GM Chevy Truck Cluster Diag & Repair Tutorial

[@markshafron-vg1vj]

My 20 year old daughter who is just now studying automotive technology in college, followed your instructions regarding no PRNDL display found three resistors that had separated, re-soldered them and low and behold, PRNDL is back, so thanks. She told me she could do it but I was skecptable, and so I was proved wrong, so thanks for your help.

[@LethalMercury]

Same happened to my ‘04 Silverado. Had circuit board medics fix mine. New LED blueish green backlights, new stepper motors, resolder PRNDL, and added a trans temp gauge, all for about $250.00! Very happy with the work, and it’s been about 4 years with no problems!

[@rickjones6798]

If your vehicle don't come with a trans temperature do you have to add wiring from your transmission to your gauger however it's connected for the trans temperature to work

[@LethalMercury]

@@rickjones6798 not on my truck. The sensor and wiring were already there since the computer already monitors the trans and can put a “trans hot” message on the display. Circuit board medic just added a gauge motor and needle so I can monitor it all the time. This was on my 04 Silverado, other trucks could be different.

[@ainstaink8312]

There is an easier way to realign the needles. What you need is a connector that plugs in the back (get one from a junkyard) and apply 12V I cant remember which wires but if you look at the schematic you will see which 2 wires. Once you apply the power, each stepper motor goes to the bottom RESET position and then based on the EEPROM value stored in the cluster goes to NULL or ZERO position. The stepper motors get "locked" in that position for about 20 seconds but that gives you enough time to perfectly position the needle. Repeat for each stepper motor. It is important to look from the same angle that you will be looking at the cluster when installed in vehicle or they will be visually off. I replaced all the stepper motors and all 10 light bulbs on 2006 Chevy Trailblazer, which is basically the same as the one you are working on. If one or two bulbs died, the other ones are near the end of the life too. I have a professional soldering station with very fine point which helps with this job.

[@drewf5391]

NULL and ZERO on the speedometer and tachometer are very different.. without marking the true position the needle was in when you removed it, chances are your speedo is now off. this can be remediated by unlocking the car in hptuners and using a gps to adjust the speedo, chances are it was incorrect from the factory anyway

[@jeffescortlx]

Couple things to add to save some people some head ache: When plugging the bare board back into the truck, don't let the board touch any of the brackets or fasteners. Those will be grounded and can cause shorts and blow out components. The microprocessor is static sensitive so follow ESD rules. And like the others have said, just replace all the back lighting bulbs and stepper motors, other wise you'll be right back in soon chasing problems.

[@LBZDreamer]

Love your repair video's

[@wesleydetrickd.c.5440]

can an instrument/cluster have a short that causes battery drain? when I reconnect the ground cable to the battery there is moderate sparking and the oil pressure gauge jumps

[@jeffescortlx]

@@wesleydetrickd.c.5440 seeing a spark isn't a good indication of continuous current draw. Install a current meter in the fuse location to monitor the key off draw.

[@for2utube]

If you have a bulb or two burned out just replace all of them. They all age at the same rate. When you bump a bulb and it lights again you've fused the filament together again, but it'll be shorter so draw more current. It'll last a few months, then burn out again.

[@JackMoveShawty]

Thanks for the tips. I replaced some bulbs & stepper motors 2 days ago without really knowing what I was doing. My bulbs didn't work but after watching this video I learned a few things. 1, I didn't know the bubs came out of the little blue holders. I simply trimmed them and soldered them back to the board. Plus the bulbs I replaced were a different shape & color. know that I know they can go back into the blue holder I can go back & retry to place them. 2, the resistors need to be checked because my entire light cluster does not work except for a few bulbs. I didn't know or think to check those. I thought I would have to either buy a new cluster or send it in to get repaired. Thanks for the great video, I made sure to subscribe to the channel because I have a 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada and you have a lot of great info

[@jamesprashuk7724]

Good job. Nicely done. Better than most here on you tube. Often my time is wasted on many of these tutorials.

[@victorv4340]

in case anyone is interested the needles are called pointers. I retired from the place that made the cluster. I was a stock chaser

[@willz316879]

Also you don't have to take the gauge face off that just creates more headaches in the end once you get the needles off all you have to do is pop the back cover off and take the PCB board out

[@walkingwithdogs8547]

I love your ethos for such a young guy if you can fix it you will, instead of O you need a new part. I'm old school and if i can fix it i will saves the customer money. Happy customer the more your reputation goes up the more people come to you. No need to advertise your work does if for you.

[@superatrain]

Using that butane iron for surface mount is about as painful as replacing a clutch using only an adjustable wrench and a hammer. Please consider a $50-100 temperature controlled iron. Soldering will be much easier, create more reliable and consistent joints, and be significantly less likely to cause damage to components and boards. Right tool for the job, and all that.

