Baldfart

Did mine this morning. Couldn't believe how easy the fix was. Once the unit was out it took no more than five minutes. This forum sure helps me save money!

nnicholas

Awesome....This forum builds confidence in doing a lot of the work ourselves too

RichAshley-Black99

Did mine saturday, all I can say is easy breezy, no more then 5 min with my soldering iron. Thanks!!!

Sportsman2003

I was going to send my heater control in until I found this thread.

I did the fix and the display is shinning like new!

Thanks for posting this up.

dogboy

Ca you use a 30W gun or is it only the 25W ?

CactusCat

I think I've heard this somewhere else... "Size doesn't matter, it's how you use it".
You can use the 30w gun just fine. Just don't go crazy. Use as little heat as possible to resolder. Be quick, let it cool. Then move to the next one.

dogboy

Got it thanks

Koiler

I just bought my c5 last weekend knowing that it had this problem. This thread gave me the confidence that I'd be able to easily fix the display. I'm happy to report the display is shining bright again. Thanks to this great thread and all the fine forum members!

nnicholas

It is awesome....I just paid for a year dues to get deeper into the threads. Worth every penny.

DC2000

Well I just did the soldering hope it turns out okay all my solder points just balled up like little beads but seems to be holding. Does that mean not enough heat? The only soldering I've done is some at home plumbing. Makes me want to put flux on there. Also my board is the one where there are two rows of 4 right next to each other very close and the solder down the inside left one is touching the solder from inside right one in one spot is that an issue does anyone know?

tstar

Flux is a great idea... just make sure you clean it up afterwards!! Balling up usually means too much solder, especially if the component is stuck down to pads... it won't hurt anything as long it doesn't create a short. Which brings us smoothly to our last point YES it is a problem that your solder is touching!!!! Remove the bulk of your solder with wicking or a solder sucker...

Tim

nnicholas

You can also try tinting your soldering iron with solder first. This will help the solder flow smoothly as it follows the heat transfer.

DC2000

Well to say my soldering job was ugly is an understatement but for anyone nervous about trying this guess what? My display is working perfectly again woo-hoo!
Thanks to all who contributed here!

ssbowtie1

Fixed my dim display but in the process of handling the HVAC 3 bulbs burnt out on the display...time to decide if I should replace the bad bulbs or go LED!

mikecampi

thanks for the help........I'm doing it saturday morning.....

cyberbo2004

Add me to the list of successful fixers of this problem. It took me a couple of hours between getting the console off, soldering and putting the unit back, re-installing the console and cleaning up my tools.

The additional power supply that looks like a cigarette lighter was turned in the socket enough that I couldn't see the retaining clip. Used a kind of hook awl and was able to pull the retain clip so it would disengage. Also, the passenger air bag indicator wiring wouldn't disconnect easily so that was a little frustrating.

I tried the cold heat solder iron from RS but had to get a traditional pointed iron at 15 watts with some wire solder. I don't think there's a good way to make a neat solder look to the surface-mount resistors. Mine looked as ugly as others but the unit works.

Thanks to the guys that detailed this. It saved money and down time.

Dcollins3208

Another huge thanks. Took me about 1.5 hours from breaking everything down to reassembling this afternoon. used a cheap 30watt plug-in solder I bought from wal-mart for $9, came with the solder and soldering iron, worked great. My soldering looked ugly, but who cares it works now

C5NORTHTX

Thanks for this post, guys. After much debate I decided to make this is a DIY project (sorta) and easily managed to remove the bezel. I took the AC display to a local electric specialist who charged me $30 to fix the connections. I showed the electrician this post which made it his work fast and easy. Thanks again, folks!

axman

Fix worked like a charm, thanks!

Dautilus

Great fix, now the numbers are readable during daytime. My 241's were in two rows of four, and the soldering was a challenge, as I have big fingers, but they ended up refixed and the thing works now.
Thanks