show voltages, logic (I know the neutral switch shows gear selection based on combinations of signals), or which signals are pulled high or pulled low; though I'm also not sure how much of this is done on the body control module side or ECU side, again things diagrams won't show.
@@jeffescortlx I know the reverse lights have nothing to do with the cluster, but the reverse light issue is how I know I have at least one issue with the neutral switch on the transmission, either alignment or a bad switch, less likely bad wiring. But I'm asking if you know if a bad neutral switch and/or bad wiring from the switch to the body control module could cause the VFD to produce the intermittent non-working state. The VFD itself occasionally does not turn on, sometimes it does, otherwise there's no flickering or other issues. In your opinion, would a failing neutral switch or a switch with a poor connection cause this issue, or is the VFD itself at fault?
@@xaytana The intermittent display problem that you're having is all related to a internal cluster issue. The gear select switch has no control over when the display turns on or off. If the problem is intermittent then it's a bad joint on the display header connector.
@@jeffescortlx Okay thanks. And I was talking about the switch on the side of the transmission, the one that has two connectors of, I think, 7 and 4 pins, I know the four pin sends position signals and the body control module used basic logic to take a combination of ons/offs to present which gear is selected; as far as I know there's no switches within the selector stalk itself, just a cable that goes to the transmission. I wasn't sure if a bad connection somewhere would be causing the VFD to not display the gear selection at all due to missing signals _somewhere_ in the chain of wires and devices; as I had mentioned before, the wiring is a bit jank due to a previous owner having next to no idea what they were doing when they rebuilt the truck. I'll see if it is a bad solder joint on a pin while I have the dash apart for other jobs. Thanks again.
@@xaytana yes all that switch does is tell the cluster which prnd321 segment to indicate. But can't control when or if the odometer display comes on. The only thing that can cause the display to not light is internal circuit board issues, bad ground or blown fuse.
Have you been posting more regular videos ? This is the first of yours I've received in a long while. Maybe that evil YT bot playing shenanigans again. BTW, may I ask what dampening fluid you're using ? At the factory, (Flexdrive Instruments Australia) way back in the day, we would use pure crystal clear silicone fluid of varying viscosity depending on the application. Flexdrive didn't make "aircore" since Flexdrive intruments were based on Stewart Warner. VDO made aircores and I always wondered how they got the fluid inside. I always figured the fluid was put into the sealed core prior to assembly. Never occurred to me to use a syringe to get the fluid in the aircore. See, old dogs do learn new tricks. I still use the silicone myself on mechanical instruments but it's way too viscose to use in a syringe. In any case, the silicone I have would be way to viscose for this application.
I had a break in uploading for a while, so I can't blame UA-cam this time. I try to find the heaviest oil that can still get sucked through a syringe, the oil I'm using now is a little too light. I wish the motor could be taken apart, re-greased and reassembled, but rewinding the motor doesn't sound like fun : )
@@jeffescortlx You're right, I have tried to unwind an aircore that had a broken spindle. I can attest to there being what seems to be a googleplex winds in each coil. At least there seems to be, I gave up unwinding it and chucked it in the bin. So RE-winding it would be darn near beyond the patience of any ordinary mortal. Thanks for the reply, the syringe trick is was a "WOW" moment for this old dog. :o)
@@ellesmerewildwood4858 I did take one all the way apart one time, not much in it, just a disc and some dried up grease. I'm glad my video was helpful and thanks for your insight, it's nice to converse with other tech's familiar with cluster work.
Follow this link for contact information:
ua-cam.com/video/T_2WnJMsZaU/v-deo.html
jeffescortlx hello Jeff I need your help if you can help me if not I understand, I’ve been trying to find a bench tester to test out the gas gauge as you did on the video, I was thinking of the autel ms906 but I just wanted to know what bench tester do you recommend. Please let me know
@@josesiyo1549 I made my own with a ECU and potenimeters.
@@jeffescortlx hi I need help with my 2001 gmc savana van I called 2 repair shops don't want to help. gauges don't work are the gas shakes bad. oil pressure bounces around. Temp and volts seems speed seems ok check gauge light is on had a mechanic drop the tank ok their and oil pressure checked out he said he think its in cluster any help with it thanks
Joe
Have you ever done a cluster from a 98 Chevy Silverado? My fuel gauge is twitchy and I'm wondering if it's my sending unit or the air core. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
@@Draco5185 twichey or rapid movement is from a dried up air core motor. Wide swings to empty is a failing sending unit.
What oil did you use for the gauges ? Thank you great video !
