Thanks so much for posting this video! We have been having this issue with our 1999 Caravan and after checking with a former Dodge mechanic he told us to replace the cluster circuit board. The best price we found was $499 through Amazon and Ebay. My husband saw your video and we were able to fix the van without having to spend all that cash! You're our hero!
Just pulled my cluster out, got it under a magnifying glass, and SHAZAM! The exact same terminal as in the video was cracked. I soldered it back, and now I have Tach, Speedo, gas gauge, odometer, and thr trip computer works again! Thank You.
Whaaaaaa? A thumbs down by someone? I have been so proud to have 100% thumbs up for almost 3 years. I love this vid. It's helped so many people it's crazy. I thumbs down you mr. Thumbs down guy....
The only thing I would complain about regarding this video, is soldering is easy, but HOW the fuck do you take out the cluster from the dash? That's what I will have trouble with in a few minutes when I go to figure that out...You showed the easiest part, in my opinion.
@sub par The dash isn't too difficult to disassemble. I didn't bother making that video because there is already one on RUclips. It really is fairly simple but I can understand the frustration. I just att led it myself because that how I am. My wife calls me a bull in a china shop but I just get things done;) here is a link to a video that may help you. ruclips.net/video/wKtwRrRE3Rc/видео.html
Thank you so much. Been racking my brain to figure out how to get my wife's van to stop the dash slap routine. She never could get it to work and it finally just quit working all together last night. 30 minutes counting the dash removal and reinstallation and we are up and going again.
Great video Sir. Our 96 Caravan was doing this crap. Been beating the hell out of the dash for a year now (LOL). Problem was "3" cracked solder joints on the back of the main plug. Just heated them up, applied a touch of solder, & my cluster works like brand new. It even made the door locks react quicker, & somehow fixed my rear window defogger!!?? Dunno how, but it did. Thanks again my friend for the instructional video!! Great job!!
I have been dealing with this issue lately and was ready to buy a new cluster. I am so glad I came across your video. Now I know what to do when I pull my cluster out without buying another. Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it very much. You are a wallet saver.
Thanks so much for posting this! Dodge Grand Caravan, instrument cluster had been off and on for years (worked in winter, died most of the summer). Needed this fixed because transmission can't be diagnosed without cluster. Had been too chicken to fix this myself until I saw your video which showed very clearly what needed to be soldered and encouraged me to find a video on how to remove it. Was REALLY easy! Saved $1,000! Thanks so much!!!
I did it! and it works. I made a little change; I took the piece to a radio shop and ask them to weld it for me. they charge me 3 dls. I just indicate them wich ones to weld. thanks man was fun and awesome!
Thanks. I spent a year without gauges dreading ripping apart the dash but finally I got enough information to just do it. I was quoted over $750 by the dealership to deal with it. When I finally attacked it and when the dashboard display came back to life it was "great success" as Borat would say. Every time I look down at the dash now I have so much more appreciation for this bit if technology.
A true gentleman/thinker/do-it- yourselfer. Thanks for posting this repair job. My 98 caravan gauges have been teasing off and on, and about 3 weeks ago refused to come back on. I wasted many hours reading schematics, checking wires and vacuum hoses, sensors, etc, because I did not want to hassle with the dash disassembly. Everything works so good engine-wise, driving, and a great cold A/C, no other problems, just the "fun" unknown of driving without gauges. The soldering job you did is about the same job I recently did on a pawn shop Fender guitar amplifier. Both guitar jacks and foot switch jack had pulled loose from the printed circuit board from too many jerks of the chords. That was easy and came out perfect. So I'm hoping the same success for this instrument cluster f#@$%. I have already pre-cussed enough at it in the summer heat and fighting mosquitoes. So it goes...
Well I wish you the best of luck. It is a little pain in the butt to pull the instrument cluster but it's not that bad. Probably only takes 5-10 minutes to get out. I too spent a lot of time trouble shooting. I lived with it for over a year until finally just dug in to it. It has worked fine ever since. I'm blown away with the fact the my short vid has over 100,000 views. It just goes to show how common of a problem this must be.
+lonex00 Thanks, Also since I have tried hitting a few things here and there like the fuse panels,etc., I have yet to try a direct blow to the top of the dash. So I'll try that tomorrow and save the disassembly for next week. This weekend I am hauling me, my band, and equipment on another 60+mile out of town gig. The other guys and one girl kind of get a kick out of the suspense of driving loaded down and otherwise in the middle of the night through the Twilight zone possibilities. Not me, I'm ready for some working gauges. I'll give you an update at some point.
