gauge cluster stopped working
04-18-2012, 08:51 PM
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gauge cluster stopped working
sorry i am lazy and not gettin any help really on the jeep forum so i am gonna be pasting wat i posted there here:
so here is my issue, my tach stopped working a couple mnths ago, it would only go up to about 1000 then if i was really pushin it around 1800. then my temp sensor started acting crazy, goin up and down like a monkey ridin a motorcycle, i replaced the coolant temp sensor with a used but known to be good one and the same thing. so i pulled the inst cluster today al connections were pretty clean but i sprayed the 2 elec connectors with cleaner then put elec grease in there then sprayed the "paper/plastic" circuit board with elec cleaner and wiped it then reinstalled, no gauge worked, lights still worked but no gauge at all. i pulled it again checked connections reinstalled still no gauges. lights still work(turn signals etc) no blown fuses. sucks i try to fix something and now its worse haha any ideas guys?
i should add that only my turn signal and hibeam indicator lights still work. the brake,check engine(which i knowshould be on from an o2 sen) etc do not come on. i was thinkin maybe when i pulled the cluster out i pulled the ground out from wherever it comes from.
ok today i did some more in depth investigating, no ididnt melt the wires, the elec cleaner is plastic safe. only fuse that was blown was #17 it was a 7.5 replaced it and no difference here is what i know though:
i traced out the oil pressure and temp sensor wires till they went in their plastic safe tubes(i didnt wanna rip open those tobes figured they r prob good although i may just to be sure) no frays or nicks that i saw. pulled the cluster off again and checked for any visible issues, didnt see any. i ran a ground from batt to the 2 grounds on the one connector hooked that all up still nothing(testing to see if i have an open ground) then did the same with the other connector still nothing.
i ohmed out the one connector(the one that hooks to the idiot light side) this is what i got:
#1 pin-25, 2-10, 6-1.5, 7-10.8, 13-12.5, 16-15.5
i also have continuity on only 3,6,8,14,4(though i dont think i should have cont to ground on any pins except the grounds or any ohms for that matter, correct me f i am wrong) my reading on 14, 4 and 3 range from 600 to 1100 with my meter switched to cont depending on when i test them, like i test it says 600 then 1 sec later test again it says 900 test again it says 1100 etc.
then every pin on the main connector has cont to ground, and #1,6,8 have no value when ohmed out all others has crazy readings, i can test again and get numbers if that helps out. i dunno if what i did can help anyone help me but i was just trying to do as much as i could to troubleshoot. here are some pics also:
one is of a wire i found the was kinda on one of my head bolt studs, but it may have been just sitting there, in the back kinda you can see my braided ground strap where is that supposed to be?(couple weeks ago i had the engine swapped and that wasnt reattached) then there are pics of my meter just to make sure i have them set right, i think the first os what i had it set for volts(which was giving me an accurate reading to the batt and the hood light
then there is a pic of what i had it set to for continuity testing and for ohm testing
i know this was a crap load of probably useles pics and info but i thought id try anyway, it doesnt really seem to be the cluster itself though, is there a way to test it? can i just ground it and apply voltage to one of the points? i replaced the fuse with a 10amp, i heard its apposed to be a 10 anyway, but its not blown anymore. i can replace the cluster and see if it blows but right now with the cluster out and driving it doesnt blow, errrrrrrrrgh!!!!!
just to toss in another wrench, my coolant temp seems to stay at 200 ish, when it was at 185-190 normally, before it went out it would wave all around on the gauge. also my oil pressure gauge reads like 15-20 all the time whether idle or ***** to the wall, i could test the pressure manually but im 99% sure its gauge related.