SO enjoyable to watch people who know what they are doing. Thanks for showing us.
Great video, Jeff. We’ve missed you these past few months!
Absolutely top notch professional repair! Really love what you did. Nice and clean repair. Many thumbs up from me!!!
Always a pleasure to see someone who knows what they're doing.
I have a 2001 Silverado and once the truck is turned off all gauges go to their correct resting places. Keys removed and doors locked, about thirty seconds later a click under the dash and fuel gauge goes back to reading like truck is running. Upon unlocking door, fuel gauge jerks back down to the proper key off position.
I do have a parasitic draw that will kill the battery. Do you think it's the cluster? All my gauges function properly when driving with no flickering or cutting out. Anyway, great video with precise details. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
This video will be a better fit for you:
ua-cam.com/video/RChYCz8LuWY/v-deo.htmlsi=zPkzWZ2OSPNaERBj
what do you use for dampening oil?
For anyone asking in the future, this should work.
Super Lube Silicone Oil 5000 cSt
Part #56504
The best video with no nonsense talk easy to understand and follow thanks for that!
I've watched this video a couple of times, but never to the end like I did this time. Question...with the oil pressure gauge, are you saying they always kind of just hang in that position and never go back to resting/zero position? I've got an 01 Suburban, but I'm coming from an 03 Silverado, and am used to the stepper motors. Thanks!
Correct. With the 99-02 The oil pressure gauge will not do a full sweep or a zero reset like the 03 and newer.
Perfect videoooo tytyty. Couple questions... what are you putting on solder joint before resoldering? Paste flux ?
What kind of solder ?
What are you washing it off with after resoldering? Isopropyl?
What kind of oil for in the motor ?
What kind of oil do you use? Also is that syringe special, or just a normal deneedled one? I typically repair 03-06 but I bought an escalade to resell and wanna fix it. Also, will the pigtail from 03-06 work to bench test, or do I get to repin my connector?
You will definitely need to repin the connector, as I had to do just that to work with the 99-02 cluster.
Your work is clear and professional i just found your youtube videos and enjoy them keep up the good work
Great video, Jeff! A couple of questions. Your tool list did not mention the oil syringe? I tried to rig one up but got poor results. What kind of oil did you use? Also, since I don’t have a bench-test setup, do you have another video about setting the gauges in the truck?
The syringe is something I picked up from Amazon about 10 years ago so I don't remember the details. The oil I use is just the heaviest gear oil I could find at Walmart.
Thanks to your video I was able to repair the A8 wire ground and the dash in my truck works again ….good job
Exactly what syringe are you using? & oil? I literally have mine taken apart on my wife’s coffee table. My fuel and oil motors spin like no other.
I have 99 Silverado and when I hook up with hp tuners, I’m able to read fuel level, coolant temp and trans temp but my cluster reads all 3 inaccurately. So in this rare case where it’s not the sending unit what is it usually? Tans reads high than actual, fuel is bottomed way below E and coolant is reading low also. Any input is appreciated thank you.
Do you know the past history on the vehicle? Has someone been inside the cluster and accidentally messed up the calibration?
I doubt it bout it off my father in law. I even swapped it over to a known good escalade cluster and it’s reading the same thing. Like I said all my readings on the laptop appear to be accurate. It’s got me scratching my head.
The speedo and rpm read fine and the message center works. it’s mainly the things on the bus that I’m concerned with
@@That_ac_dudeIf the message center is working correctly, then the instrument cluster can see the bus. The instrument cluster does do some smoothing and fakery to the bus gauges. So like the temp gauges do not accurately represent actual temperatures. There is some massaging done to make things look better than they really are.
@@jeffescortlx I appreciate your input, what you said there helps me understand what’s going on inside there a little better.
Thank you for the great video. I do have one question, which I don't believe was answered in any other comments or the video: What is the fixed resistor value you use for the oil gauge, or can you give the range so I/we can come up with our own logical test values? A 5 minute googling does not show this info, although perhaps I need to refine my queries... Thanks again!
0 ohms = 0 psi.
Open circuit points the needle to the far right (off scale ~120psi)
56 ohms = 55 psi.
@@jeffescortlx thank you very much. that's perfect
My 02 cluster's VFD has a couple of very faint thin black horizontal lines going through it, like dead spots all the way across. Do you know if this is usually a display problem or if removing and reflowing, as you did in this video, often solves that too?
Awesome videos on these 99-02 models. Quick question. I need to calibrate the oil pressure needle on my bench when powered up. Noticed in the video that you connected the wire A1 (tan/white) to ground with a resistor. What is the value of the resistor your are using?