[@pleasecho2]

TS-100 is portable. Hands down best soldering iron

[@toddsonic]

You can get a decent soldering iron for a reasonable price. That being said you seem to be comfortable with what you are using, I would recommend a iron stand with the sponge in it's base to make it a bit easier for you. Dampen the sponge and you'll find it easier to keep you solder tip clean. Oh and a flux pen would be advantageous too when trying to reflow the old solder, I hate leadfree solder...

[@skiplazauski1497]

Use of 'lead free' solder used in surface mounted devices and hand soldering will crack overtime. Suggest reflowing all solder joints. A pain I know but this will avoid call backs. Suggestion - DUMP the butane heat club and get a variable wattage iron as suggested below. All the best, Dr. Skip

[@nevillegoddard4966]

I gotta agree with you Skip - lead free solder just aint as reliable as the old-school lead solder. I was biting my nails too watching Ivan with that blowtorch!

[@frenchonion4595]

They use lead free from the factory i think. EPA regulations and all that. They are known for the cracking you speak of

[@jrwall]

Wow! The best and most thorough video on this topic! Very helpful to me and my 05 GMC!

[@zoidberg444]

Top notch repair Ivan. I wonder how many techs would actually bother with this kind of repair! Seems like a waste to replace the whole unit over a few stepper motors, 2 bulbs and a few bad traces. The other week i fixed a Siemens servo motor on a CNC for a friend of mine. Service engineer wanted to replace it. All it was, was some bad traces on the board for the motor brake.

[@du4-fpv777]

Awesome video. Thanks. Some helpful advice from a custom drone builder, your Soldering skills would be leveled up with a "ts100" Soldering iron and a wet Sponge to clean the tip. You will be in love with it and wouldn't turn back.

[@PaulCTownsend]

Your soldering skills are much better than mine.

[@bigrockk2980]

As a GMC (2007) 2500HD owner thank you, thank you! My PRNDL is ok but the info below it is so dim I can't read it most of the time. Going to try this fix. Thanks Ivan, this is a hugh help. Going to try the soup one of these days as well!

[@RAWRMotorsports]

I think this you are the best automotive electritian ive seen on youtube ! Alot to be learned on this channel ! Been following a couple years now

[@pleasecho2]

It's nice when a handy internet video can lead to a solid fix. I know I rely on these as well. But after a while you learn that they aren't always helpful and in some cases a multitude of agreement by the Internet Experts is still not the answer. Such was the case with a 2005 Chevy Astro and the infamous ABS problem. "Redo a couple solder joints on the module" was the consensus but it was not the fix. 3 independent shops and 2 dealers later it's still unsolved

[@leskluzinski3534]

Just wanted to let you know that was an awesome video watched it last night pulled my cluster out and resoldered those resistors on my 05 suburban and now I have a prndl thank you so much 🤙🏼😎

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Nice 👍👌😁

[@wyattoneable]

I'll remember this video if my cluster ever acts up. My Chevy truck is 12 years old so I'll keep an eye out for this issue and thanks to you, I'll have the confidence to attack it.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

It's not a question of "if" but "when" ;)

[@jhunts782]

Ivan, Watched the video last night, this morning tackled my daughters '04 Suburban. Using the slight tug method, two resistors came loose. A couple of quick solders, good as new. Thanks.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Glad you got it back on track, John! I hope your daughter appreciated your efforts as well :)

[@50thCenturyBillyTurkeyDay]

not John billy

[@jhunts782]

B i l l y M e r r i l l “not John?”

[@Blazer02LS]

Nice repair. The brown on the CB masking is from the illumination bulbs. Take apart an old display and you will see where the bulbs make the board turn almost black. Next time you folks go shopping get a couple cheap COPPER pot scrubbers at the dollar store. Stick one into the weighted bottom of a can with some silicone. When you solder just stick the tip in there and rotate/withdraw and the old crusty crud will be gone.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

Yeah the problem with doing that Blazer, is that the abrasion will eventually wear off the iron plating from today's modern soldering iron tips. Once that happens, EVERY single soldering joint you make with that tip from that point onwards will eat away some copper from the tip. Eventually you'll end up with a hollow tip with craters of copper eaten away, & just the iron plating remaining. I find the best way to keep a soldering iron tip clean is to just wipe it (often) on a piece of dry rag or paper towel. As has been mentioned before, a wet cloth or paper towel applies too much thermal shock to the tip, which is no good for it either.

[@Blazer02LS]

@@nevillegoddard4966 Not a big deal for me as tips are consumable items and I don't see any more real world wear with either method. Might also depend on the tips you use and how well you keep them tinned.

