Instrument Cluster Repair - 2003-2006 5.3L Chevy Silverado (Sierra, Tahoe, Yukon, etc.)

[@dejavudogg]

Omg. Thanks it worked and trust me I'm not the best at soldering 👍👍

[@LemurMonitors]

Gotta be better than me!

[@markbowers6212]

Lo MO

[@blackerdenblack1]

What type of solder?

[@dejavudogg]

@@blackerdenblack1 I used the one that came with my soldering gun

[@kathyfain2901]

Yes, I saw this video a few months ago. At the same time I needed to change out my signal indicator and both looked fairly easy to do. Replaced the signal indicator and just as I got the panel out, our power went out because of a storm. So PRNDL got put on hold till today. I followed your instructions, disassembling the panel and located the circuits without any problem. I could see a couple of cracks as you had shown. Then I had to figure out what solder tip to use and what heat to set it at, got it figured out. In the process, I actually loosened one of the chips and it fell on the floor, thank God I found it and remember what direction to put it back on. Resoldered all the chips and said a prayer. Put it back in the car, turned on the car, Praise God! It had got so bad, that only at night could I see it and then, it was still hard to see. A BIG THANK YOU TO YOU!!!!, for this video. And by the way I am a woman in her 70's.

[@Share-zv5uw]

Wow!! 👏 👏 👏 that's so satisfying to read. Have a nice weekend.

[@charoldp]

Here's the limit of my mechanic skills: I know how to drive my car to the auto-repair shop! I just did the fix on my 2002 Avalanche. Once I bought a cheap soldering iron and solder ($22 bucks at NAPA parts), it was pretty easy and saved me--who knows?--probably hundreds of dollars. In fact, for one of the seven resistors, when I touched one end of it with the soldering iron, it came clean off and I had to reposition with tweezers before soldering. I am 63 with hands that are getting shaky with age, haven't soldered anything since cub scouts. THANKS, BLUEDRIVER--I'm now a subscriber to your channel.

[@thurgoodstubbs9670]

Hahaha hey the same thing happened to me just now! I’m 62 and also a bit shaky. I dabbed some solder on those points and it worked! These guys are life savers!

[@michaelhill1846]

I thought I'd be mailing it off for repair at 130.00 ..price I've seen on a few videos but thanks to these guys I'm going to do it myself as soon as it's light out . I sprayed Wire Dryer all in the headlight switch box because light did whatever they felt like ..I had little control ..the spray worked .

[@DjStalin100]

What wire did you use?

[@walterhunt4375]

I'm 83, do you think I could make this repair? I do.

[@smiddywesson2703]

I finished the project and it worked. 1. After the repair, I didn't put the front clear panel on the cluster and I plugged it in and started the car to confirm it worked successfully. Also, starting the car reset all the stepper motors to zero, because no matter how careful you were, they rotated while you pulled off the dials. Then I just added the dials at the zero mark. I restarted to make sure the dials acted properly, they did. I then put the gear shift all the way down, pulled the cluster out, and snapped on the front. You can forget all that talk about marking zero with tape and whether you should do so idling or off, it's not necessary. 2. I started resoldering each resistor individually until I dislodged one and it fell out of its bed. DRAT. After that, I resoldered across the bottom of all the resistors and then across all the tops. No mishaps happened. Doing so allowed the solder to cool before I went to work on the other side. 3. Less is more: I had a few I overheated. I had a few where I smeared solder to the adjoining resistor. Don't panic, clean it up, it will work just fine. 4. I could not believe the amount of force it took to remove the dials. I finally put a fork on it for leverage, and using the fork and a finger on each side, they popped right off. Hunt around for an easy one to give you faith, you won't break them. Finally, my vehicle is a 2005 Yukon XL I bought in VA in 2004. It has 265k on it and we love it. I'm repairing all the quirks that come with age. This PRNDL went wacky over 13 years ago and I dragged the Mrs. up to the garage to look at the repair. It was like when Tom Hanks made fire in Cast Away. LOL, GREAT video and great advice. I am subscribed baby!

[@thurgoodstubbs9670]

I’ve put up with intermittent gauges for over 3 years now. Then they stopped altogether. I watched this a long time ago and then again a few times this week. This solved the problem and I really want you to know that I’m Extremely grateful to y’all. May the God of your choice bless you with a million good fortunes! My baby is a 2003 Avalanche Z66.