I don't remember the value off the top of my head because it's probably been 8 years since I've set it up. But it's a little over 50% sensor range.
What oil and Syringe are you using?
Flux
Do you have a new memory chip for the 2005 Silverado HD? I like to buy one my chip is bad. The problem is (Odometer Error) in the U15 chip
Thanks for the awesome video. I knew these aircores could be fixed I read it on a forum probably 6 years ago but I couldn't find it again and wasn't sure of the technique. For some reason I thought they said to lithium grease and use a needle to get it in I just couldn't figure out in my head how that would ever work. I'm really glad you showed this. Luckly I've been saving all my crap ones so I've got about 30 of them to fix now. I hadn't looked too deep into it because I get these so cheap at the local junk yard but this saves me from wasting time on non transmission temp clusters for 99-02 lol. I personally haven't run into the solder points on the odometer connector being an issue expect on prior repair attempts. The resistors always are the problem for me.
Grease would be the right lube to use, I just haven't found a way to get it in. Heavy oil seems to do the trick. Keeps the needle from flopping around.
@@jeffescortlx what weight of oil do you use?
@@benjaminfisher8681 more details here:
ua-cam.com/video/th6M0wGSXww/v-deo.html
@jeffescortlx ... what soldering stations do you use and recommend?
Check my channel page, in my latest video I'm giving away a couple
Hi can you help me I have a 2001 gmc savana 1500 van gauges I don't know if it has aircore motors or stepper motors oil pressure gauge bounce around fuel gauge shakes bad temp and volt speed seems good I called 2 repair shops and don't want to do anything so I hope you might help thanks
Joe
I was an instrument systems tech for 11 years in the USAF. I suggest that if you think that you can do this sort of repair on your kitchen table to save money that you should send it to Jeff instead. The odds are not in your favor.
LOL remind of UXWBill kitchen table repairs but he actually does decent job doing home repairs
Thank you Jeff, there's so much support for 03+ so thank you for giving good info on these older clusters.
I’m liking these back to back videos lately 😉
Could you do a video of how you setup your bench tester. I have 03-06 setup. Would love to have this set up…
ua-cam.com/video/sK-0JmeoRZM/v-deo.html
Hey, Jeff. I purchased an old RV with Chevy 8.1, and the fuel gauge had been always stuck at past full (3 o'clock position). I have changed the fuel pump module, and still the same. I wired directly from ECM to cluster instrument panel, and it reads about 2.15 volt with a half tank of gas. When I unplug the fuel module, then it reads 5 volt. I know my fuel level sensor is good and wiring is good, yet it still reads the past full. Does my cluster have issue? Is it normal that gas gauge reads about 2.15 volt half of gas tank full? Appreciate your help!
After unplugging the fuel pump module, it read 5 volt and stuck at 3 o'clock. With the fuel pump module plugged back, it read 2.15 volt and stuck at 2:45 position.
Depending on what year the chassis is, information from the ECM to the instrument cluster is data bus. So voltage reading wouldn't really be a reliable indication of few level. But typically the problem ends up being the wiring between the sending unit and the ECM. But again this is all year dependent.
Wher can i get the damping oil also would 12 volt source work for resetting gauge needle position or would it have to be connected to truck ecm cause i have a spare connector
Hello. You had asked if someone had a different issue with the fuel gauge. Well mine hasn’t quit completely it reads or is empty and bounces between the two like a bad ground. Thoughts?
If it's only the fuel gauge acting up like that it's probably a problem at the sending unit.
Jeff, great video!, the ticking noise that the dials make when starting the car, is that normal or does it needs the oil and bubble removal ? they are so noisy , you can also hear the RPM dial ticking when idling. thanks
99-02 clusters use air core motors, they don't have gears. They can't make noise.
I have a 2002 chevy 2500hd 6.0 and my fuel gauge bounces around like crazy then lodges itself downward. And when i took the cluster out, is it normal for the speedometer needle to move around freely like that? Saw that in the video as well. And lastly any idea why my speedometer is acting like a tachometer? Ill sit there idling and it's at the 10mph and when i rev up the truck it moves with the tachometer needle. Has me clueless.
I had an 01 tahoe, I miss this cluster. I had LED color bulbs in it. It made a neat effect in the way i had them. only issues ive had in the 17 years that truck was owned by my family was the fuel gauge. But that was indeed the sending unit issue
What kind of jumping wire gauge do you use? If possible could you let me know where you buy them from? I am just starting to learn and would greatly appreciate it.