[@papergatorzfedducca7998]

I came to your channel looking for a way to fix my parasitic draw caused by my cluster but I still love the video!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥 THUMBS UP AND NEW SUBSCRIBER!!!

[@eddiegonzalez5775]

Did you ever figure that out I’m trying to see if the stepper motor is causing the parasitic draw on a hummer h2 but before I replace it I’m trying to figure out what part of the cluster is causing the parasitic draw

[@papergatorzfedducca7998]

@@eddiegonzalez5775 my radio was staying on. But I did replace my stepper motors.

[@tchello210]

Thanks for this video, I was able to repair my gauge cluster in under a half hour

[@wyley87]

Hey Ivan not sure if you can get one for your iron but I've found that chisel tips work really well. They help get better heat into your joint weather it be wire or surface mount components.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Great tip (no pun intended)!

[@shuriKen469]

nice tutorial! had to replace all stepper motors and bulbs (went with blue leds) in my '05 earlier this year. will have to go back in for the prndl goin dim though. gotta diy when it's an accessible and simple project.

[@DustInTheWindAZ]

I've decided to go with blue incandescents, but I have another question: It looks like there are 4 soldering points under each bulb seat; how to you know which pair of to use. Obviously you'd want to watch which ones it came off of, but in case you didn't catch that...

[@JoeJDiaz-sh8dl]

Thank you for making this video. Now I know what I need to do to fix the few issues. Again, THANK YOU!

[@0rangevale]

I had the same problem with my 04 2500HD many years ago. I received a recall notice from GM saying they will replace the cluster on vehicles with 70,000 miles or less. I had 75,000 and they replaced it under there "loyalty" program. I'm told it was due to a bad ground within the unit.

[@robinsonsmotorcycleandauto3929]

Hello Ivan great video I don't understand why you don't have more subscribers you do great videos. Well no matter I will always watch you guys I really enjoy watching your thought process

[@eldoradony]

A good channel gains subscribers like a rolling snowball grows. I found SMA when it had 1200 subs and its about to crack 100K! I predict Ivan and you will do the same.

[@steveyuan1626]

Robinson's Auto Diagnostics I

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Hey Mike, it was great to see you at the ASA training this past weekend! It's all about the right combination of Quality and Quantity...the goal is to have both :)

[@armandonika]

+Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics you definitely have both Ivan 😉

[@50thCenturyBillyTurkeyDay]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics hey ivan

[@kenman1717]

I just replaced mine in my '03 this past spring, I had no PRNDL forever, and some of the back lighting didn't work, didn't bother me, but suddenly the cluster would just go dead while I was driving. sometimes it would come back with a key cycle sometimes not. at first it only happened a couple times, then It was happening every time I was in the truck. I made the decision to replace it, if It was just a gauge or two I would have did the stepper motors. It was only like $580(Canadian) parts and programing.

[@Madskills-hw2ox]

@kenman 1717 You have a link for the Canadian store, and do you think they sell the stepper motor and bulb set. Thanks in advance my friend

[@kenman1717]

@@Madskills-hw2ox i got mine from a Chevy dealer, i don't think they sell the stepper motors, pretty sure they come aftermarket.

[@Madskills-hw2ox]

@@kenman1717 Thank you 👍🏻👍🏻

[@billneu9520]

What a great video you saved someone hundreds for a rebuilt dash Thanks for your videos keep up the great work

[@nevillegoddard4966]

Hi Ivan. Good video but not great. You forgot to tin the wires of the little globes first, therefore you cannot say you reflowed them. You only just tacked them. Hopefully they wont become dry joints in the future! You should have used a solder sucker to remove the solder from the board before fitting the lamps, & then you should have tinned only one of the pads. By tinning both you prevented the lamp from sitting flat on the board, then you had to visit the 2nd pad again to push the bulb down squarely. That's the wrong way to do it. In the end it looks to me like like you had soldering on lamps & pads about 5 times longer than you should have. Every time you have to apply the iron to the joint you evaporate more of the flux. Without flux, oxides can form. Also, you could have used silicon to secure the lamps in the little blue lampholders. This may stop the globes from rattling in the holders, & perhaps extend their lives. I saw the stepper motor leads loose as a dick in a shirtsleeve. Did this not give you a hint? Why didn't you glue the motors down with a coupla dots of non-ascetic silicon? The motors obviously rattled themselves loose, so why didn't you secure them? How much of this - "replacing the stepper motors in the instrument cluster" caper is actually replacing perfectly fine stepper motors that have just shaken loose from their mountings AAND their electrical connections? Please don't use a pick to check the security of surface-mount components? You could have very easily torn the metal foil contact off the ends of that resistor, rendering it useless. Or you could have so easily torn a track off the board. Buy a 5x magnifying monacle. You'll be able to see any cracks in the solder joints. You spent much too long with your iron touching those smd resistors as well. Don't piss around trying to push solder around the component - desolder the end with a solder sucker, then apply new solder (which has new flux) to the joint. The new solder & flux will flow into the joint like water. Where was your little blue soldering iron? It would have been ideal for this job. And by the way, there's no way 'little blue' is a 65 watt iron. It's more like a 25 watt. More Chinese specification lies. Use the right iron for the right job, especially for tutorial videos. Sorry mate, you didn't do real good this time! Very rare!