[@hatcherpassdad]

Job completed, PRNDL is now brightly illuminated; thanks for a well-done video! Additional advice: 1. File your soldering iron to a tiny point if it's not already; those resistors are tiny. 2. Record precisely the original position of each needle (with masking tape and a precise marker) and HOLD IT in that original position as you gently pry it up upwards with a flat bladed screwdriver. Despite marking the position of each one, I must have rotated the stepper motors as I pulled up on the needles to remove them. I had to disconnect the cluster from the truck 4 more times, removing the needles and reinstalling them, to get the gauges reading normal (and I'm still not sure they're exactly right.) Thus, advice #3: Record the original reading of each needle with the engine running (tachometer at idle, oil pressure, battery charge, fuel gauge, and coolant temp) before you start the job.

[@bbushong67]

Seems like they'd instruct people to put it back together without the front plastic on, connect it, set it in place, and test it. If the needles are incorrect, just pop them off with the ignition on but not running, and make sure everything is zero... Only seems logical. And I'd almost guarantee you that they did that... rather than assemble the entire dash, THEN check it.

[@mrmcd5728]

@@bbushong67 I just did this today and that is how I got the gauges all dialed in correctly and my Shift position indicator works again. Thank You

[@DarcyandYvonneDean]

Wish I'd read that bit about the masking tape before I did the job! Ah, try and repeat. happy to say all the gauges are working again and I'm thrilled to see what gear I'm in. Haven't had this working since we bought the truck 7 years ago. First time soldering electronics too. Very helpful video. Thanks!

[@workparty3949]

This is a great tip, masking tape and a pen will save some inaccuracies later on. Also, a fork from your cutlery drawer works well to remove those gauge needles without rotating the stepper motor shafts....

[@salty_terminal_civilian5374]

In the Marine Corps I used to repair stuff like this, best skill I ever learned lol. Thank you.

[@captainamerica6521]

semper fi brother! dam jarhead! lol!!

[@1969CampEvans]

U MADE MY DAY....I HAVE BEEN LIVING WITH THIS PROBLEM FOR 6 YEARS.

[@luisfierros79]

If your cluster is not working at all check the 240 resistors they're directly above the speedometer on the right hand side that did it for me thank you for all your help guys appreciate it

[@408DJGUERO]

So is a job the same just resolder

[@weschaffin]

IT WORKED! Key is to have a small solder tool. Thanks for the repair guide. Took about 1 hour altogether.

[@n8tap]

Literally never soldered anything before. But with all your steps, it worked! $12 repair with a soldering kit from Amazon. Thank you!

[@karenschrein6273]

This is a great help. 2005 Yukon and three gauges in cluster died. This helped me remove cluster from a parts 2004 Yukon and install in the 2005. was done in less than hour. shows tools and even how to unplug the the cluster. Will review again if I need to re solder the old one. Takes the fear away. Thanks guys. awesome.

[@leonardwille5480]

I sent this vid to my son who had this issue with his 04 Suburban with 400k + and it worked perfectly. Thank you!!!

[@lacyrobinson5937]

My husband and I can't even find one anywhere around our town to replace it with I got online and you can't even find them they're out of stock he's currently inside the junkyard and I'm in the car watching videos trying to find a way around this issue and I could do this repair I wouldn't even have to ask him to do it you guys are awesome thank you

[@Ebike_Builds]

I do these for a living. It's not as easy as they make it out be at all. There are several other problems that these clusters suffer from as well. The biggest thing is "properly recalibrating the needles. The way they explained it would not get them even close to being correctly calibrated. The circuit board is very easy to damage and if you do, well good luck. Hope this helps

[@jfkcollector8968]

Don’t buy a new one or a junkyard one, there are companies you can send it to, have if repaired for 250$ and they sent it back the same business day.

[@cgdawdy]

I just repaired our 2003 2500 Avalanche. My soldering skills are not that great, but following the directions made easy work the problem.

[@charoldp]

This is the seventh KZbin video I've watched on this issue. This is by far the best. I'm on this tomorrow morning!

[@thurgoodstubbs9670]

The others are mostly good, a few are horrible. This is the answer for sure!

