96 Grand AM Electrical problem

[Nitro187]

This just started today, I filled up with gas, and drove about 5 km's when all of a sudden, the following lights came on:

-Looks like a "hot exhaust" light? with little heat lines coming off it
-Check engine
-Check Oil
-Check Guages
-Low Fuel
-High temp

And None of the meters cept the spedometer are working, every once and a while the lights flicker as if they're going off, but they stay on.

I've tried turning the vehicle off and on... jiggling the ignition with no success. I checked the engine compartment, and there is no smell of anything burning, and the engine is NOT hot. It just had an oil change not even a week ago. What could be causing this?

I turned off my heat & radio in the car, still nothing.

Pleaseeeeee give me some advice, thanks!!!!

[Slade901]

Is your vehicle still running and can you still drive the vehicle with those lights coming ON? If it still driveable then try to bring your vehicle to Autozone for scanning (FREE). Not sure with your vehicle, but I have not encountered it yet that according to the Service Manual that some lights will show up for maintenance and you just have to clear it with a scanner after doing the maintenance.

[Nitro187]

Update:

I was trying to remember from memory, and apparently it wasn't that great. The Spedometer, Tachometer, fuel gage, etc etc doesn' twork. The only thing that works on the guages is the odometer and trip meter. Everything else just lights up flickers and stuff.

I can't bring it to the Autozone because I live in canada, but I do have an ORBII (spelling?) reader of my own, and no error codes come up. I am bringing it in tomorrow to get a recall fixed on the car, for the Ignition harnest. Apparently it was a recall from a couple years ago. Tonight I'm also going to take a look at the BCD computer under the glove box, and clean any contacts if they are dirty. If both fail to fix the problem, I have no idea.

[Nitro187]

Well, I brought my car in, and they did the recall, and it fixed nothing. They hooked it up to the computer, and like the internet told me, it found nothing wrong. He said "It's probably a short 'somewhere' in the dash" and wanted to charge me minimum 3 hours to look. So I took it home, took the dash apart myself, and couldn't find anything wrong. The harnest thats on the drivers side that connects the wires from teh engine bay to the inside of the car behind the fuse box was a little corroded, but I plugged it in and out about 10 times to try to 'scratch' the corrosion off, and that didn't work.

I took the gauge cluster out, would replacing this fix the problem? I have no idea, can someone help me out? Should I eat the 300$ cost for them to fix it? Or is there something I can do?

Thanks.

[skibum1111]

It sounds like your cluster has given up on you. Try one from a junkyard, should be able to get one inexpensively. I do believe they plug in and go, but someone else on here who has dealt with them should know. Xero?

[mhr430]

Sounds like something that just happened to my '96. Changing the cluster cost me $34 at a junk yard.

[xeroinfinity]

Those clusters are always going out
The cluster should work after install, but hte car may not start.

If it doesnt, turn the key and try and start, leave the key in the "ON" position for 10 min.

Turn it off for a couple minutes.

Then turn the key and try and start but dont, leave the key in the "on" postion for another 10 min.
Turn it off, it should fire up the third time you try.

if it doesnt, do the procedure again 3 X leaving it in the "ON" position, insted of two.

Hope that helps!