[@AP9311]

Ivan!! This is awesome video! Thanks so much! I need to do replace my stepper motors on my suburban. I have the same cluster as this. This is absolutely helpful! Now, I'll get busy ordering new stepper motors and stuff. Follow your video to a T. You got many thumbs up from me!! Cheers!

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Hey Josh, that makes my day that this info will be helpful :) Let me know how your cluster rebuild goes! It's actually a fun process.

[@AP9311]

Hey Ivan, went very well. Followed your video how to replace my stepper motors. I bought the butane iron like yours off eBay, same for the stepper. The gages work great! No more crazy jumping gages and oil pressure gage going bad. All is well!! Success!!!

[@0rangevale]

My 2004 2500 HD cluster was replaced by the dealer due to a recall. Although I was 5k miles out of the warranty they did not charge us. I'll I had was 0 oil pressure display. I was told they had a bad ground.

[@Nudnik1]

Gonna change lamps dash cluster in my Chevy van asap Thanks . Excellent 👌

[@Doomarious]

Excellent instruction video. Thanks so much for taking the time to teach others. I'm going to work on my PRDL.

[@haywardsautomotive6156]

Nice repair Ivan. Saved sending out the IPC for repair.

[@DaveSender66]

Awesome timing for this video Ivan!!!!! I am having issues with my display .

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Awesome! Let me know if you get it fixed, Dave!

[@chrismayette3719]

A lil bit of masking tape behind the needles before you pull the needles off. Mark the location of the needles and when you go to put them back on no guessing..and they are right where they were when you started!

[@kenpoguy28]

I suppose if I could pile on I would say to test everything before reassembly so you don’t have to take it all apart again. That also seems like a better time to put the needles back on so you can make sure you get them lined up with 0.

[@opl500]

Welcome to the wonderful world of surface mount

[@blockbertus]

Cracked solder joints can also happen with through hole componends.

[@JoseloPezoa]

great video ,just wanted to hear more about p. drain that could also occur!! i got the light and battery drain issues!

[@johnaclark1]

First! And you're using the DS708. Love it! Autel just gave away free updates through Dec 2017 if your DS708 expired after Jan 2015. Just got mine updated this week. Was a nice surprise

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Free updates?? Cool, sign me up :)

[@johnaclark1]

Your subscription had to have expired after 1/1/15 to get an update. It's still obsolete since they've said no more updates after Dec 2017, though. I'm still pretty thrilled since I picked up my DS708 on Craigslist, complete, for $225 in 2016 with a 2015 update. Just make sure you have a backup card in case anything happens. I don't update my existing card but, rather, put a new card in the scanner, fire it up until it errors, then pull the card out and put it in my laptop and fire up the PCLink software. Then I download all the software fresh and keep the old card as a backup.

[@troublesomez24]

Make sure that free update isn't actually a free bricking! They have been in court A LOT lately because you use unlicensed coding in the scanners. The free updates might remove certain features which brings them into compliance.

[@johnaclark1]

Mach One That's why you always use a new SD card, keep the old card as a backup, and don't update through the tool. Some devices were bricked while updating via the tool over wifi but it was due to a device networking update of some kind. I have the fix for that but haven't experienced it. Regardless, updates are free if your device expired after 1/1/2015. The update gave me GM up through 2017 so it's worth the trouble as previously I only had up to 2014. That's all I've tested so far.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

That's great advice to keep the spare SD card with the original software. Mine is upgraded to 2014 so not sure if it's eligible. My theory about tools and cars is "if it works, don't touch it" haha

[@baxrok2.]

Illuminating information Ivan. Well done. Thanks!

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

That was my goal here...just a simple and clear DIY summary for the millions of Chevy truck owners out there :)

[@tomdewey9907]

Ivan, you should have just put a small "dot" with a Sharpie on the faceplate for alignment at the tip each gauge needle in the CCW position. Easy peasy and no guess work. My 2 cents worth. I did this for my 2002 Impala when I had to replace various burned out cluster lamps.

[@tomdewey9907]

Actually, their a bunch of YT vids how to exactly place the gauge needles back out there. A better way is to make the Sharpie mark on pieces of Scotch tape; that way you don't leave any marks on the gauge faceplate.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Great tip, Tom!