[@smiddywesson2703]

Best video out there on this subject!!! Tip: Test the instrument cluster before bolting it in and replacing the bezel.

[@ericjackson9505]

Wow! It actually worked!!!! My cluster is back! I do suggest a lighted magnifying glass when doing this. Those chips are no where near as big as they looked in the video. I was able to remove and resolder the connections, and my PRNDL is back along with all my gauges. Nice to see how fast your going, and how much gas you have. Excellent video.

[@masterskellum]

The visual at 4:33 was perfect. Found two instances of that. Reflowed both and all is well. Thanks!

[@Brian....Murcc56vbn34]

2005 Silverado at first with only a magnifying glass couldn't see the solder cracks but upon looking harder they were there. Soldered as you demonstrated and it was successful. Thank you so much! Best GM instrument cluster fix on the internet!

[@paulwilkins7903]

i found this video, the PRND indicator hasn't worked on my tahoe since i bought it, i have been putting off replacement due to cost, i tried your directions, sadly when i opened it up i can't see any breaks in the solder and not discolored, so i thought oh well, might as well try since it's open.... re-soldered, reassembled, retested, and BANG it works perfectly now! you guys are awesome i thank you very much!

[@chilli875]

Excellent tutorial - helped me fix intermittent issues with dash lights on my 2003 Chevy Silverado (and also fixed my speedometer and RPM gauges that had been broken forever by replacing the stepper motors.) One thing I missed - my solder was too large a gauge - got the job done but realized this video shows using a _much_ thinner solder wire than I had. Got the job done, but would have been much easier with a thinner wire. Was also my first real soldering DIY!

[@bclarkgsr]

Did this fix backlighting issues? I'm having issues where all of my gauges work, but my backlights are out. Swapped the light switch thinking that might be the culprit, but still have not back lights to the cluster.

[@chilli875]

@@bclarkgsr It did for me - I followed the steps in this KZbin video - starting at 4:20 - the resistors they pointing out - I had some obvious and some barely noticeable cracks. I resoldered them and it work perfectly to fix my backlight issue. As I mention, I wished I had thinner solder. It's a thin and tiny solder job.

[@paultwietmeyer9386]

Hi. I had a problem with the speedometer reading erratically or not at all on my 2003 GMC Sierra. I used your video to take out and repair the cluster by soldering the resisters as you indicated and it seems to have worked just fine. Thank you for saving me at least $600.00 Canadian! You guys are great, keep it up!

[@anthonyhubbard6444]

This is an excellent video. I have been dealing with not been able to see the gear shift symbols for about 10 years on my 03 Avalanche and stumbled across this video. Re-soldered the resistors and amazing. Well done! Thank you so much! I will add that the resistors seem like they just float on the board and they do move fairly easy once heated, so do not use any pressure or force when soldering.

[@kee-kee1638]

Thanks for the video. This will save me some money. I thought i had to replace the whole thing. My PRNDL beenngoing dim for a while. Can barely see in the night and not at all during the day. I needed this fixed asap. I have two teenagers ready to drive.

[@jpow2006]

I was having issues with my gauge cluster intermittently working, then it seemed to finally die. Resoldering the resistors fixed the issue, thanks for putting this video out

[@jchacon9362]

This was easy and it took me about 30 min to do. I'm a female and I know a little about trucks from my husband and I was able to do this on my own with your instructional vid. Thanks😁❤

[@STBRetired1]

I have never seen a more perfect instructional video. Thanks, guys.

[@efitzhume5150]

Just took mine apart today, found 5 resistors that had solder joints that needed to be re flowed. Took 5 mins, works like a charm now!!

[@goldseekersadventures9380]

I had the same problem with my dash cluster. Thank you. I repaired it myself. It was a success.

[@paulyshore98]

Saw your video and promptly fixed mine. It’s been broken for years. Thank you so much for making an excellent video that is perfectly accurate and shows you what to expect before you even start.

[@marks7352]

You need to mention for everyone they need to use an electrical solder and not one for plumbing (water) ....Great video

[@michaelhill1846]

If someone chooses a torch I hope they make a video and post it . I've been told plastic melts ...that'd fix it !

