1995 Bonneville SSEI Instrument Cluster Problem

I have a 1995 Bonneville SSEI. One morning I started the car and the 'Drivers Information' window lights went nuts. Flashing, fading, coming back on, 'bell' would ring now and again. I went to a local mechanic and he said the battery was bad (it wasn't, but it was 6 years old so I went ahead and replaced it). After replacement the gages and such worked fine - for a day. Started the next morning and the same weird thing happened. Checked battery terminals and the cable to the main bus for internal stuff was corroded so I replaced it. Worked fine and then - the same thing.

Now this gets really weird. Car runs fine. But every time you start it something different with the thing. Sometimes the Driver Info window will be completely blank - sometimes just the numbers (sometimes a couple, sometimes all) in the trip milage will light brightly. Sometimes the milage numbers will be the only thing lit. Other times nothing is lit. Sometimes the lights flash - not together, necessarily, in the driver info window.

A common factor is that when the display goes all gages and the compass go - Except for the speedometer and the tach - Neither of them seem to be affected.

Drove from Cincy to Dayton yesterday. Nothing in the display. Met friend and went to breakfast - no change (blank display). Drove him back - no change. Stopped car to talk for a minute and when I started it everything worked without a problem all the way to Cincy.

Drove it to a dealer on Friday. None of the gages worked (except the speedo and tach as noted above). They did a 'RAP' test (I have no idea what a Rap test is...) and said the cluster is bad (US$340 + US$110 for installation but they would have to order the part). I said OK fine, but until you get the part I'll drive it. When I started it to drive away all the instruments worked fine including for several trips that day.

This morning I went out and a new one happened. All the lights came on for the 'check mode' but after almost 60 seconds they were all still on. Turned the car off for 1 minute and then started it again. No lights at all.

As an aside, sometimes the 'beeper' will start beeping. Sometimes just once or twice, sometimes many times. One day it just kept beeping for about 10 minutes.

Typically if I turn the car off, as this morning, when I restart it it does a different 'routine'. For example, when it was doing the beeping continuously I turned the car off and it didn't beep when I turned it back on.

I don't have a 1995 manual but have been looking at the GMP/97-H-2 service manual a friend has and I'm lost.

Have any of you gone through anything like this with a cluster?

Any ideas will be appreciated!

likely the alternator. Unless the battery is very new...replace it too.

I appreciate the reply. I've gone through quite a bit since I posted this, and before, and if it's the alternator I'll be surprised if only because a meter check says the output is close to the center of the 'green zone' (dealer says). Battery is new Bosch.

A lot has happened since I posted this question. As general info for those searching with a similar problem:

In my case I've narrowed it, I *think*, to something after the small connector of the two on the back of the cluster. It's pretty weird, but I'm assuming it's a component in the Driver Info moduloe circuitry - yet, there's some interaction between it and the other gages EXCEPT the tach and the speedo.

I don't have a 1995 manual, but in the 1997 GMP/97-H-1 manual - which should be close - is the SSE Cluster (U2F) - Page/Section 8C4.

When the Driver Info screen flashes and such, the gages (exception tach and the speedo) do not work or, more precisely said, they appear 'intermittant' (spurrious). But when the Drivers Info screen shows, for example, the mileage BRIGHTLY, but only the mileage, the gages work. Usually when the Drivers Info screen is blank, either they do or do not work. Yes - Not Spurrious.

I keep hearing alternator - and it definitely IS 'noisy' - but it checks OK.

I've completely opened up the cluster and reset each connector (circuit board to circuit board) 6+ times to 'clean' the contact points.

At this point I am assuming the problem is AFTER the small connector on the back of the cluster. I may be wrong. I have a cluster ordered from a dealer. If anyone has any suggestions as to where to find a cluster cheaper, I'm listening - but please, not e-bay.

well it appears you have "all th bells and whistles" with your car. haha.

Since you scratched off ebay, you probably don't want to do a junkyard either....

There is a sort of "glorified junkyard" called Schram's in Pontiac, Michigan. They only deal with GM vehicles. What they do is take wrecked vehicles, strip them, then sort and put part numbers on all the parts, then you can call/go there, ask for a part, and they can pull it up for you. But since youre in the dayton area (im assuming from your first post), That might be kind of far for you, but maybe you could see if they would ship it to you

I'll look them up. You never know... Thanks for the reply!

Alot of Bonneville's have Gauge Cluster problems. Some Electronic repair shops rebuild them good as new for about $200

Alot of Bonneville's have Gauge Cluster problems. Some Electronic repair shops rebuild them good as new for about $200

Agreed. I'm on cluster #4. I've begun replacing the individual boards within the clusters to get one that works correctly. Your problem sounds like a power supply problem. This was on the back of one of my clusters. I'm uncertain if they still reman these:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/randman1/1993SSEi/DSC01161.jpg

There's also a guy on Ebay that repairs the clusters for $135 with a one year warranty. I do not know of anyone who has used him so do some research first.

It seems that the newer the cluster, the more reliable they are. Currently I have a 97 cluster in my 93 and everything works correctly except the fuel gauge due to the sending units being different between the two years. I haven't decided which method I'll use to correct but I can either change the sending unit or try the board from one of the other clusters.