Nice attention to detail. How about using a thin shim when positioning the tach and speedo needles.
Would make it quicker and easier and more consistant.
Good video. My problem is the oil Guage. My needle was shaking when idle periodically so I just installed a gm oil sending unit and still seems a little jumpy or sticky. Can I pull the oil Guage motor and oil it then install or does it uave to be calibrated?
Anytime a needle is pulled it has to be set correctly going back on.
Thanks for the insight to aircore drivers👍👍
What training did u go through to get so proficient with ur electronic repair...or self taught????
Diploma in general eletronics, over 20 years experience. Interest in electrics my whole life. Been soldering since since grade school.
Very helpful video. What oil works best and where can I find a syringe with the correct size nozzle?
This video here has more information:
ua-cam.com/video/th6M0wGSXww/v-deo.html
These videos are the best
Great vids Jeff... Quick question I've been dealing with for a few months now. Intermittently all the gauge needles will flicker back and forth... Along with all the lights that come on when the engine is initially started... Then it seems stop and run the ignition cycle while im driving and then everything will go normal for a while until it does it again... It all started when I changed the turn signal switch and put in a stereo system (same weekend) 2700w... Then installed 220 amp alt; 155 at idle... Installed Big 3... Still flickering... Im lost... I've tripple checked my work... Can you maybe send me in the right direction?
ua-cam.com/video/mC1OdwWRFtQ/v-deo.html
@@jeffescortlx so, I re-soldered all the joints on the board where the connector attaches.. and can't believe it... after more that a few months, actually, of flickering and cleaning grounds, and running new grounds... not knowing what speed I was going... it finally works... the joints didn't look bad, but I redid them anyway... and wow like new... thanks a lot... really makes driving the truck enjoyable again.
by chance do you have the cluster plug pinout for this year? 99-02
Hey bro I have a question what wires do I need to connect to light up the display for PRND
Great video Jeff. On a mechanical stand point that fuel gauge issue on the chevys, it's always the fuel level sending unit located in the fuel pump assembly inside the gas tank. The part is around 40 bucks but will require the fuel tank to get removed in order to do that so most people just replace the fuel pump while the mechanic is already there.
Yep! I have to break this news to a lot of people with fuel gauge issues in the 99-02. But they must have corrected the sending unit issues in the 03-up, I hardly ever hear of those needed replacement.
I'm having a problem with my 1999 silverado instrument gauge. When I'm driving my battery light will come on my gauges bottom out. If I hit my dash it will resume but fail again. What's your guess. I removed it to check my connection it seems to be tight
Probably a bad solder joint in the cluster if hitting the dashboard has an effect.
@@jeffescortlx I saw in one or your videos about a ground problem A8. I did another ground like you showed in the video and so far it's working
Thank you very much for the great info. Can you please provide the type of oil you use and is that just any type of syringe?
The oil I'm using is nothing special. I'd actually recommend going heavier than what I use. Use the thickest oil you can suck up into a syringe.
What was the toothbrush for? What type and weight gear oil would be best for an 02' cluster repair?
What kind of bulbs does that cluster use? I need to change the left blinker out
If I change me module will I lose the milage on my 99 silerado ?
What do you charge to repair original cluster on this truck ?
Yes the odometer value miles are stored in the instrument cluster. So if you change the cluster for a different one the miles will also change.
Have a 2002 Tahoe and the speedometer, odometer and cruise control has stopped working. Changed the VSS and they still do not work. What should we check?
Might have some wiring issues.
Love this! I will be directing people to your channel!
Hello. I have a 2000 camaro and I recently had to replace the oil pressure switch because it was damaged and puking oil. After replacing it, the gauge is showing 50 psi with the key out of the car. When cutting on the ignition but not running the car, the needle goes over 80...more 100+. I'm thinking of just popping the outter plastic off, removing the needle, and setting it to zero when the ignition is on but the engine is not running. If you have any thoughts on this situation I would appreciate it.
Sounds like previous cluster repair attempts were made? Do you know the history of the car?
