D.I.Y. Stepper Motor Replacement

[truckdude239]

After Seeing Alot of Posts About Faulty Gauges Clusters I've Decided to put togEther How to Repair Your Cluster, None of This is My Work,(i've yet to attempt this on A Customer truck) If You Don't feel Comfortable Soldiering and What Not there Are many Services Out there you Can Send it in to and have it repaired For about 100 Dollars, Heck http://www.dormanproducts.com/ even sells re-manufacturer Clusters for 200-300 with a lifetime warranty Just be expecting a Large core Charge usally 200 dollars (Yes they want them back)

But For the More Do It Your Selfers Heres the Steeper Motor install


Updated instrument cluster stepper motor part # is X25 168
DEFECTIVE OEM stepper motor is # X C5 168

Materials:
1. One or more stepper motors.
2. Fine rosin core solder

Tools:
1. Desoldering tool. There are several types. Some are “suckers” that you use with a soldering iron to pull the solder out of the joint. The one I used is from Radio Shack for about $11. It is a 45 watt soldering iron with a hole in the tip and a rubber sucker bulb.
2. Soldering iron. About 25 watts is good for this job.
3. 7 mm nut driver or equivalent.
4. A small flat blade screwdriver.
5. A kitchen fork. (yes, details later).

Procedure:
1. Set the parking brake. If it doesn’t work, block a wheel.
2. Turn the key on and pull the shift down to “1”. Chime goes “ding ding …”
3. Pull the tilt wheel all the way down.
4. Pull off the dash bezel. It uses spring retainers so pull it straight back.
5. Take out the 4 screws (7 mm head) that hold the cluster in.
6. Work the cluster back. Release the electrical connector at the top back of the cluster by releasing the retainer. Unplug the connector.
7. Remove the cluster. It’s a bit of a squeeze between the top of the dash and the shroud thing on the steering, but it will come out without breaking anything. Honest.
8. Take the cluster to your clean, well lit work space. Plug in the desoldering tool and soldering iron to heat up.
9. Take the back off the (black) cluster by using your small screw driver releasing the lock tabs that hold it to the (white) frame part. You are now looking at the back of the cluster PC board.
10. Take off the front lens/bezel assembly. It has lock tabs at the top and bottom to hold it to the white part. The top ones are easy with a small screw driver. The bottom ones are a bit of a *****. Mild cursing helps.
11. The PC board is now being held in by the gauge needles. You have to remove all the needles even if you are only working one stepper motor. The guy who sold me the stepper motor provided directions to get the needles back on pointed to the right reading but I got it wrong. More later.
12. Twist each needle a little counter clockwise to break the bond between the needle and the stepper motor. Use the kitchen fork to lift off the needle. No need for a 10 ton porta-power.
13. The circuit board will now come out. Be REALLY SURE you pull the stepper motor you want to replace. Maybe mark it with a Sharpie.
14. There are 4 pins that come out of the back of the stepper motor and are soldered into the PC board. Take your now hot desoldering tool, squeeze the bulb while NOT pointed at the PC board. (We want suck, not blow.) Melt the solder and suck it up. Repeat for each of the 4 pins.
15. The motor should now be easy to pull off.
16. Put the new motor in its place. There are locator pins. Make sure it is flush against the PC board.
17. Take your soldering iron. Make sure the tip is clean and tinned. Solder each pin to the PC board. Heat the board pad and the wire; then let those parts melt the solder. Don’t try to melt the solder on the iron then try to dab it in. That doesn’t work.
18. Examine your solder joints carefully. They should be smooth and shiny, flowed onto the pad and the wire.
19. Unplug your soldering iron and desoldering tool. If you are lucky they will cool off before you accidentally grab the wrong end of one.
20. Place the PC board back in the middle (white plastic) frame. Put the back cover on, press the retainers down until they lock.
21. Replace the instrument needles. The guy that sold me the stepper motor recommended pushing the needle on pointing at mid scale, then twisting to the bottom of the scale. Try it, but this didn’t work out for me; maybe I didn’t understand correctly. Hence:
22. DO NOT PUT THE FRONT LENS PART ON YET. More later.
23. Put the cluster (less the front lens) back in the truck, with the cable plugged in. Don’t put in the screws yet.
24. Start the truck. Oh, shyte, no start. Oh, I’m in first gear. Neutral safety switch. Put it in park and really start it this time. Watch the gauges come to life. In my case some were reading really whack.
25. Shut off the truck. For each gauge that is not reading bottom of scale, pull the needle off and put it back in pointing at bottom of scale. Repeat this step a few times until you have it all right.
26. NOW put the front lens back on your cluster. You can do this with the back part of the cluster in the dash. Push until the locks click.
27. Put back the 4 retaining screws and the dash bezel.



Here is a Link To Another thread On another Site that has Pictures!

http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=48886

[truckdude239]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...All-Categories

steeper Motors on eBay Normally Run around 6-10 Dollars Each

[Coley]

Wow...this is great info and insight guys.
I was wondering about this over the last year and of course, what better place to find out than here.
One thing I didn't want to have to do is to have a dealership do it....for probably hundreds of dollars I'm sure.
Many Thanks Again!!!
Coley

[truckdude239]

the dealer is about 5-600 dollars they install a new cluster

[thelonerife]

I did this on my 05 Cavalier. I watched a video on you tube on how to take the dash apart and got my stepper motors off of ebay. I was done in about two and a half hours. My 05 Silverado still has the originals so I'm watching and waiting. So for so good.

[Gmforce]

Ok, So I have 2 GM's and just bought them both. 1- 2002 olds Bravada , the fuel gauge doesn't work but occasionally bounces..... 2- an 2002 Chevy 1500HD 4 door that the Oil pressure gauge doesn't work at all.....
Do You think this is the most likely cause in both cases ? Any Input Is Good Input....THANKS

[MTCHEVY]

Can anyone verify?

Has the X25-168 part number been updated/replaced/Interchange by X27-168? Is there any difference? It seems that parts sellers are selling the X27 for GM cluster repairs and I can't seem to find an X25?

[truckdude239]

X27 is replacing the x25s

[MTCHEVY]

Originally Posted by truckdude239

X27 is replacing the x25s

Thanks