[@jamesu]

I use blue safe release masking tape and mark positions on that before I pull the needles.

[@thomasboissy3560]

Joe it’s time to have him on. We want to hear your discussion with him.

[@jasonbrown467]

the glass on both mine and yours looks burnt just to the left of "p" of park, mine is acting crazy too, so i am trying to poke around and learn a bit. also i have the "dic" and its right most corner looks burnt too.

[@Cowboy_Ash]

The oil pressure gauge went to about 3/4 once and almost to the max another time. Looks like bad motor. You can see it in the video.

[@deankay4434]

Ash, To properly diagnose the actual issue, you have to use an actual hose and gauge. These circuits work off of 5 volts, so any resistance, terminal, wire or erratic sensor maybe the root cause. I know it's been a couple of years, now May 2020, in the middle of "Wu-Flu" and the world has gone crazy. Being retired has benefits, but I walked into a home improvement store today and was told to leave because I didn't have a face mask on. Yep, NE in Omaha with strangely 78 Covid related passing, but zero due to flu. Seems odd! Hope all is well Sir. ASE Master Tech since 1978.

[@ainstaink8312]

Did you know that GM does not use actual pressure gauge with variable resistance...they display the number but it is based of the engine RPM. In other words your gauge does not display the actual oil pressure. Shame on GM for cheating like this.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@@deankay4434 Bloody face diapers! Before this bs spikeflu, the only time I ever saw anyone wear one, was medics just before or after surgery, & those working in dusty environments. If you think a face mask will stop a flu virus, then you'll believe a cyclone wire fence will keep mosquitoes out! FLICK the masks!

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@@ainstaink8312 Sounds like bs to me Ainstain. Who told you that?

[@ainstaink8312]

@@nevillegoddard4966 my friemd who is an Engineer at GM.

[@keltheb]

what about the lights for the cruise control, high beam, etc? Looked like it had zero oil pressure on startup.

[@stephendee7839]

Suggestion: place your camera to your left or in front of you. Because you are right handed, a lot of the video detail is obscured by your right hand.

[@kevin9c1]

I have the same soldering iron! Actually two. I bought one after I thought I lost the first. I made that one my permanent mini-torch.

[@freemanlincoln4126]

Excellent presentation as always!! You should get a wet sponge to clean your soldering iron. The steam does an excellent job removing the oxidation and helps keep your solder joint contamination free. A little alcohol cleanup on the solder joint is recommended after soldering to remove the flux so it doesn't corrode the joint and cause a poor connection over time. If anyone is interested, there's a series of soldering videos from an instructor at a local tech school in Charleston, SC who is NASA certified. Here's the link to his soldering tutorial series. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoTRgIpoi8l2iqs

[@JVerschueren]

No no no... the heat shock from using a wet sponge wears out the catalyst block (the bit that glows orange) in the tip prematurely. Dry cleaning tool only for butane powered soldering irons.

[@victorgutierrez5826]

my cluster isn't working, I thought that I had to send my cluster to you for repair, I said that because I trust more on you than in other places on the Internet that look "like "SCAMMERS"" or you can recommend a TRUST place where I can send my old cluster for repair?

[@RAWRMotorsports]

That soldering iron is sweet .. Never seen a sucker one like that

[@marty0715yt]

Don't see your antistatic mat there Ivan!!! Cheap , easy practice to follow, also ground strap to your wrist!! Good Job tho. Like them thar vijaoes!!

[@kaiosda1]

year 2023 and I'm here trying to resolve my panel, I hope I can do this service at home.

[@greggonzalez2858]

thank you for your time,can the odometer also be repaired?I have owend my truck for many years,would love to see it reach 5oo,ooo miles.

[@ericcorse]

Ivan do you know if the numbers on the resistors are Ohms or a part number?

[@nevillegoddard4966]

Hi Eric. The 240 on the resistor he resoldered should mean it's a 24 ohm resistor. The first 2 numbers are the value, & the 3rd is the multiplier. So there are no zeroes!

[@paulhaines5755]

I look to put my gas gauge needle back on waaayy above full. Never run out of gas! Saves me so much $.

[@johndent7625]

Hey, I have a bad oil stepper gauge and no PRDN display. I also have a significant parasitic drain form the cluster, do u know what causes the drain and is it easily fix like resolder loose connection?

[@SmittySmithsonite]

Great vid! Would've never guessed what could've caused the dim PRNDL. Man, do automakers SUCK today or what?!? Cluster in my '72 El Camino was 100% OE, 30 years after it left the showroom, and everything worked! Also miss the 194 bulbs that you could just PULL OUT by HAND, and replace in 10 seconds ... I did a '05 Mustang cluster a few years back. Very easy - even easier than the GM trucks. Just removing the cluster from the dash wasn't as easy. Nice moneymaker though. :) Only had to replace the speedometer stepper motor. Everything else was good.

