97 Voyager Instrument Cluster Lights: FIX

[gadget850]

I had the lights go out on the instrument cluster. Searching the web, all the recommendations are a bad headlight or dimmer switch. That made no sense, as all the other dash lights are fine.

Looking at the Haynes schematics, there is no fuse just for the IC lights. Pulling the panel illumination fuse cuts all the lights.

So- I bit the bullet and pulled the IC.

The PRNDL link is not documented in the Haynes. Remove the plate below the steering column, locate the plastic clip for the PRNDL cable and pull it. Follow the cable to the steering column and remove the looped end.

On the connector, the top left pin is the light power, the bottom right pin is ground. My ground pin was discolored and sticking out a bit. I pulled the board and found a bad solder join on that pin. I removed the pin completely, cleaned it up with steel wool, then reinserted it and soldered it back.

Crusied out last night and it lit up with no problems.

[vipergg]

Originally Posted by gadget850

I had the lights go out on the instrument cluster. Searching the web, all the recommendations are a bad headlight or dimmer switch. That made no sense, as all the other dash lights are fine.

Looking at the Haynes schematics, there is no fuse just for the IC lights. Pulling the panel illumination fuse cuts all the lights.

So- I bit the bullet and pulled the IC.

The PRNDL link is not documented in the Haynes. Remove the plate below the steering column, locate the plastic clip for the PRNDL cable and pull it. Follow the cable to the steering column and remove the looped end.

On the connector, the top left pin is the light power, the bottom right pin is ground. My ground pin was discolored and sticking out a bit. I pulled the board and found a bad solder join on that pin. I removed the pin completely, cleaned it up with steel wool, then reinserted it and soldered it back.

Crusied out last night and it lit up with no problems.

A lot of times all that needs to be done is to pull the IOD fuse under the hood , the bcm gets confused and this resets it . Have seen more than 1 case where non working dash lights , guages have been fixed by this .

[B33p3r]

I have also suggested in the past pulling the IOD, but that is a bandaid to probably one of the root causes just posted by gadget850. Thanks for the info.