Yes a good slam on the top of the dash. I did that off and on to extend the life of it for awhile but eventually no amount of pounding would work. It just softened up a spot on the dashboard. I hope you have a good time with your up coming gig. My daughter is working on writing a few more songs before her and her friend hit the road touring. I have no clue what kind of tunes you like but I'll leave you with a tune that she just finished a video for. ruclips.net/video/LbmYxTR409o/видео.html Cheers
I am glad you found the answer. My dash is digital so it has a slightly different configuration. I would do some searches about the gas gauge now. It could have something to do with the sensor in the tank. Chances are though is that it has something to do with the work just done to the instrument cluster. Hopefully there was no contacts joined with solder that shouldn't have been. Good luck with the fuel issue. If you resolve it, let us know. Cheers...
We live off the income of 2 handi-capped children. So income it TIGHT. This video has helped me very much! Kept us from walking for a long time. THANKS
Thanks SO MUCH for this video. I just about wet my drawers when you were talking about banging on the dash. I just did it out of instinct. :) I've had the dash out a few times, for other reasons, and I sprayed the connector with electronic cleaner and it actually worked again. for about 2 miles. I did notice that if I put pressure on the connector the lights would come on, put the dash back and they'd go out again. So this video made perfect sense to me. No visible problems with the solder joints, but I heated them up with a new touch of solder. It's a MIRICLE!!!! Again, THANKS!!!
Did this fix and damn, easy as hell. Even used a soldering iron I didn't think would work. Took me a total of about a half hour because I was fumbling with the panels and helping a friend out at the same time. The solder reflow on the pin doesn't look pretty, but it works, and that's what I was going for. You know that gauge cluster would've cost me 200 for a replacement part alone?
After pulling the green computer board from the cluster, I found many (10 to 14) bad connections. I went ahead and re-soldered them only to find the cluster still not working. I'm not the best as soldering so I thought I would take it out and give it another try before spending some serious cash. After finding a couple more questionable places, I fixed them and THIS TIME rather than getting everything back together and THEN starting the van, I simply connected the cluster and checked it (before putting everything back together). Worked fine. COOL! I left the van running while placing the cluster into the dash, and it STOPPED WORKING. Here's what I found. The main power clip/connection had a loose wire where in went into the white clip. Problem fixed. MY ADVICE: If you find no problems with the soldering, or fix the problems and it still won't work. CHECK THE PLUG. Worked for me!
thanks for the video! my panel had the same pin cracked. 45 minutes of work and I no longer have to use my GPS as a speedometer. (smart phone. yeah there is an app for that.) It is videos like this that make the internet the most powerful tool on the planet.
Thanks for the best info and (only) fix I can find for this online. Had this problem was driving me nuts. Gonna break out my soldering iron and try your solution tonight.
I have beat this thing for well over a decade! It still comes off & on when I hit a bump, & my ride only has 87k miles on it lol. Many thanks to you! Many!!!!!
GREAT VIDEO!!! I understand your frustration when you get a thumbs down and all you did was try to help someone out, we go through the same thing, don't know what's wrong with people, just ignore them and keep doing what you do, again, GREAT VIDEO!
@MrSargentodpro I am glad it was able to help out someone who can really appreciate it. It was time well spent making that quick video for everyone else :)
I'm back, and I did it! It works! Soo happy to have my gas gauge, speedometer,and odo back. Glad I found this video because I never take my car to any garage, I always do my own repairs. However, it would have been nice if you did do a video on how many screws there were to get to the circuit board! And how to disengage the emergency brake release handle correctly. On mine the cable popped out of its spot in the back. Gonna have to take the metal piece of the lower dash area (by knees) off, to get access to that area. But that's for another day.
+queenninathetwin I don't understand what the E-brake release has to do with the dash display? Please explain? And, how do we get the dash assembly off the car to start all this project?
Thank you so much! I had this issue with my 98 Dodge Caravan and until I found this video, I was thinking it was going to be a minimum of $200. As someone who drives a 20 year old vehicle, I obviously can't afford upwards of $200. :) I understand that old cars need help and I do as many of my own repairs as I can. I still have the service engine light on but everything else works fine. Once it gets to the point where a good smack doesn't work any more, I'll hit it with some solder. Tomorrow we change the oil to see if that helps.
Great video. Thanks so much for the help. I resoldered each joint and instrument cluster works great again. No more having to bang on the dashboard. Thanks again...Huge help
1997 Dodge Caravan. In winter, no amount of slapping fixed it. Summer was better, but it's beginning to act up in warm weather too. I am relieved to hear it's only about a half hour job. I had the fear it was going to be a 3-4 hour job. Going outside with all the stuff I need to get this FIXED, right now. Will post how I made out.