[@ozzstars_cars]

Did Eric O. hide some of his chirping crickets under the owners hood of that truck? Dang

[@DustInTheWindAZ]

IT's been a few years since you posted this... It looks like the replacement bulbs are incandescent; can these bulbs be replaced with LEDs? Any caveats to doing that (like having to replace ALL of them)? I don't need the stepper motors, and the only "bulbs only" kit has LEDs.

[@joenel60]

I would put a small piece of blue painters tape under the tips of the needles and mark the positions to get them exact.

[@parexc07]

Might as well get a G-Shock, Nice detailed job on the dash board fix, I think you just cut out a lot of 3rd party repair shops, people will feel a lot more confident on taking this job on them self's...

[@jenervillabad3098]

Well done and very informative..thanks for this video! From🇸🇽

[@maxvolovich9407]

You have s bench make a test bench. I had to close my eyes. Nothing like grounding the bourd to make sparks. I have done cluster repair lights and steppers. But I always put the cluster back together first to prevent possible shortcomings of the cluster.

[@davidhatzenbuhler6888]

You don't have to un-clip and pull the plastic face off the carrier. Just pull off the white assembly with the face installed.

[@ernestomonge7726]

EXCELLENT One question. what kind of Autel you use? Thanks

[@stephensams709]

Delco/Delphi electronics have always been notorious for bad solder joints. I wish I had a dollar for every radio, etc. that I have repaired just by re-flowing bad solder joints. There is really no excuse for a company to have this poor of quality. I still drive GM cars, but they still have the same problems. Luckily, I'm an electronic tech and can repair them myself : )

[@NewLevelAuto]

Ahhh man now I have to put one out too 😩

[@robinsonsmotorcycleandauto3929]

New Level Auto Yeah you do lol

[@DaveSender66]

New Level Auto Come on Keith. Let's see you and Rocco diagnose a good one !!!!!

[@robinsonsmotorcycleandauto3929]

DaveSender66 Oh I know he's got a good one but not sure if he's going to record it.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Yeah let's do it Keith! Don't tell me it's going to be a 5-minute vid on a Hummer H2 low-power complaint xD

[@robinsonsmotorcycleandauto3929]

Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics Hey Ivan do you sell your shirts I forgot to ask you in Pennsylvania I would like to buy one if you do.

[@28704joe]

Excellent camera work, thank you.

[@rollingrockfan2482]

Great video on the repair well done! Combining a lot of different repairs into one

[@mtebaldi1]

How were the WT and the OPG gauges after your test drive for needle sweep with your BDS?

[@robinsonsauto]

Great fix ivan, valuable video this is very common 👍 thanks for sharing

[@blockbertus]

I saw SolidDiagnostics using some masking tape and making a mark of the needle on that masking tape (which he stuck on the face of the tach).

[@leedress2187]

get a pair of snips man!!! and a wet sponge for your soldering iron will change your life. cleans all the carbon and sludge that build up on it. nice work!

[@johnz.2907]

My 03' Escalade has same problem, the oil pressure sensor at the back of the engine went bad at around 170,000 miles. They're a bish to replace, so that may never work again. Lol 219,000 strong. Currently trying to solve the parasitic drain at 1.3Amps. Im going with delay shut down module to the right of the speedometer motor. Lol

[@spelunkerd]

Before I make a video, I scan what is available, to decide whether I can improve on what is already out there. In that sense your video is a great disappointment, since I honestly couldn't do better than this. Excellent work! Some have remarked that they would have replaced everything while they were in there, reminiscent of the pro vs amateur approach. The pro is concerned about the extra price and double labor cost of a callback, not to mention the hit on reputation, so he replaces extra parts as a form of insurance. The amateur doesn't pay for labor and can easily go back, so he can afford to replace only what is needed, leaving money in his wallet for later if needed. He insures himself. Most of us tend to the latter approach, and I really like the method and quality teaching here. By the way, I always thought that LED lights were polarity sensitive. When replacing bulbs, do you need to pay attention to polarity?

[@Hodggoblin]

yes the polarity is important check for the position of the flat side of the bulb that you take out and put the new one in the same position

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@@Hodggoblin No, mate. You're absolutely wrong! There is no polarity on those little grain-of-wheat bulbs at all. I promise. I've been an electronics tech for 35 years.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

You're right spelunkerd but it looks like you get enough bits in the packet to replace all the little globes & all the stepper motors, so why not replace them all? As has already been said, all the little bulbs glow at the same time, so all have the same number of hours of operation. If any have not blown, they are probly not far away from being blown anyway, & who wants to have to get back in there with all the fiddly bits again?

