Instrument cluster works only sometimes

mike lofgren · #1 (**permalink**) 03-30-08, 05:21 PM

Hi Everyone,

My 1990 Cadillac Brougham instrument cluster works sometimes and not others. If I smack the dashboard gently with my hand the instrument cluster works for a week or so and then goes black again.

Is it the instrument cluster or just a bad electrical connection; like a bad ground wire or such?

Any one else had this experience and how did you fix it?

Thanks,

Mike

Slow S10 · #2 (**permalink**) 03-30-08, 05:34 PM

My 90 does the same thing. i spent some time with a shop manual trying to figure it out. from what i gather its something inside the cluster. i went so far as to pull the cluster apart to see if i could see any loose connections, broken solider(sp?) and found nothing. i've come to the conclusion that its one of the circut board components. Im going to R&R the cluster once i finally get fed up with tapping the cluster all the time lol.

1990bigbodylac · #3 (**permalink**) 08-28-09, 12:59 AM

Did you ever get this problem fixed? I'm having the same exact problem with my 90 FWB. Need some advice.

robb257731 · #4 (**permalink**) 08-28-09, 12:59 PM

Everything worked on my 1992 cluster, but my 1991 cluster is missing the trip odometer. One day a couple of weeks ago I got in, started up the car and I knew something wasn't right, but couldn't figure it out....then I realized the trip odometer was on, but flickering. As I drove the car, the trip odometer stayed on, flickering, but it wasn't counting anything, just stated at zero. It didn't come back on the next time I started the car, and hasn't since.

Every once in awhile when I start the car, the speedometer goes crazy. Tends to be when it's really cold out, or really damp. The car is idling, but the speedometer goes up to 14, then down to 0 then to 6, etc, etc, but as soon as the car moves it smooths out.

I also have a bit of an issue with the gas guage...when it reads right full, it stays on full for what seems to be a long time, then you'll look down and it's gone from full to 3/4 full. I don't know what's going on there....is the float stuck, and the guage is reading the float level, or is it a problem with the dash.

I'd like to know what to do about the trip odometre issue, as I really like to know how far I"ve gone on a tank. A guy once told me that a stereo shop could likely fix it...something to do with changing a resistor or something.

Any ideas?