UpFix Electronics Repair News and Tech

Instrument Clusters/Speedometer Troubleshooting

Written by John Wells | Dec 7, 2020 5:00:00 AM
My Gas (Gas/Oil/Temperature) gauge is (pegged/jumping) and never did that before I sent it in (Usually pertains to All GM repairs 03-06)
  • Faulty sensors may be the cause.
  • If you only have an oil pressure issue (flickering or going haywire or completely off), it’s most likely because the oil pressure switch/sensor is at fault. This is a commonly known defect along with clusters in the year range.
  • If you have incorrect fuel reading, be sure to check the fuel sender/sensor unit before sending it back in.
My Speedometer "Speedo" gauge is flickering after I sent it in for repair
  • All gauges are replaced with aftermarket high quality ones
  • If you are still having problems with speedo or indirectly the tach gauge, it’s most likely the speedo sensor that has to be replaced.
My Cluster is completely dead and not responsive
  • It’s most likely a wiring issue.
  • Pulling on the wires instead of the tabs can sever the connection to the cluster
  • Check to see if the wires are still connected to the tabs
  • Check to see if the tabs are not pushed back. Tabs should not be bent.
  • Also electrical spray cleaner is recommended for clusters with power issues because corrosion settles on the metal pins.  It is wise to spray both the pins and the plug itself and check for any bent pins.
  • Lastly, make sure that the fuses related to the dash and cluster are NOT blown out.  If the fuses are tripped or blown, replace the fuse and check again.
After I got it back from you guys and after driving it for a while my cluster won’t power up at all (Usually pertains to All GM repairs 03-06)
  • Check if the illumination background lights and check engine are on when hooked up,
  • Also if cluster is non-responsive but blocks appear all the way across the bottom digital display screen
  • If either of these conditions exist, it’s an internal problem that has to be addressed at our facility
On my (Trailblazer, Envoy, Rendezvous, Ascender) cluster all of the diagnostic lights are on or are going haywire. None of the gauges on the right hand side are working.
  • This is most likely a faulty harness plug, bad connection or fuse issue.
  • Make sure the pins are not pushed back on the plug; the pins on the cluster aren’t bent.
  • Clean both sides with electrical cleaner.
  • Make sure the grounding is good.