[@Hodggoblin]

@@nevillegoddard4966 Indeed the bulbs in the video appear to be incandescent bulbs. However, spelunkered asked about LED bulbs. LED bulbs are indeed polarized. Also, I love the ultra technical term "grain-of-wheat bulbs." There is no such light bulb called that. There is no need to replace the bulbs that are still working. First, most of the bulbs on these are not on most of the time. Second, this is not a video about how to professionally refurbish the gauge cluster circuit board. This is about helping people figure out how to fix what is broken. I would think that someone who has been an electronics tech for 35 years would understand that if it aint broke, don't fix it.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@@Hodggoblin Yes mate you are correct, all discrete leds are polarised. That's the nature of leds. Indeed, the 'd' represents the word 'diode', which is a one-way current flow device, so they'll only operate if connected the right way round. I just googled grain of wheat globes & there's quite a number of suppliers of them, in fact one supplier has 'grain-of-rice' globes too! As has been said by others, why would you not replace all the lamps while you had the cluster disassembled, since they all have the same number of hours of 'wear'? The globes that are still working may not be too far away from burning out anyway, where you'll have to take the dash apart & get back into the cluster all over again. Particularly if you bought a dash lamp & servomotor replacement kit you may as well replace them all while you've got them! I checked the Digikey & Element14 catalogues, & 12v discrete leds are available in 3mm & 5mm diameter devices, for around 2 bucks each. However, they're rated at between 2500 & 5000 millicandelas brightness, which is blindingly bright. But their viewing angle is only between 20 & 35 degrees, so they have a narrow beam, almost like a spotlight. That is not suitable for this purpose. We want a wide dispersion of light inside the cluster, but these leds may be so bright that white dots of light might be seen even through the printed black fascia of the panel. In the past, I have carefully filed the domed end of white leds to a 45 degree conical point, which diffuses (disperses?) the light really well to light up model railway buildings from inside. I have never seen leds already made this way though. I had to connect a 470 ohm resistor in series with one wire though, to run them off 12 volts dc. I think I used a 150 ohm resistor for 5 volts as well. I'd be very interested to know what dash lamp/sevomotor refirb kits come with as far as if they're leds or globes.

[@remingtonbaker3376]

The solder joints on the two large diodes above and to the left of the resistor that came off at 33:40 will fail at some point bringing down the entire cluster. The lamps all have the same hours on them. Replace them all. The solder on the main connector likes to crack. The solder on the 7 resistors cracks because they form a voltage divider with the filiment for the prndl display instead of having a proper power supply. Don't touch them with the display lit :) This is a terrible design that was shared by many different gm clusters.

[@remingtonbaker3376]

Be careful poking your fingers by the displays with it on. The odometer has 80 volts on it which will give you quite a tingle. Next time don't disassemble the front. Take the lense off, then the pointers, then the back comes off with the circuit board. I'm sure someone has mentioned it but you need a vacuum desoldering tool. The traces for the stepper motors are easy to lift on there cappy boards.

[@davidcarr4991]

Agree on changing the other bulbs. You could see that some of the others that we got close-ups on were silvered, so they haven't got much longer...

[@jeffescortlx]

VFD power supply is typically 42VDC.

[@JVerschueren]

Personally, if there was no led conversion, I'd replace all the bulbs, seeing as they've all been on for the same amount of time and look tired. Edit: it's not just the resistors, one of the electrolytic capacitors on the other side of the connector also shows clear signs of heat stress. It's all but split open at the top. I'll bet ya that would read like 5 on an ESR meter, when it should read 0.7.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

Good eye! Well if the cluster goes bad again I'll make a follow-up video...

[@gregneill4246]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics When electrolytic capacitor blows on a circuit board you can pretty much write off the board. The electrolyte is a corrosive liquid and will eat through board traces and the legs of nearby components. In this case the board is not horizontal, so the liquid will run down the board wreaking havoc all along its path. First rule of repair for any (somewhat) elderly electronics is to be very wary of old capacitors, especially electrolytics. At any hint of stress, particularly bulging, get then the hell out of the equipment! They're a ticking bomb, and time has about run out; It's all over but the ensuing nasty cleanup and replacement of the entire unit.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@@gregneill4246 You're 150% correct mate. You should never leave a cap that's so obviously telling you it's worn out with that big bulge! Maybe the resistors go partly because of the deterioration of the capacitor? Not sure.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics Sounds like you better replace that capacitor/s in all cases as well Ivan! I would. It's there for a reason, but is useless as a capacitor when bulging like that.

