Digital Dash Repair

Jimbuick

Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2015
So, had the Buick sitting for quite some time (took the diff apart, fill plug stripped by previous owner, bought wrong TA cover, had some other expenses come up, etc) and finally got everything back together on Thursday.


Battery was dead, but she started right up with a jump. Disconnected the jumper cables, and she immediately died.



Figured it had to be the alternator but it showed OK when I had it tested at O'Reillys. Put it back together and turn the key, notice the volt light isn't coming on. Took the dash apart but wasn't able to get it all of the way off (couldn't get the wires disconnected from the back).


Replaced the bulbs and everything looked good when I jumped her again. When I closed the hood she died again. Figured I wasn't getting a good connection so I tried holding the dash in while my wife closed the hood and she stayed up and running this time.


I found that the sheeting on the back of the dash piece is peeling in some places though, and I can't imagine that will be a good thing. I'm not well versed with electronic systems (I hate them, actually) so I don't even know what that is LOL.



Will sending the whole unit out to Caspers be my best bet? I know they fix the connections (and will upgrade the chip to the 199 version) but I'm not sure about that sheeting because I don't even know what it is. I can tell from the way the lights are that it has to disperse power somehow, since only the engine light seems to have independent wiring.


What do you guys think? I was originally thinking about just trying to clean the connections on the lights, but with that sheeting the way it is I don't know that will last long, assuming it works at all....
 
I hate struggling with the cluster. Maybe it's because of my fat hands. Lol. Because of that and other known cluster issues I would choose to pull it just once and send it to John at Caspers and let him know your concerns. When you get it back not only will you be able to read above 85 mph but you can feel confident you probably won't have to pull it again in your lifetime.
 
I hate struggling with the cluster. Maybe it's because of my fat hands. Lol. Because of that and other known cluster issues I would choose to pull it just once and send it to John at Caspers and let him know your concerns. When you get it back not only will you be able to read above 85 mph but you can feel confident you probably won't have to pull it again in your lifetime.
That's what I was thinking.


They will replace that electrical sheeting on the back, right?

I tried calling but they're closed, so I'll have to try again Monday to find out, but it would be nice to get some confirmation before that.


I agree with the cluster comment 100%. Taking it off yesterday was a huge PITA, and I still didn't get it all the way off like I'll have to do today.
 
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