2001 instrument panel inop...

[68Gold/white]

I'm trying to help out a co-worker. Single mom, minimal income, all those intangibles...
She has this 2001 pickup, The instrument cluster is dead. Someone told her that the ground source was a problem. She's already spent some $$$ on it...LOL

Is there some common trait with this???

Thanks!

[truckdude239]

What part is dead like jsut a few guages or the whole thing?> they are bad about the guage motors dieing also the lcd screens die from a bad solider job from the factory

[Pyro]

If the cluster is completely dead I'd start with the grounds. It's a common problem for the grounds on the back of the engine block to break. They're on the passenger side, top back of the block right behind the intake manifold. they are on a single bolt coming in from the top. Pretty common for them to break and cause the cluster to stop working.

1999-2002 clusters usually don't have stepper motor problems. The most I've seen go wrong with them is the display going out, caused by solder joints breaking from excessive heat and not a good enough solder job from the factory, but the gauges would still function.

Obviously check fuses but it's doubtful it would be blown unless there is a short to ground.

I'd start with checking those ground wires on the block.

[Flying Hamster]

If it has been used on rough roads, the clusters go dead.
I'm on my third cluster in my 2006, and it goes out and resumes working on a regular basis. 140k miles, only real problem with the truck.
Does any part work? will it light check lights if you turn on the key but don't start the engine?
(If you smack the dash does it come back on? Mine does... for a little while.)

[68Gold/white]

She said it's dead...
Someone installed a good cluster, and it was dead...
I might to get a chance to work on it this weekend.

[68Gold/white]

Well I worked on it Dec 2nd. Searched internet some. I crammed my hand behind pass side head. Found vent for transmission, but nothing else... Thought that was a good place to put that.

Found the ground wires beneath drivers door. They were intact. I removed the bolt anyway and cleaned up the terminals and the spot on the body. This made no change in cluster.

The cluster (in it's inop state of being) had a couple of gauges that did work. I believe the gas gauge was one...I fooled with it a little more. Gave up for the day.

Next day I crammed my hand further behind pass side head.
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To anyone with same problem you have to reach nearly to the center of the intake area, it is a tight area
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Found a piece of that plastic corrugated wire loom that was hanging free!!! Aha!!! It had wires in it. There was enough slack I could pull the piece around side to look at it!!!

There were 2 wires in it. Both black with a tiny white strip on both!!! First thing I did was text them for power with ign swi on, nothing. Then test them for power with engine running, nothing. Next I grounded them to the coil bracket on the valve cover, the cluster worked!!! Yee Ha!!!

BUT, the gear selector and odometer did not light up........
I looked on internet again. Solder the teenie weenie little gaps that I saw on internet video. Now that stuff works too...

THe pickup has like 230,000 miles on it, no wonder...