instrument cluster replacement 2000 Lesabre

[bap]

Have a 2000 Buick Lesabre Limited with some dash lights burned out and erratic DIC display (sometimes symbols, sometimes blank). Tap on the lens and the DIC will briefly restore. Assume I need to replace the instrument cluster. Is it "plug and play" or will the cluster have to be reprogrammed? Want to get a used cluster as new is too expensive.

 

[mnewbolds]

I'm pretty sure it's plug-play. I replaced mine and had no problems, wouldn't hurt to reset the computer with an OBD II diagnostic tool.

 

[theozara]

[FONT=&quot]We are "Eastern Electronics Service", we are located in Elmwood Park New Jersey, and we perform a variety of repairs on vehicle electronics, and more specifically, the repair and or replacement of the cars Instrument cluster, and reprogramming of Odometer, or the entire instrument cluster when necessary. We also perform work on car audio.

All are work is guaranteed, we will except work from all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and International Customers, are website linked, contains all contact information.

For further inquiries please call are number listed and the website or just respond to this post

-Eastern Electronics Service[/FONT]
http://www.easternelectronicsllc.com

 

[dandyd]

I replaced an instrument panel in an '00 Buick Lesabre because the DIC was sporadic, and when you would tap on it lightly it would "sometimes" begin to function. My Buick has 129715 miles, but the used panel I replaced it with has just over 86k on it.....IS it possible to make this new panel register the correct mileage??

 

[dandyd]

Driver Information on our 2000 Lesabre starting being erratic---got a used IP to fix the DI but the odometer reading is a @50k off (the mileage of the car it was salvaged from)----is there a way to update the odometer with the correct mileage?

Second questions---serveral of the IP light bulbs are burnt out---but it appears the bulbs are soldered into the circuit board---how are they replaced??

In replacing those bulbs the entire IP has to be disassembled to get to the back of the IC---this requires removing the IP needles controlling the speed, fuel, temp, and tach gauges......is there a way to do this AND replace them, making sure the readings remain correct?

 

[redmondjp]

Driver Information on our 2000 Lesabre starting being erratic---got a used IP to fix the DI but the odometer reading is a @50k off (the mileage of the car it was salvaged from)----is there a way to update the odometer with the correct mileage?

Second questions---serveral of the IP light bulbs are burnt out---but it appears the bulbs are soldered into the circuit board---how are they replaced??

In replacing those bulbs the entire IP has to be disassembled to get to the back of the IC---this requires removing the IP needles controlling the speed, fuel, temp, and tach gauges......is there a way to do this AND replace them, making sure the readings remain correct?

Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it after doing it myself. I put painter's tape on the face, manually moved the pointers to their stop in one direction, and then used a black marker on the tape to note the position of the needles. Then you have to pry the needles off of the shafts which is very difficult to do. After I put it back in the car, I had one or more noisy stepper motors for awhile and I was afraid that I had damaged something (but it seems they have settled down now).

As for the bulbs, you have to desolder them, and then solder new ones in. It's a lot of work and there are numerous ways to screw something up, which is why I would recommend getting a remanufactured cluster (new gauge stepper motors, new bulbs, tested, calibrated, etc). Besides the poster above, there are many automotive instrument rebuilders out there (most are on Ebay as well).

You also need a really tiny socket (4mm or 3/16" something like that) for the screws holding the cluster together. I used needle-nose pliers but that took way too long.

 

[DonP]

This worked on my 2004, not sure about the 2000.

Once you have turned the pointer CCW to the stop and mark the position of the pointer on the tape, twist the pointed a bit more to free it on the shaft. Then it can be carefully pried off using a dinner fork as the pry tool. Be sure you have some soft fabric on the IP face to prevent scratches.

I use #8111 replacement bulbs (rated 10,000 hours at 14 volts) for the tiny bulbs in switches and control panels. (Ordered mine from bulbtown.com.) A bit of fine work but not hard if you know how to solder on PC boards.

Replace them all when you do it - if a few are burned out the rest are likely not that far behind. Removing the IP is a pain to do more than once or twice in a lifetime.

