1999 LeSabre - strange short-term fix for speedometer and tach that sometimes works

[Taurus1997]

I have a 1999 Buick LeSabre with an occasional instrument cluster panel problem. At random times at random speeds the speedometer and/or the tachometer will just suddenly quit working and drop to zero.

Here is the strange fix: If I press real hard or pull real hard on the trip reset knob (located between the odometer and tachometer) the speedometer and tachometer will start working again for another minute or even days at at time.

Any ideas on what is wrong? and how to permanently fix the speedometer and tach? Thanks.

[Jrs3800]

You need to check the connections to the cluster on the back of the cluster.. The pins can be corroded lightly as well they may need to be bent back a bit to ensure a better connection.. There are several Gm H bodies and older C bodies that have these issues..

[happydog500]

Last time I took my dash apart, when putting the cluster back in, I put it in, then pushed and it, "Clicked" in.

Like Jrs3800 mentioned, it might not be making a good connection.

They are not like the old clusters, the whole thing is run by one, connection, like what a Hard drive hooks to a Motherboard.

Chris.

[jcc3inc]

Taurus1997,

I had a similar problem with our '97 LeSabre. It turned out that I took out the gauge assembly, and after considerable effort, found a bad circuit board connection that I re-soldered. Now it works fine. My problem was with ONLY the speedometer.

Regards,
Jack C.

[Taurus1997]

Thanks to all who have posted responses. I will reply back with results when I fix the instrument cluster. I am waiting for it to fail again...which it hasn't in a week. When it does fail again, I am going to confirm it's not any input sensor by connecting my OBD II scanner in real-time mode to the car and confirm the speedometer and tachometer readings are accurate from the PCM itself. At this point, if the speedometer and tachometer are accurate, then I will remove and inspect the instrument cluster.

Thanks, Rick

[F150-rdr]

It's been awhile since I last posted. We don't use the Buick that much...but the erratic problem did return. I connected by OBD-II computer to the car, and the computer output/values on the car shows the speed and tach always being perfect - the values increase and decrease accordingly to how the car is driven. I am thinking, as it was mentioned by others in earlier posts, that I am looking at taking apart the dash to get to the instrument cluster.

Does anyone have any links on how to remove all the plastic dash parts while trying to get to the instrument cluster?

thanks again,
Rick

[happydog500]

Originally Posted by F150-rdr

It's been awhile since I last posted. We don't use the Buick that much...but the erratic problem did return. I connected by OBD-II computer to the car, and the computer output/values on the car shows the speed and tach always being perfect - the values increase and decrease accordingly to how the car is driven. I am thinking, as it was mentioned by others in earlier posts, that I am looking at taking apart the dash to get to the instrument cluster.

Does anyone have any links on how to remove all the plastic dash parts while trying to get to the instrument cluster?

thanks again,
Rick

It's acctuly very easy to 'take the dash apart." I can do it in 5 minutes (done it about 10 times now). Just a quick overview, here are the steps;
Pull off the bottom trim on each side of the lower dash (just grab and pull). Each of the 4 vents you turn to the outside. The part that sticks out you pull and they come right out. Take the scrws out of each vent hole (4). When you drop them down the vent hole, just use a magnet on a string or reach down with a kids hand to get it out.
Put it in 1st to get the shift arm out of the way. pull out the middle dash part kind of up and out. Oh, forgot, there may be two other screws you'll see on the side of the middle plastic thing. Once your at this point, the 'whole dash' is apart so you can see everything. Once you do this, you'll be amazed how easy it was to take the 'whole thing' apart.

If your not sure, take each step one at a time. Don't worry about the whole entire job. If you get stuck (u won't) just stop.

If you do it twice, you'll have it down to about 5 minutes. I use a electric screwdriver for the screws to make it faster tho.

Chris.

[Taurus1997]

It has been weeks since I installed a used instrument cluster I bought online. It has been all GOOD news since then. Everything has been working well.

The problem was the original instrument cluster was not working properly anymore. I did not have a bad sensor, bad wiring, bad connection itself to the instrument cluster, nor blown fuse(s).

Like the other people stated in this topic, the instrument cluster was EASY to replace. The toughest part was hooking up the gear indicator wire. A little patience and a long screwdriver to push the clip back onto the steering column did the trick.

Thanks to everyone that contributed to this topic. :-)

[happydog500]

Originally Posted by Taurus1997

Like the other people stated in this topic, the instrument cluster was EASY to replace.
Thanks to everyone that contributed to this topic. :-)

Wonder how much the dealer would of charged you to do this EASY thing?