Gauge lights, anyone's ever just "go out"?

[stvdman]

I was driving along and all of a sudden my gauge lights went out. Just the illumination behind them. Everything else in the gauge cluster works fine, even the dim switch.

So, I checked fuses...all good.

Might be a lose connection back there? I am thinking of just taking it to the dealer and have them figure it out.

 

[GetBitBiatch]

what kind are they?

 

[FlaSeaDude]

Just try tapping the top of the dash above the gauges. Mine do it every once in a while and I figured it must be a grounding issue somewhere... :shrug:

 

[stvdman]

what kind are they?

Stock gauge lights. The "illuminescent" glow behind all the stock gauges is gone.

The fader works (turing the headlight knob left and right) everything else fades in and out, even the radio, but NOT the gauge cluster itself.

 

[image]

sounds like a cluster problem. I had sparked the wrong wire and had to order a new dimmer switch a.k.a. headlight switch. it's actually sitting in a box next to me right now. I need to install it. You might try pulling the cluster to look at the bulbs. ???

 

[stvdman]

Yeah, maybe thats the next step.

Thing is I have not done ANYTHING to the car.

I am hesistant at taking it in to the dealre BUT if there is something wrong at least it would be documented and if anything similar happened again I would be covered.

 

[1BDSNK]

No Bulbs! It's electroluminescent

 

[stvdman]

No Bulbs! It's electroluminescent

OK, that makes it even worse, now I have NO CLUE what to do with that.


Maybe Ill just take the cluster out and make sure all the connections are normal.

 

[1BDSNK]

That's what I would suggest. Pull the insturmnet cluster and re-seat it, and see if it works.

Anyway, what did you figure out? I've read several posts over the last few years about this problem. Seems most people end up replacing the insturment cluster.

 

[stvdman]

Yup, another instrument cluster to be replaced. Dealer called and siad nothing else to do but that to fix it.

My question now... does the odometer get moved from my cluster to the new one?

 

[GT Shadow '03]

I believe they'll program/set the new one to match your old one.

 

[impossie]

mine did / does the same thing... it works for about a month then it just goes out for a while... all the gauges work fine, its just the electroluminescent crap that doesnt work. i just drive with it off. not sure as to how much the fix would cost.