Electronics

I have a 92 Bonneville SSE. It's a pretty nice car but I seem to have a lot of problems with the electronics. Auto Electronics have always been a little scarey to me, and this car seems to have some of the most complex electronics of any car I've owned. Specifically, the car display in the dash flashes on and off at times, the check engine light is always on, I'll get tail light out warnings when the lights are fine. Any suggestions?

Sometimes a wonky cluster can be fixed by disconnecting and reconnecting the two connectors on the back of the cluster (may require more than one time). This has a bit of a cleaning effect on the pins and sockets. Other times it is the electronics themselves. There is a guy on Ebay that will refurb a 92-99 cluster for $135. There is some good feedback but a repair center that can give you a written warranty may be the better choice for $165+. I am on my second cluster and still have problems. The following sticker appears on it as it has already been fixed at least once before I bought it from the junk yard:

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

You can have the codes read to find out why the SES light is on. This can be done at a dealer, with a $40 code reader from Auto Zone or with a paper clip and some instructions. This is the best way to start and depending on your results, we can recommend the appropriate repairs.

You have an Adaptive Lighting Module in your car that monitors the bulbs. The "adaptive" part of the name will compensate for variences in current but does have a threshold. You can try removing the bulb, cleaning it, and use a anti-corrosive spray in the socket. Or you might just have to change the bulb.