so here is my issue, my tach stopped working a couple mnths ago, it would only go up to about 1000 then if i was really pushin it around 1800. then my temp sensor started acting crazy, goin up and down like a monkey ridin a motorcycle, i replaced the coolant temp sensor with a used but known to be good one and the same thing. so i pulled the inst cluster today al connections were pretty clean but i sprayed the 2 elec connectors with cleaner then put elec grease in there then sprayed the "paper/plastic" circuit board with elec cleaner and wiped it then reinstalled, no gauge worked, lights still worked but no gauge at all. i pulled it again checked connections reinstalled still no gauges. lights still work(turn signals etc) no blown fuses. sucks i try to fix something and now its worse haha any ideas guys?
i should add that only my turn signal and hibeam indicator lights still work. the brake,check engine(which i knowshould be on from an o2 sen) etc do not come on. i was thinkin maybe when i pulled the cluster out i pulled the ground out from wherever it comes from.
ok today i did some more in depth investigating, no ididnt melt the wires, the elec cleaner is plastic safe. only fuse that was blown was #17 it was a 7.5 replaced it and no difference here is what i know though:
i traced out the oil pressure and temp sensor wires till they went in their plastic safe tubes(i didnt wanna rip open those tobes figured they r prob good although i may just to be sure) no frays or nicks that i saw. pulled the cluster off again and checked for any visible issues, didnt see any. i ran a ground from batt to the 2 grounds on the one connector hooked that all up still nothing(testing to see if i have an open ground) then did the same with the other connector still nothing.
i ohmed out the one connector(the one that hooks to the idiot light side) this is what i got:
#1 pin-25, 2-10, 6-1.5, 7-10.8, 13-12.5, 16-15.5
i also have continuity on only 3,6,8,14,4(though i dont think i should have cont to ground on any pins except the grounds or any ohms for that matter, correct me f i am wrong) my reading on 14, 4 and 3 range from 600 to 1100 with my meter switched to cont depending on when i test them, like i test it says 600 then 1 sec later test again it says 900 test again it says 1100 etc.
then every pin on the main connector has cont to ground, and #1,6,8 have no value when ohmed out all others has crazy readings, i can test again and get numbers if that helps out. i dunno if what i did can help anyone help me but i was just trying to do as much as i could to troubleshoot. here are some pics also:
one is of a wire i found the was kinda on one of my head bolt studs, but it may have been just sitting there, in the back kinda you can see my braided ground strap where is that supposed to be?(couple weeks ago i had the engine swapped and that wasnt reattached) then there are pics of my meter just to make sure i have them set right, i think the first os what i had it set for volts(which was giving me an accurate reading to the batt and the hood light
then there is a pic of what i had it set to for continuity testing and for ohm testing
i know this was a crap load of probably useles pics and info but i thought id try anyway, it doesnt really seem to be the cluster itself though, is there a way to test it? can i just ground it and apply voltage to one of the points? i replaced the fuse with a 10amp, i heard its apposed to be a 10 anyway, but its not blown anymore. i can replace the cluster and see if it blows but right now with the cluster out and driving it doesnt blow, errrrrrrrrgh!!!!!
just to toss in another wrench, my coolant temp seems to stay at 200 ish, when it was at 185-190 normally, before it went out it would wave all around on the gauge. also my oil pressure gauge reads like 15-20 all the time whether idle or ***** to the wall, i could test the pressure manually but im 99% sure its gauge related.
Last edited by heepinforChrist; 04-18-2012 at 08:58 PM. Reason: wrong
04-19-2012, 06:59 AM
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the title summarizes it, i read alot of guys posting "summarized" issues then guys freak on them for not giving enough info, i just thought it be better to give too much then not enough, all the info needed is there. but i have an update, last night i pulled my kick panel off and investigated, found a little black box with prongs(was just chillin there) that just happen to fit into a spot next to my fuse panel, when i plugged it in my door buzzer went off(i dont really remember that happening but watev) plugged my gauge cluster in and voila!! worked, now i have a horrible buzzing when my driver door is open but gauges work so were good! almost, when i was under there i saw a spot where a ground wire was.... what is supposed to be grounded to the body wall behind the kick panel, didnt see any wires but saw the screw with the wire connector on it
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