@@jeffescortlx I know roughly the past 3 years. Prior to the recent events, the oil gauge was bouncy, but generally read the right values. The recent events were a bit longer, so I was sparing some of the details. I had recently taken the car into a transmission shop to get the case repaired. They removed, did a partial disassembly, and reinstalled the trans. When I picked up the car, the oil gauge was bouncing off the column and was 50 psi with the key off. I had only driven a mile when I noticed this. I immediately took it back and pointed out the new problem. They said it was just incidental that the oil pressure switch went out when they worked on it (I have some doubts on that) and I would have to pay them to repair it. I drove it home with the intention of repairing it. I had driven it a total of 20 miles and noticed I was also now losing engine oil. The oil pressure switch had somehow been split completely in half and was blowing oil everywhere. I have replaced the switch and the engine is not leaking, but the gauge is behaving the way previously described. I was concerned that maybe the fact that the needle was bouncing off the column may have knocked it out of zero. I am concerned about it actually being accurate, but that would mean that I have 120ish psi when the ignition is on and the engine not running and 50 psi when the ignition is off which would make no sense. Thank you for looking at my long winded reply. It has not been easy dealing with the local mechanics or working on this car.
Jeff, I'm asking a question for my younger brother. He has a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 that was nearly 100% submerged in water recently. The vehicle was retrieved from the water rather promptly but it does have issues. The vehicle does run but the instrument cluster does not work except for the backlighting. I am fearful that the cluster is not repairable. What is your opinion on a cluster that has been under water? Thanks.
The water it's self isn't biggest issue. But it becomes a problem if it's wet and power still applied, that's when the corrosion starts.
@@jeffescortlx My understand is that the vehicle was running when this occurred. My thoughts are that since this happened the water allowed current to flow where it was not supposed to. Personally my opinion is that cluster is toast.
@@williamjones4483 chances are the best option is to find a replacement.
@@jeffescortlx That's what I am thinking. It would cost too much to attempt repair of this cluster. Thanks for the info.
have 2000 GM Astro. Mileage goes dark, but if hit reset number of times it will come back on, but maybe for a few seconds or a few minutes. What might cause that, and can you fix?
Fractured solder joints.
Probably.
I have a 99 cluster and the fuel gauge works but after having it fixed the guy told me oh they all go past the full mark and it goes empty way before, is that just poor needle placement? Love the videos been waiting for mine to pop up to compare, thank you!
Sounds like sloppy needle placement. The guy that fixed it probably didn't have a way to test it.
@@OOOOOO12345 If you fix it by just moving the needle to compensate you'll probably loose full range.
Just discovered this is you, great video explanation! Thank you sir! See ya Wednesday.
Hi Jeff where can I buy that oil for the air core I'm trying to fix my dad 2000 gmc Sierra 1500
@jeffescortlx I re-filled the oil but the only gauge that springs back like yours did (RPM & Speedo) was my volts gauge; all the rest move and stay where ever I put them. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?
Are you applying power?
@@jeffescortlx No power. But I re-installed cluster after my message to you and the gauges are all in the wrong places and RPM still doing nothing. I will re-arrange needles and try again. RPM must be a different problem.. something before the cluster. Anyway, thanks again for your help! Much appreciated!!
jeffescortlx Where did you get the oil for the temp/fuel/RPM refill?
Hey Jeff love the videos man. I have a 99-02 truck and recently bought a 99-02 cluster with trans temp gauge. My old mileage is stored on my old cluster, what’s the process on swapping my original miles onto my new cluster? Btw nothing was wrong with my old one i just wanted the temp gauge.
You'll either need to send it to someone with a programmer or buy a programmer. Fixed until broken channel shows you how to edit the hex code if you want to tackle it yourself.
@@jeffescortlx Right on man!
@@jeffescortlx even if the fuel gauge seems to be reading correctly but is vibrating quickly in place?
Where can I purchase the syringe you used to inject dampening oil
Amazon or eBay sell them by the 10 packs for cheap. The ones used to fill vapes are supposably good for oils.
Can you show me how you made your bench harness?
All I did was Google the wiring diagram to see what wires were for powering and ground.
Para eso usted estudio, es un profeciónal d verdad. Only ask, what did you use after welding acid or another quimic. Thaks charlie from Puerto Rico
I use rubbing alcohol to clean the flux off.
What type of oil do you use for the motor dampening? And do you have a link or some information for that "T" shaped soldering iron tip? That made the job look like a piece of cake!
You want to use the heaviest oil you can push through a syurange. I'm using a heavy gear oil, I don't remember the weight off the top of my head. The soldering T tip is a hakko T-12/15 tip. You can purchase a genuine one directly from the hakko website.
Where did you get a new lens?! I looked all over the place for one. (Junkyard, many different online sites, and electronic stores). I ended up buying a new Escalade lens on amazon haha. I had to cut the tips of the four right gauge needles to make it fit and the lens kind of obscures parts of the icons but at least it works.
