grapidssteve

I have the dreaded digital dash that goes completely dark. Sometimes it lights up, sometimes not, sometimes it is lit and then goes dark while riding down the road. I have tried the jumper wire on the board, but my electrical skills are less than competent.

I also have wipers that don't want to seem to work.

Can this issue be related? A bad common ground?

Last night I found the G201 ground near the door pillar inside the carpet and cleaned the contact surfaces really good with a dremel. The ground on the back of the engine is as clean as it will ever be because the engine was just rebuilt.

So I'm finished with a complete engine rebuild and tranny swap and these issues are now causing problems. The dash issue was present prior to this, but the wiper motor was replaced a couple of years ago with a good used unit and was working fine prior to pulling the motor. They have cycled once since the motor was reinstalled. The wiper motor was stored in an unused garage fridge (had enough room for beer in the kitchen fridge) the last 10-11 months.

Any guidance will be a big help. I have the service manual and thought with the G201 cleaning I was in good shape. I thought wrong.

Thanks for any and all replies.

Steve

SCCA VETTE

You need a service manual and see if they share anything in common. Without some research I am no help however if you end up needing a cluster for a 85 I will be removing all the interior from mine and it is working fine. Let me know if you do need it and we will work something out.
Phil

grapidssteve

I do have the service manual, and they do share G201, but that didn't solve it. Unless the issue is further up the wire.

Phil, I'm interested in your's once its available. I'm north of you, so mine will be being put into hibernation in a month or so.

Can you email me at amcsolutions@comcast.net regarding this?

Thanks,

Steve

powerpigz-51

I am guessing, but I don't think the problems are related. Your dash probably needs the pins resoldered on the boards. You will need to disassemble the cluster to do this. It is not hard, go to Batee.com for detailed instructions.

jfb

If G201 were the problem, then both problems would occur at the same time. If they don't occur simultaneously, then you will have to troubleshoot them separately. One problem wipers has is intermittent poor connections in the door control. The switch/speed control could use a spray of contact cleaner, I have to jiggle or move my wiper controls back and forth to get the wipers to work sometimes. Go through the diagnostic procedure in your electrical diagnosis service manual. If you don't have one, I can scan it and send it to you.

megtom2

Not sure if the 85 is the same as our 86 but we had the same problem. Wipers not working and the dash screwing up. Ground G104 on the engine block was the problem.

tdr1919

I had the dark dash and unfortunately after more than 2 years has come back, not as bad but sometimes flickers off.
The original cure was going over each PC board in the display with a good temperature controlled solder iron, flux and new clean solder. I systematically heated and soldered anything that looked like a cold solder joint, (using a large magnifier).
wipers - mine had control issues, changed the switch didnt help. what worked is cleaning the contact point of where the case of the motor
contacts the base part, and a wire is actually connected to the scew securing the cover, clean this (and all connectors!) with electrical contact cleaner (R shack) and the mating surface of the wiper cover.
Everthing now works as intended. Spray the ribbon connectors on the dash display also. Bad grounding is the nemisis with these cars.
Tom

grapidssteve

The engine has just been through a complete rebuild. That would hopefully eliminate the G104 since that is about as clean as it can be.

The wipers did cycle and work this morning, so at least I know the switch isn't bad (could use cleaning maybe, but it has been replaced within the last 3-5 years) and the motor does work. That being said, I'm less than confident that they will turn on/off when I need them. I'm thinking that with all the moving in and out of parts with the engine re-assembly that possibly the connection at the bottom of the wiper motor isn't in there very good. It is an incredibly tight fit back there.

The dash was on for 10 minutes this morning (about 40* here in MI) and then went dark. After about 3-5 minutes it came back on for another 10, then dark until I shut it off at work (about another 10 minutes). It goes on/off on its own, doesn't really coencide with any bumps or anything that I can point to. I'm thinking the cold solder work is warranted, but I'd be more inclined to switch to a working unit (I've struggled with this through my 9 years of owning this car) and then either try it over the winter or let someone else tackle it by selling it with full disclosure.