[@frenchonion4595]

@@gregneill4246 Apparently capacitors last about 20 to 25 years so yeah

[@SGDeGalvez]

maybe pushing my luck..but can you show how to fix a cavity in a molar without a trip to the dentist?

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

I'll put that on the request list lol...maybe JB Weld?

[@Blazer02LS]

You are joking BUT I did lose a molar filling on a Friday night on a holiday weekend. HURT like crazy. Thought about it a bit and took a small cotton ball, put some oil of clove on it. While I waited for it to go numb I mixed up some JB waterweld epoxy. Pulled out the cotton, rinsed out with alcohol and packed in the epoxy. Bit down a few times for clearance... Dentist had a fit drilling it out, but admitted it was as strong as the amalgam he normally used. BUT while it cures it creates heat. Normally this isn't a big issue, in this case it was curing on top of an open nerve.

[@SGDeGalvez]

hmmm......i hate the dentist, big time. I like JB weld..hmmm..

[@bill605able]

Thanks for the info.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@@Blazer02LS LOL ouch!

[@markporter5357]

For the trip toggle, on the 2005 suburban circuit board there is a white circular piece inside a black piece. Is there another piece? How do they sit on the board? Scrolling no longer occurs when the toggle is pressed.

[@GlynRobinson]

Awesome video, Ivan! I noticed the reset when you started installing the gauge needles. I thought OH NO! Lol 😂

[@stephenlawrence4362]

Great video Ivan. Good to see you on. Have to have a steady hand for that job. Your series on the optometry equipment was killer.

[@sir_charelzwatzbrackin7705]

My emergency brake and ABS light do not light up when the ignition is on. Any suggestions? Appreciate it!

[@sir_charelzwatzbrackin7705]

Nevermind 😅

[@steveo4598]

Ok, so I have recently noticed that in my 04 Silverado the cluster is slowly going out. Also I have a slow drain on my battery. You mentioned the slow battery drain what do you recommend as far as the slow drain on the battery. Is it a replacement thing or something I can fix on the cluster. Thanks

[@vkdriver100]

Exactly what I needed. Clear, concise and spot on!!! THANK YOU !!!

[@Hugh_Manitee]

Use a microfiber cloth with a bit of window cleaner will keep from scratching cluster plastic display.

[@armenmm9]

Do you have a new memory chip for the 2005 Silverado HD? I like to buy one my chip is bad. The problem is (Odometer Error) the U15 chip my chip is empty from line 80 on down therefore copying it to a new chip is pointless so where can I download a good file from?

[@magid5441]

cant wait until next video tnx Ivan

[@milliondollarbike]

I had the issue with the prndl and reflowed the solder pads. When I plugged it back into my truck, it lit up real bright, but had 3 orange lines going across the display then the back light completely shut off. Did I ruin something?

[@nevillegoddard4966]

Yeah sorry mate you killed it! Need a new display now. You may have accidentally shorted out one of those resistors, or laid a line of solder across where it shouldn't have been.

[@edgarmatzinger9742]

You didn't have to lift the filter. You can take of the front as one piece. And putting the pcb with out the back piece, can blow up the microcontroller on the pcb. See jeffescortlx videos.

[@elcheapo5302]

GM trucks are always a cluster.

[@SmittySmithsonite]

HA! Don't I know it ... :D

[@Jonathan11225]

I rather fixed a cluster than fixing a cluster fuck of timing components on a Ford 5.4 3V crap engines

[@SmittySmithsonite]

Not one company puts out anything close to perfect today. GMs 5.3 engines burn oil, eat valve springs, AFM lifters & cams, Ford 3V eat cam chain tensioners ... and rust to nothing in 8 years, Chrysler products eat TIPMs & rot through the bed in 8 years. Not to mention all the wiring and electronics issues between the three. Seen several Hondas burn up long before 200k. Nothing's built like it used to be, unfortunately.

[@tedgarvin587]

Horse and buggy used to be pretty reliable. :)

[@nova31337]

@@SmittySmithsonite call it a conspiracy if you want, but "planned obsolescence" keeps people buying stuff sooner rather than later, which helps their business of selling said stuff.

[@zmblion]

My 03 2500 is acting up almost the same. The entire cluster seems to work fine in the acc mode as soon as you start it the cluster goes dark. Nothing works. If it had a check engine it will light up backlit works turns work. Then it tries to turn on when driving and sometimes it will fully turn on and work. And i cant for the life of me figure it out. I feel it is a grounding issue but i cant find it

[@johnporter6975]

I am going to have to take my cluster apart as well. I have gauges not working and a short in the ipc/dic. Any idea what that short could be? I am guessing maybe a bad gauge motor?

[@777gearhead]

great video as always Ivan