[@MrNightflight56]

I hear you, but... anyone who didn't already know that probably shouldn't be attempting this procedure... j/s 😆

[@montemayer]

Just did this on my 05 Tahoe and it worked perfectly. I had to mess around with needles, but got it working after a couple of tries. Thank for the $$$ saving tip!!

[@LemurMonitors]

Great to hear, so happy we could help!

[@kellyakin4569]

Is there a certain way to put back needles? I’m having problems with them staying where they originally were.

[@ridingwiththereids]

I replaced all of the stepper motors in my cluster, not realizing this was all I needed to do to get my PRNDL display back to normal. It looks like the cluster will be coming back out tonight and doing what you guys did. Fingers 🤞 that it will be better instead of worse when I'm done!! Thanks for the video guys.

[@konfidential1911]

No lights or gauges showed up on my dash cluster. I fixed it in about an hour and cost about $25 for the soldering iron. Thanks guys

[@anthonystreet2487]

Guys awsome video. This video just saved me $150/200 dollars i just took the cluster out right after i watched this and i have a few resistors broken .thanks to you guys i can fix my cluster now and my gauges will work.. money saver video if you have a GMC and garages dont work MUST WATCH THIS VIDOE may save you money as it did for me once a again big thanks guys

[@timothywoods6981]

Thank you for the video. I start with taking picture of needles with key off. Then I used tape to mark a line where the needles are set. After that, I checked the needle position against a scanner for the appropriate values and adjusted them as needed. I really dont' like how this gauge cluster is set up like that!!! Thanks again it works perfectly. 😀

[@brodheadjim]

Now there is someone who really knows how to make a repair easy to understand.

[@gtrkeys1]

Thanks for this video , the shop quoted me about 600 + for a bad speedo, oil and water temp , I fixed all three for about 15 bucks ,,,,, nice job !!!!

[@edprivott7597]

thank you for the info. yideo and a big thank you for keeping it on point......others want to tell about the wife...., well the weather out side....., the wife's mother....., the ol' dogs in the corner...., etc, etc,...you did a great job and kept it on point. thank you again for the info. i can only hope others well see just how to do "informative videos" the right way, thank you again for the info.

[@LegallyBlonde1976]

Ha ha ha! So true! I just fast-forwarded through a guy who got sidetracked and washed his car on video before showing the repair! 😂😂😂

[@tcfreeloadingfarm3772]

Thank you. Did this and some of my instruments came back to life. Did have a green rubber piece, brass ring and white looking cap fall out and don’t know where the belong but thanks again

[@jeffreyberens3424]

This worked for my 2005 Chevy Silverado today. Thank you so much! I had never soldered before but it didn’t take much to learn the concept. Cheap fix!

[@Cavball9]

Going to attempt this weekend in hopes of it saving me a few hundo on getting it repaired or buying an entire new dash cluster. Thanks for posting!

[@garagehack9271]

Thank you so much. I did basic continuity checks on the wires and things looked good. Nothing on the board looked fried but this had me look closer. I ended up finding cracked solder joints on many of the big smd resistors all over the board. Cracked conformal coating was a big tipoff to many of them.

[@MandoDando]

Mine worked when first start of the day, then would stop working the rest of the day. I tried this and now it doesn't work at all. That being said, I am sure that I messed it up somehow. I was so hoping this would fix it like all the others. Great video..... Thanks for helping us out here.

[@carthelhess8028]

Thank you so much for this video ! Saved me a lot of money ! Tried this fix and it works perfectly ! So gratefull to guys like you who share their knowledge and help out other DIY's !

[@nickschannel1218]

Thank you for the video. Putting the cluster back was tricky. Had to use light force at the top of the cluster after connector placement to get it into position. Like I said it’s tricky.

[@Matt-qg2nk]

From a professional technician you all did an awesome job.

[@jeffglanville5071]

Thank you for the video. I soldered my broken 511 resistor connections and I had immediate gear indicator.

[@JamesMeyers-kt8vo]

Thanks for the video. Touched first side of third resister I went to resolder and it popped off. Other side was cracked. All working well now Thanks again.

[@ips7125]

Everything is great he said! You forgot to pull the bulb for the check engine light and pull the solder off the sensor for the air bag. Geeze this was the least of this trucks problem that also needs an oil change lmao. All kidding aside. Great video. Wish i seen this years ago when i owned these trucks.