Jeff how do I contact you if you are still doing cluster repair work? I can't seem to figure it out using my phone on the UA-cam app.
ua-cam.com/video/T_2WnJMsZaU/v-deo.html
I really enjoy your videos, great explanation on your work, but I have a question, could provide where do you buy the damping oil, i hope ingit the name right. Thanks.
My gas gauge has gone past full and is pointing directly down at the oil pressure gauge and doesnt move anymore. Is it my sending unit or the gauge itself?
Being that it's out of range it sounds like a problem with the gauge.
Great video! Question, why didn’t you refurbish the other motors? Wouldn’t it make sense to do them at the same time as you did tach, speedo, fuel, and temp??? I mean... it’s like sending a transmission to get refurbished and the shop only changing what’s worn off and leaving what is still not fully worn off. I know I wouldn’t leave internal components that wear with use, while changing others that already wore out.
Anyway, curious why not do them all since it’s just a lube change
If the lube is already full, I wont add more. If you check your dip stick and it reads full, would you add more oil?
What kind of oil I should use for the bleeding please
Which wire is the sending unit for fuel. I have a service truck which would be a cab and chassis 3500 that had duel tanks. It uses both tanks and sendong units to get a fuel gauge reading. Truck has had multiple sensong units. I replaced the front tank myself last year. Gauge would randomly go to empty and low fue message would be on. Now it has full tank of fuel and it is pegged on empty. I thought it was great because this has been an on going problem with this fuel gauge. Thought I might actually find the problem. So far I have not.
The sending unit isn't wired directly to the cluster. It first goes to the ECU, then from there through the serial bus.
Hey Jeff, thanks for taking the time to show us the process. When I put the gauge needle back do I need to remember the position it was at before I pull out the needle? I'm just curious.
Yes the needles need to be put back in the correct location, these do not have a physical stop location to start from, it's a electrical location.
On my 2000 chevy Silverado the fuel and temperature only works sometimes and the voltage light lights red and no gear selection works would you know what it could be ?
Sounds like loss of serial bus comunication to me.
Such good info!!
What equipment is used to send signals to the cluster while on the bench?
It's a homemade set up, it's an ECU & BCM wired to work with potentiometers and desktop power supply.
Great video, but I am trying to fix chevy S10 pickup cluster 1998. A couple years ago the tach and speedometer started acting jumpy. Then I noticed the odometer still lit, but does not count.
I changed the VSS first but did not fixt the problem. As I researched more I tought maybe the ECM or PCM (computer device) was at fault. I first verified continuity between VSS connectors to the ECM pins and not ground outs. Went ahead and ordered a new ECM and tried it but did not fix either. Now I can't return for anything other than core charge. To keep it will cost me $130 to flash it, so I kept the old.
Now I took out cluster. Took apart carfully without taking out any components. But I did blow out step motors. Tach started working.
Speedometer remains at 0 mph and odometer remains lit but still stuck in mileage from two years ago.
What would you suggest is problem. Is mileage held in cluster component or somewhere else. Didn't seem like speedometer and odometer counting would necessarily be related.
THakns for your help and videos.
Paul
Mileage is stored in the cluster. Since both the odometer and speedometer are not working that tells me the cluster isn't seeing the VSS signal.
@@jeffescortlx Could that be a grounding issue for the B/W stripe ground, or would that be in the EPROM area. I didn't touch that or take it apart. The tach started working well for a or so now it works sometime then sometimes not at all.
I pushed some thin oil into the step motors for speedo and tach.
@@pbv61 if the ground or eeprom was bad you would have different systems. The air core motors don't need oil to function, only is needed to dampen the movement.
If you were to put the oil needle back onto the oil gauge, at what point of the gauge do you put it at? Is it the same as the fuel and temp gauge where you would put it at where 0 would be?
Oil starts at zero
jeffescortlx Ok, thank you. I took the needles off of my 99-02 cluster to paint them and before I took them off, I made sure to put tape under them and mark where each needle came off at. My mph needle now doesn’t work at all and the oil, temp, and fuel gauge isn’t reading correctly. The oil is reading much lower than normal and the temp gauge stays at 260 no matter what, even when the engine is cold. I also have a full tank of gas and its only showing 1/2 full. I had absolutely no issues before I pulled the needles off. I’m assuming these issues have to do with the air cores? Prior to removing the needles, I could feel that they had no fluidity in the movement, and they were very free. Should I re-oil the air cores like you do in this video? What do I do to get the needles recalibrated????
