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hi, love my 84, but the cluster is not bright and it will not come out enough to get to the wires to clean up the ground plug inside the cluster....so whats the trick to get it out and to the wires....drop the steering colmn? thanks
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Send PMOak Creek, WI - USA
Joined: 5/21/2008
Posts: 2041
Vette(s): 1981 Great White Shark. Red Interior, 350/190 hp. PS, PB (SS), A/C CC, T-Tops. Served three years in Active Duty Army, then Retired Air Force after 34 years! Badger State Vettes Car Club. 175,000 Original miles!! Now own a 1998 C-5!
Welcome Brian. Just exactly what are you trying to do. Are all lights dull? I will help as much as I can.
Dan
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After the initial remove, i am at peace with doing it again. Next time i will lower the steering colmn. my question is the possibility that the ground wire going into the harness at the firewall engine side is bad. i removed the bolt and cleaned the ground to frame part. what is a test for that wire. otherwise it will be removing the whole unit and following one of the threads to correct the grounding inside the cluster itself. I am no longer afraid of doing that either. i drove it tonight and it is black as coal. the only lights are the turn signals and the bright blue high beam. the center consol works fine and the dimmer still works.....thanks for the help...brian
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Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
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Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
I always pull the upper dash pad off to get my cluster out. Never had to drop the column.
Can you see the tach/speedo readings at all? If not, then the cluster will probably need to be repaired. I had mine done a couple of years ago, and it was less than $200...everything on it works perfectly now.
If you can see the speedo/tach readings, but the lights that illuminate the LCD don't come on, first check the LCD fuse, if you haven't already. IF your fuse is blown, and you put a new one in it and it blows, the cluster will need to be repaired.
The main ground for the cluster is on the driver side kick panel, just above the "hush" panel.
The early clusters have a problem with the circuit boards loosing the ground at the connection for the two sections of the cluster. Sometimes, resizing the terminals will fix it, but some folks have even inserted a small wire into the female side of the connector to make the connection tighter, and that has worked for them.
I will suggest that you get Gordon Killebrew's manual on the Digital Dash Troubleshooting...it's great, and leaves no stone unturned in diagnosing the cluster. You can usually buy it from any of the Corvette parts vendors(such as our Sponsoring Vendors here
), or you might even find it on e-bay.
hth.
I'll throw this in, too...and hope you don't take it the wrong way....
Are you sure the headlight switch/cluster dimmer is turned to the right all the way?
Adams' Apple 2009-10-21 20:00:18
Can you see the tach/speedo readings at all? If not, then the cluster will probably need to be repaired. I had mine done a couple of years ago, and it was less than $200...everything on it works perfectly now.
If you can see the speedo/tach readings, but the lights that illuminate the LCD don't come on, first check the LCD fuse, if you haven't already. IF your fuse is blown, and you put a new one in it and it blows, the cluster will need to be repaired.
The main ground for the cluster is on the driver side kick panel, just above the "hush" panel.
The early clusters have a problem with the circuit boards loosing the ground at the connection for the two sections of the cluster. Sometimes, resizing the terminals will fix it, but some folks have even inserted a small wire into the female side of the connector to make the connection tighter, and that has worked for them.
I will suggest that you get Gordon Killebrew's manual on the Digital Dash Troubleshooting...it's great, and leaves no stone unturned in diagnosing the cluster. You can usually buy it from any of the Corvette parts vendors(such as our Sponsoring Vendors here
), or you might even find it on e-bay.hth.
I'll throw this in, too...and hope you don't take it the wrong way....
Are you sure the headlight switch/cluster dimmer is turned to the right all the way?
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56 
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Send PMOak Creek, WI - USA
Joined: 5/21/2008
Posts: 2041
Vette(s): 1981 Great White Shark. Red Interior, 350/190 hp. PS, PB (SS), A/C CC, T-Tops. Served three years in Active Duty Army, then Retired Air Force after 34 years! Badger State Vettes Car Club. 175,000 Original miles!! Now own a 1998 C-5!
Boy !! I tell ya, that Joel guy got all the good remarks and answers!!
Dan
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i appreciate this input. i will try the ground at the hush panel...whatever that is...i will look for a panel in the foot well and see whats there. if you could give a more involved description this would help...thanks...brian
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Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
Sorry...
I should have been more specific.
The ground is on the vertical panel on the driver side dash. If you look at the dash, the carpeted trim panel that extends from the bottom of the dash(under the steering column, about where your knees are while driving) forward is the "hush" panel. If you remove that panel, you can look to the left, over by where the parking brake pedal would be on a "regular" car...that is called the kick panel. There is a plastic trim panel on there, also. Just above the top of the trim panel is the grounds. There will be more than one wire, and they are attached with a small bolt to the metal part of the body there.
I'll see if I can get a diagram and post. It's kinda hard for me to describe what to look for.
I should have been more specific.The ground is on the vertical panel on the driver side dash. If you look at the dash, the carpeted trim panel that extends from the bottom of the dash(under the steering column, about where your knees are while driving) forward is the "hush" panel. If you remove that panel, you can look to the left, over by where the parking brake pedal would be on a "regular" car...that is called the kick panel. There is a plastic trim panel on there, also. Just above the top of the trim panel is the grounds. There will be more than one wire, and they are attached with a small bolt to the metal part of the body there.
I'll see if I can get a diagram and post. It's kinda hard for me to describe what to look for.
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56
My Link
(click for Texas-sized view!) NCRS
"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
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thats a great explaination. I shall try this weekend to check both the fuse and the ground. after all this input i just want to take the cluster out and have dinner with it. then take it outside and put it back in.....thanks
another thing is when its cold and i first start out there is a "bearing sound" coming from the drivers rear outside axle area. it is a very tight humming sound for about three seconds. only once on each start of the day and then it goes away. are there zerk fitting for the rear bearings..thanks..b
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Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 22715
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
No grease fitting in the rear, unfortunately...
Rear hub bearings normally will not stop making noise like that, but I guess it is possible. It could be a brake pad noise, tho, or if you actually use your parking brake, then it could very well be that...they tend to hang/stick when first released, and can create a moan noise.
Adams' Apple 2009-10-24 09:30:52
Rear hub bearings normally will not stop making noise like that, but I guess it is possible. It could be a brake pad noise, tho, or if you actually use your parking brake, then it could very well be that...they tend to hang/stick when first released, and can create a moan noise.
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56
My Link
(click for Texas-sized view!) NCRS
"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
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As we get new projects and we start to tinker my mind gets filled with so much information. i am pleased to hear about the parking brake again. i have not used it ....and i won't. that is a perfect word for the sound....moan...then it goes away...it all makes sense. now the ground. i will check that place. i can see the tac and speedo and just see the numbers for the guages during the day. at night it's just nothing. the wife is off to idaho on thursday so we will have time to play...thanks again.b
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