[@michaelhill1846]

I'm about to do this repair and if I can get to that air bag light , It's History

[@treestand180]

Thank you. Worked for me. Had to take a pic with my phone and enlarge to see cracks in the solder, but there were cracks. Not the best soldering job, but it worked.

[@davidguy2573]

Thanks for the video, needed to clean up the glass in the face of the unit and your demonstration was awesome. Thank you.

[@josefbecher4790]

i watched hours of videos on this subject, this was to the point simply explained, and fairly short... i feel i have the confidence to attempt this now lol

[@chuck5085]

Same here.

[@dandesjardins2552]

Worked like a charm but be careful I unsoldered a cap but put it back on .worked like a charm

[@normaltedw]

Thanks - great video. Fixed my annoying PRNDL display. Its pretty incredible how many of these GM instrument clusters seem to fail. (Love my 04 Yukon except for that!)

[@steveelliot6588]

great viideo, followed insructions and now my prndl light works. saved all kinds of money.

[@agnailsupplies5318]

Check if its working before putting everything back together so you don’t have to take everything apart if it doesn’t

[@dustindevorak4352]

This was the fix on my 2004 Silverado 2500HD Duramax. Thank you!

[@reviewdudeftw7890]

I have a 2004 Chevy Silverado too would it work on mine my whole dash just went out

[@michaellevanovich6817]

Thanks guys! You saved alot time for me, i allready broke my brain with this odo display, checked all harness, and it was just clusler capacitors...

[@jjesusrramirez45]

The best video ever God blessed for shearing this will save people’s money keep up with your good work

[@erickmarquez8986]

I'll try this repair later on my Chevy '05. Great video ... simple instructions great results!!

[@CaptainET53]

Just fixed my 05 Tahoe. Besides the low light on PRND321, I had all random warning lights, gauges going to 0 etc. Awesome tip! THANKS!!!!!

[@robg4660]

CaptainET53, was yours just dimming? Mine seems to be dim and before I attempt this I'm wondering if that's how yours was?

[@CaptainET53]

Rob G It was normal for years. Then at some point you could not see the gear selection in the day time. Other lights dim fine.

[@ActinOut]

You solved the problem I was having simply by showing how to remove the gauge needles. All the other videos I've seen skip showing that... so thank you for including it because it's the same even though I was working on a honda. 👍

[@theartoftonyv]

Just watched this video and did this repair, worked perfect. Thank you so much for posting this video, saved me tons of time and money!!

[@CharlesJones-n5b]

I'm going to try this method,if it work,I just might go into the business of repairing these for a living,I will get back to you on this one.thanks

[@Ebike_Builds]

I do these for a living. It's not as easy as they make it out be at all. There are several other problems that these clusters suffer from as well. The biggest thing is "properly recalibrating the needles. The way they explained it would not get them even close to being correctly calibrated. The circuit board is very easy to damage and if you do, well good luck. Hope this helps

[@thill9k]

Thanks guys, I will be doing this in the morning. So far your vid was clearest and cleanest. Thank you.

[@LemurMonitors]

How did it go?

[@mattt2289]

Did this on my 04 2500- RND321 is back! Thank you!

[@vanessame8354]

Wow that’s amazing my cluster is doing that now I am going to do this on my own thank Goodness I Can across you guys video is awesome and very explanatory two thumps up !!!

[@mikedonnelly6661]

Worked great, would only add having tweezers on hand because as I touched one it came off completely so I had to get tweezers to hold it in place to solder. Thanks a million guys, keep up the good work

[@sammymentel6572]

Wow! It worked perfectly on our GMC Yukon XL. We were having trouble seeing the PRNDL, but now it is really bright! Thanks!

[@kirbycollins3223]

Excellent Fix, my Cousin's Avalanche had that Problem, thanks to this Video I was Able to Repair her Truck! THANKS😉💪

[@jerryumfress9030]

Can you do a video on changing the led bulbs?

[@DirtyWindshieldSeries]

Your Videos are Top Notch! So Are Your Products!

[@richardjones7545]

Easy to do and now my instrument cluster works. Thanks for the video.