@@hreg9107 air core motors don't have a stopping point like stepper motors do. There is no stopping point to mark if it doesn't have a stopping point. You need to calibrate it with it powered on
jeffescortlx It won’t damage the cluster or needles to have the engine on and put the gauges back to where they should be? Also, what do I do about my MPH needle? It stays at 0 when I drive the truck
@@hreg9107 you don't necessarily need the engine running. I set the needles on my bench with no truck. I don't know what you did to the MPH.
My 02 Duramax instrument cluster is flashing and shutting down randomly. Where should I look to fine the issue?
ua-cam.com/video/mC1OdwWRFtQ/v-deo.html
i have 2002 Yukon the check engine light is not coming on when I turn the key .what should I do first to determine if it is cluster or something else.
awesome video
Has it ever worked since you've owned it?
@@jeffescortlx my dad bought it new so yes but I didn't notice it until about 2 months ago because of the emissions test needed this month
@@jeffescortlx i took the truck to o Reilly and autozone but since light was not on they couldn't find out if there was any codes.
@@brettmullins751The check engine light is more than likely a problem in the instrument cluster. Although it's not impossible for the problem to be the wire that runs from the instrument cluster to the ECM. A mouse could have chewed it up or something.
@@jeffescortlx i didn't realize on 2002 service soon and check engine light is the same place. so it passed emissions test. I thought there was 2 different lights but both are in the same location on instrument panel. thx for your help
I have a cluster out of a 2002 diesel that just randomly goes dead. Could I send it to you for repair?
Check the ground before ripping the cluster out ua-cam.com/video/mC1OdwWRFtQ/v-deo.html
What kind of soldering iron do you have? Does it come as a kit with the tips?
This one here: ua-cam.com/video/n-ZgO_AOTnQ/v-deo.html
My needle is pointing straight down did it just pop off the shaft? It's still in the proper area it's just pointing straight down on my gas gauge.
That doesn't typically happen
Question, i changed the bulbs for my warning lights / turn signals but they still light up the same color . Any help ?
I changed the gauge face too , its one from us speedo
The face probably has a color film layer built in with color.
where can i get the oil and that syringe? i have that similar cluster and my gauges are way off.
A lack of dampening oil will not affect the gauges accuracy. Even if all of the lube has dried up, it will still read correctly. It will just bounce as it moves. If you're gauges are very inaccurate then you have something else going on.
What is the voltage from ecm to cluster i have constant 7.8 v speedo foesnt work and customer changed cluster already
The ECM doesn't power the cluster. That comes from the ignition switch and fuse box. It probably has a damaged VSS wire.
Hello Jeff, and thanks for doing these video's. Excellent information. I'm curious as to what you use for the class 2 Serial data to run the gauges? Thank you.
Home made bench top module.
@@jeffescortlx thank you Sir. I didn’t know if a signal generator would work, or if you needed something special.
hello you had a video that i had watched on a gauge cluster that you showed which part of it that would cause your battery to die could you please tell me what chip on there would cause that . i have a 2004 trailblazer .
ua-cam.com/video/VX_3YsNMvfI/v-deo.html
I've had an issue with mine with fuel gage when truck is full the gage would jump to empty. But I could tap dash and it would return to full. After running several miles it would not do it once off full. Then out of no where all at once the airbag, ABS lights are on, the trans temp gage not working, fuel gage on empty and the information Center flashes battery, security, low fuel when truck is off the security light stays on. I first thought it was the sending unit on fuel but if that was it why would it return when you tap the dash and now all the other issues?
What year describing is what happens when the cluster can't see the serial bus data.
Do you need the “fixed value” to properly set the oil pressure gauge?
If you remove the needle yes.
How do you zero out all the gauges when replacing the needles?
Power up the cluster without signal inputs.
Great info! Do you have a video on the cluster putting a drain on the battery?
Not for this year specifically no.
Can I disable my abs bulb with no issues? SAS my truck and no longer using the front abs sensors
Much better for changing bulbs and gauges :-).
Flourescent displays always look better than leds, just my opinion.
zx8401ztv hey I was going to change my cluster lights to LED so that my cluster is brighter do you have any recommendations on bulbs ? I have this same cluster he is working on👍
I have an 02 where the VFD exhibits odd behavior. Sometimes it doesn't turn on, sometimes it does, rest of the cluster is fine. I'll have to go check if it's the entire VFD or just the gear selector portion. I also don't have reverse lights, and when the VFD does function, neutral exhibits odd behavior, once it pops into neutral the VFD will shoot down to park (the solid blocks around the lettering) then the block itself disappears. I know my neutral switch is out of alignment or just outright bad (previous owner rebuilt/replaced the engine and transmission, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't properly align the switch at the very least), but do you have any idea if a bad switch, bad ground, bad connection, etc., would cause issues at the VFD itself, or is my VFD also just on its way out. The truck may or may not have a slight power issue as well, the person who rebuilt it apparently can't wire for shit, the aftermarket head unit is always on (not on accessory) and currently only one speaker works (I'm not sure which audio package the track came with, I know some have D pillar speakers), so who knows what else is wrong with the wiring. Bought this thing while another vehicle is being worked on, and I guess this thing is going to turn into yet another project.
