unrecorded mileage

[TJC]

Once in a while, gauge cluster sometimes go out. Well still not sure if it's a short or poor contact or something else. Anyway, when this happens I loose the speedometer and temp but tach works sometimes and other times, everything stops working but the dimmer does work. Sometimes when I turn the dimmer down all the way, I can read the mileage but when I turn the dimmer brighter, everything stops working and mileage goes away although the trip-ometer doesn't lose the mileage.

Getting to the point, I always wonder if it's recording my mileage correctly when this happens so today it happens and goes on and off and I note the mileage. I travel for about 5 miles and it goes on and well, no miles accounted for. This lead me to come to the conclusion that the mileage is recorded in the gauge cluster.

I remember jacuZZi asking what would happen if he got a gauge cluster from the junk yard and put it in. I think the mileage might be from the original car.

Anyway, everytime I disconnect everything and put it back, it seems to stay working for a long while, lol.

[Auto-9]

Don't see how this can hurt your trade in value

[TJC]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rallifan)</div><div class='quotemain'>Don't see how this can hurt your trade in value </div>

Haha, true. But first of all, I don't plan to ever trade it in. Second, I think I can hurt it if I can't tell that I'm redlining. :mrgreen:

[Auto-9]

Hehehe...I dunno, maybe Manybrews or someone else can help...my car is fine...for now.

[TJC]

well, like I said in the first post, I still don't know what it is but it has gone away since the removal and reinstall of the gauge cluster... thank goodness.

[Fishboy55]

Gordon, I know you have a neon behind your cluster. Is that tapped into the same circuit? How about aftermarket gauges? Connections all tight. It sounds like one of the connectors on the sides might be loose or a corroded contact. I'd take it apart again and clean the contacts on the cluster with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab. I would spray compressed air...not the tv tuner junk, just air...into the connectors themselves in case it's dust. I hope your cluster's not going, because they're like $400. But yes, the long answer to your question is that the mileage is recorded in the cluster, but also in the ECU someplace. If there's a difference, the ECU is the most accurate, I believe.

Chip

[TJC]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Fishboy55)</div><div class='quotemain'>Gordon, I know you have a neon behind your cluster. Is that tapped into the same circuit? How about aftermarket gauges? Connections all tight. It sounds like one of the connectors on the sides might be loose or a corroded contact. I'd take it apart again and clean the contacts on the cluster with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton swab. I would spray compressed air...not the tv tuner junk, just air...into the connectors themselves in case it's dust. I hope your cluster's not going, because they're like $400. But yes, the long answer to your question is that the mileage is recorded in the cluster, but also in the ECU someplace. If there's a difference, the ECU is the most accurate, I believe.

Chip</div>

Neon is separate, fused power souce straight from the battery on separate switch. And did just what you've said too, take out and wipe clean contacts just in case (no corrosions visible) and really no airflow back there so theoretically no dust bunnies should of gotten in the contacts especially after working for months. It also weird that I can bang on my dash and sometimes it will start working when this happens, lol.

Here are some tell tale signs but *I* don't know what to make of them. When gauges stop working including the LED readout on the mileage, the whole thing can stop working but the tach remains operational sometimes. During this, the dimmer always works (with parking lights on). When the dimmer is turned down all the way, often times everything starts to work. But as soon as I turn up the dimmer, everything can die except the tach. Also when dimmer is down all the way and it works, I can pull on the parking brake so it would trigger the parking brake warning light on the cluster, it can make the gauges not work. As for no parking lights on, it doesn't make a difference there, either it works or it doesn't.

With that said, there seems to be some kind of intermitant short or over use of power consumtion somewhere and effects the entire gauge cluster.

[latingalant01]

This is a connection that when it get hot it gets lose and then whenit is cold it connects it self back so what you would have to do is get a soldering iron from radio shack and solder all the connection and then rienstall and it will work fine, i am an electronic tech and i have seen this a lot of time with a lot of electronic equipments.

[TJC]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(latingalant01)</div><div class='quotemain'>This is a connection that when it get hot it gets lose and then whenit is cold it connects it self back so what you would have to do is get a soldering iron from radio shack and solder all the connection and then rienstall and it will work fine, i am an electronic tech and i have seen this a lot of time with a lot of electronic equipments.</div>

Point taken but one problem, don't know where to start. The dimmer is a rheostat and the to wire harnesses that connect to the gauge cluster is contact point on a tape (you know those thin plastic sheets with raw copper contact points working off friction). No soldering places I can think of. Well if it becomes more annoying and frequent, I will definitely look into it. For now, I'm alright with an occassional disassemble and reassemble; 6 big screw I can handle, lol.

[latingalant01]

okay another idea is to use an eraser to clean the contact have you tried that.

[TJC]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(latingalant01)</div><div class='quotemain'>okay another idea is to use an eraser to clean the contact have you tried that.</div>

Thanks. I've heard of that and used it myself on electronic equipment like computer memory module contacts and what not. Well no problems now but will have to remember that one again.