[@mrmcd5728]

Very Nice tech help. Simple solution to a GM created issue! Thank You

[@rcclassiccrawlers4368]

Wow! Excellent video. So glad I stumbled upon this segment. My gear selector display hasn’t worked in years. I wish I would’ve known this a long time ago. Thanks for sharing some inexpensive knowledge.

[@croftpydycroftpydy533]

great video and u kept it simple with explanation. can the odometer be switched out into another cluster to have the same mileage? my odometer needle stops working after a long period of driving. if i turn engine off and restart after 5 mins or so it will work again

[@dadokta]

My whole cluster went out. Lights and all gauges....its been intermittent but it finally went all out.

[@Ebike_Builds]

I've been doing Rebuilds on these for years now. Email me. I can do a full rebuild for you. [e-mail]

[@TheCurtabis]

a fellow ryobi tradesman! thats why i liked this video!

[@cacmex]

Nice man, Im in the process of replacing the turn signal switch cause my cruise control went out. Thanks for the video

[@cacmex]

@F RR I did fix the cluster lights but the cruise control is still out. I replaced the brake switch as well and still no bueno☹

[@paulhaines5755]

Killer tip for anyone doing this who has a teenager: Put speedo needle back on about 5 or 10 MPH lower. Might save you thousands in tickets!

[@danwoodard5884]

*Higher though

[@paulhaines5755]

@@danwoodard5884 Yes! You are correct. I should have thought that one through a little more!

[@davemontano3790]

There’s an app called herewego you can track your speed by motion. It’s surprisingly accurate.

[@ninjaface2342]

Don't pay your kids tickets ...that will save you money also

[@aaronsimpson8329]

Gets ticket for going too slow

[@arielgarcia416]

I just finished to fix mine, great video. Thank you!!!!👍👍👍

[@ghadicole2576]

Worked to absolute perfection !! Thanks guys

[@leveractiongypsy1848]

Best vid for this repair hands down - easy to follow and worked like a charm! Thanks!

[@doylecarver1498]

I believe I would have tested the cluster before install with the wiring harness. Otherwise, great fix.

[@benqt904]

I did it and was easy as they said. thanks for the good info and how to do it

[@lf98037]

Mine needs the servos resoldered or replaced .Great video guys.

[@Ebike_Builds]

It needs a rebuild. Email me [e-mail]. Been doing these for 10 years

[@lf98037]

@@Ebike_Builds Thanks for getting back to me. Watching the demonstration gave me full confidence and with a background in electronics repair I was easily able to complete the job in about an hour.

[@isidromancillas1878]

this is great , great , great saving my Christmas money thanks guys.

[@cfeaver421]

This worked like a charm for me ... thx so much guys. Great fix.

[@tudocervera3764]

thank you best cluster repair ive seen so far .. thank you guys !!

[@jamieWEA1]

Thank you

[@EdnovStormbrewer]

My dad took his Chevrolet Silverado to a mechanic service called Spoonire in boonsboro. Instead of the guys figuring out what the total problem is for the cluster, they wanted to charge him $250 including labor and the amount time it took to replace a bulb inside the PRNDL and Odometer. Sounds suspicious right? Well luckily my noob soldering skills and brains were put to work. I pulled out my phone and figured out it was the resistors that were cracked and not making contact. I think after testing it out and replacing the stepper motors and LEDs on it must've made my dad super happy after saving him $250 from that mess.

[@scottshurson5626]

It worked for me too. Exactly as described here.

[@brodheadjim]

On the top of the cluster there is a small hole. if you at that spot you can see a cool tab. If you put in the ignition key or somethingg flat in the hole from its side you can lift the tab and the wiring harness slides out. This came after viewing the video four times wondering what I had missed because the pressing the gray tab as shown DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.

[@imhereoften9452]

Holy sh!t thanks! Can’t wait to try this, I was about to spend $300

[@BadCactusJones]

Don't be afraid to push that connector in as you squeeze the gray part.

[@Michael-cb6tg]

Does work for if the speedometer and the other Ganges don't read correctly.?

[@dallasdelano8235]

Yea

[@dustyaevans]

This worked for my 2004 Duramax. Thanks

[@christopherjones5561]

Thank you! I plan to do this fix over the Thanksgiving break. It was super helpful to see exactly what I need to do!