Also, what's your bench setup for testing these? I'm sure I can find a wiring diagram for the plug, but diagrams also don't show voltages, logic (I know the neutral switch shows gear selection based on combinations of signals), or which signals are pulled high or pulled low; though I'm also not sure how much of this is done on the body control module side or ECU side, again things diagrams won't show.
The Cluster has nothing to do with the backup lights. This video goes over and shows the display issue repair.
@@jeffescortlx I know the reverse lights have nothing to do with the cluster, but the reverse light issue is how I know I have at least one issue with the neutral switch on the transmission, either alignment or a bad switch, less likely bad wiring. But I'm asking if you know if a bad neutral switch and/or bad wiring from the switch to the body control module could cause the VFD to produce the intermittent non-working state. The VFD itself occasionally does not turn on, sometimes it does, otherwise there's no flickering or other issues. In your opinion, would a failing neutral switch or a switch with a poor connection cause this issue, or is the VFD itself at fault?
@@xaytana The intermittent display problem that you're having is all related to a internal cluster issue. The gear select switch has no control over when the display turns on or off. If the problem is intermittent then it's a bad joint on the display header connector.
@@jeffescortlx Okay thanks. And I was talking about the switch on the side of the transmission, the one that has two connectors of, I think, 7 and 4 pins, I know the four pin sends position signals and the body control module used basic logic to take a combination of ons/offs to present which gear is selected; as far as I know there's no switches within the selector stalk itself, just a cable that goes to the transmission. I wasn't sure if a bad connection somewhere would be causing the VFD to not display the gear selection at all due to missing signals _somewhere_ in the chain of wires and devices; as I had mentioned before, the wiring is a bit jank due to a previous owner having next to no idea what they were doing when they rebuilt the truck.
I'll see if it is a bad solder joint on a pin while I have the dash apart for other jobs. Thanks again.
@@xaytana yes all that switch does is tell the cluster which prnd321 segment to indicate. But can't control when or if the odometer display comes on. The only thing that can cause the display to not light is internal circuit board issues, bad ground or blown fuse.
Have you been posting more regular videos ? This is the first of yours I've received in a long while. Maybe that evil YT bot playing shenanigans again. BTW, may I ask what dampening fluid you're using ? At the factory, (Flexdrive Instruments Australia) way back in the day, we would use pure crystal clear silicone fluid of varying viscosity depending on the application. Flexdrive didn't make "aircore" since Flexdrive intruments were based on Stewart Warner. VDO made aircores and I always wondered how they got the fluid inside. I always figured the fluid was put into the sealed core prior to assembly. Never occurred to me to use a syringe to get the fluid in the aircore.
See, old dogs do learn new tricks.
I still use the silicone myself on mechanical instruments but it's way too viscose to use in a syringe. In any case, the silicone I have would be way to viscose for this application.
I had a break in uploading for a while, so I can't blame UA-cam this time. I try to find the heaviest oil that can still get sucked through a syringe, the oil I'm using now is a little too light. I wish the motor could be taken apart, re-greased and reassembled, but rewinding the motor doesn't sound like fun : )
@@jeffescortlx You're right, I have tried to unwind an aircore that had a broken spindle. I can attest to there being what seems to be a googleplex winds in each coil. At least there seems to be, I gave up unwinding it and chucked it in the bin. So RE-winding it would be darn near beyond the patience of any ordinary mortal. Thanks for the reply, the syringe trick is was a "WOW" moment for this old dog. :o)
@@ellesmerewildwood4858 I did take one all the way apart one time, not much in it, just a disc and some dried up grease. I'm glad my video was helpful and thanks for your insight, it's nice to converse with other tech's familiar with cluster work.
Excellent video. What oil do these motors use?
Check out "TheGalacticWest" comment below, this question has already been answered.
Noticed you didn’t use the solder extractor and did not use any soldering flux when you reinstall the display? Great knowledge of the clusters!
With the wide tip you can melt all the pins at the same time and just pull the display header out.
@@jeffescortlx Thanks!
Nice to see another cluster video. Been awhile. Great video!