 

[langus]

This probably wont help with the burned out light bulbs but a few years ago, we had a 2000 Bonneville. The Guages where going crazy and the Digital read out would be symbols, then work, then shut off, then just be a bunch of lines etc. I removed the whole assembly (plug and play) and put some electrical grease on the connections. Worked like a charm for the next two years! This is not usually the outcome for me but for once something was cheap to fix! By the way, the local dealer ship wanted somethign like $900 to fix.

 

[joeparnold]

Digital readout gets garbled, or totally blank, or sometimes works normal. Indicates probably just a bad connection.
Turns out the blue connector on the DIC circuit board has developed a bad electrical contact connection. The "springiness" required to hold the contacts together has faded with time.
After removing the DIC from the car, and taking the back cover off the DIC to expose the circuit board, I took a small paperclip and carefully created a tiny hook on the end, then a 90° bend at the tiny hook in order to be able to hook around each tiny contact and gently pry it straight out. Then took an Awg18-ish gauge wire and removed the insulation from the wire and VERY carefully worked the insulation under the contacts on both sides of the connector in order to hold the contacts out, and supply some "springiness" via the compress-ability
of the insulation. The important measurement is that the insulation should be close to 1/16" in diameter. Replace DIC back cover. VERY carefully align the DIC electrical connector with its mating connector in the car, since this will now be very tight as you gently and squarely push the connectors together.

 

[joeparnold]

Digital readout gets garbled, or totally blank, or sometimes works normal. Indicates probably just a bad connection.

PREVIOUSLY I SAID IT WAS THE CONTACTS ON THE BLUE CONNECTOR. THIS IS NOT THE PROBLEM!
The "Blue Connector" fix did not last very long. It appears the only reason it worked at all is that it applied some pressure (temporarily) on the Digital Display module.
After much experimentation and testing, it appears the true culprit is the Digital Display module itself.
I believe there is a bad electrical connection somewhere within this module, or within its external connections.
Not likely that this module could be disassembled and fixed, so I just experimented with placing pressure in various places on the module.
I found that light pressure on the left side of the module produced the best outcome. You should experiment for the best location for pressure.
I simply stacked up a number of small duct tape strips on the left side of the module until that stack was about 1/4", such that WHEN INSTALLED, the Instrument Cluster Face Plate would constantly put a little pressure on the Digital Display module.

Obviously this requires removal and disassembling the Instrument Cluster. There are videos online to remove the Instrument Cluster.
Here’s the one I used:

To disassemble the Instrument Cluster, all you need is a flat blade screwdriver to unhook the plastic tabs around the front cover.
Now to get to the Digital Display module itself, the Instrument Cluster Face Plate must be removed.

Here where it gets tricky:
Unless you cut the Instrument Cluster Face Plate, the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, and temp gauge needles must be removed.
These needles have been on for many years, and mine where tough to remove, ESPECIALLY the speedometer.
When I had everything back together, everything worked except the speedometer.
So, disassembled the Instrument Cluster again, and found that the pin on the speedometer stepper motor was very difficult to turn, while the other 3 stepper motor pins turned very easily.
With a small screwdriver, I was able to pop the back off the stepper motor and found that the plastic sleeve around the pin had expanded.
Turns out when I pulled off the speedometer needle originally, the pin on the stepper motor pulled partway thru its plastic sleeve, and actually expanded the plastic sleeve such that the sleeve was too tight for the motor to turn it.
So, I painstakingly filed the plastic sleeve down until it would turn appropriately within the stepper motor, and it now works.

Considering the tight tolerances within these tiny stepper motors, this speedometer fix might not last.
So if I were to do this again, I would neatly cut the Instrument Cluster Face Plate in half between the tachometer and speedometer.
This way you only need to remove the tachometer needle, and if that breaks, its just the tach.

I also recommend adding some layers of duct tape (and one piece of black electrical tape on top to match) to the Instrument Cluster Face Plate above the stacked up duct tape strips on the Digital Display module.
Enough layers such that the front cover of the Instrument Cluster rests on these layers.
That way if the Digital Display messes up again, you can just press on the front cover, and the pressure will transfer to the Digital Display module and hopefully straighten it out for a while.

See attached pictures of duct tape stack on Digital Display module, and duct tape stack (and electrical tape) on Instrument Cluster Face Plate.