Great advice! I've only had one of my five Chrysler mini-vans act up and it's now too old and worn out for further help. The instruments on it would usually start working again after restarting the car.
Your welcome! I appreciate the extra time you took to leave a comment here. That is the only way I know it is helping people. It makes me feel great to know that my video is helping others. Cheers my friend...
@TheHinton58, I am not sure about the instrument cluster affecting your car that way. But if your cluster is dead, this is a really good place to start as I have found that it has affected thousands of vehicles.
Hey Shecky308, I simply reheated the solder joints that were there. Because of the hairline cracks that were barely visible plus the fact that I wanted to be extra careful not to touch any other pins and have them short out together, I felt the safest thing was to simply re heat the existing solder joints. And this has worked perfectly now for 3 years. No problems since the fix.
@@ohwow3158 it was still working when I sold it about 4 years ago. The transmission on the other hand 😬. It worked most of the times but sometimes decided not to engage for a few seconds. Nothing crazy unless you were trying to pull into traffic....😂
Did slap dash for a year before going out. The tach needle came off from slapping. The pin on mine that was broken was the same one. Thx! With 240K the car isn't worth spending much on. I'm reasonably mechanically inclined. If I did it now knowing exactly what i was doing and everything went well it might take me an hour. Otherwise figure 2 even if you like to fix things. Resetting the needle took time to get it right. I would not have seen the crack w/o a lighted magnifying glass.
@717lin, it is actually very easy. You need to look around the plastic surround. You will see a bunch of screws. You need to remove these scenes. Once all the screws are removed, the plastic cover/surround will come right off exposing your instrument cluster. You will then need to undo a couple more screws to release the cluster itself. The only tricky part comes next when you pull the instrument cluster out, you will need to move the gear shifter down in order to have enough room to get the in
The fix for my Dodge Caravan instrument cluster was the capacitor on the back of the panel next to the connector in the center. It was weak and hadn't failed open yet. Replaced it and it was alive again, an easy repair. Note: Some multi-meters will test capacitors and there are testers on ebay from $15 on up. If you are going to buy one make sure it can test the large capacitors in your AC/ heat pump. 50uF is not uncommon in newer units, but most will test much larger than that. You won't regret buying one.
Good luck @queenninathetwin. It will take a little bit to take the dash apart and pull the panel but it is a simple in and out job. I had the same experience during winter or rain. If it was sunny and dry, the slaps worked a lot better.
Found the answer. On a mechanical shifter indicator you have to slip the small cable (string) off down on the column and slide the mounting bracket free then it just comes out with the dash. I hit all the solder joints and it's working for the moment. Only problem is the fuel gage now just goes up to full when you turn on the ignition whether there's gas in the tank or not.
@concepra, most of technical skill stops at "slap dash". But it does sound to me that the power between then harness on the cluster and your switch is where the issue is. My cluster was fine except for the cracked solder pins. Once those connections are fixed, more times than not, your entire panel comes back to life. I am sorry I can't be more help but most of my knowledge was gotten by just over a years worth of part time google searching and forum reading until I finally got to this info. Th
There is a ribbon cable that needs to be unclipped from the wiring harness to the instrument cluster. You should be able to just gently pinch the sides or use a flat screw driver to disconnect it.
You are most welcome. That seams to be about the average. $500-$750. It's hard to justify on such an old vehicle but when it can be done for free....GIDDYUP!
99 Plymouth Grand Voyager checking in. Yes, this was the problem and for $9 at my local car shop I was able to buy a soldering iron and fix this myself.
@William Keenan, that would most likely be the same issue. The movement from the harness at the connection is what makes the pins complete the circuit.
I've always tried to work on my vehicles whenever I can because when you show up to an auto shop as a woman, the cost seems to double. Yay for the internet!
just did that to a 2000 Chrysler Town and Country works fine now , was using a wooden hammer to slap the dash with to keep it going , glad we don't have to do it anymore
I like that. A wooden hammer, that's a new technique. By the time I finally figured it all out, my dash was pretty soft. I'm glad your dash is back in business.
@underground2000, I am doing some research on a similar problem I have. My rear side window doesn't work. Right now I don't have anything on that but if I figure it out, I will let you know.
I know how you feel. Mine was dead for over a year and when the dash lit up I was like the Frankenstein doctor.... It's alive!!! (insert evil laugh here)
Thanks geroboan1. I agree. I get a little frustrated watching some DIY videos and having to watch someone take out 17 screws. Not wanting to fast forward in case they happen to say something important. Short sweet and to the point!
Well I couldn't say for sure. But usually when this problem starts, it can be resolved temporarily by slapping the top of the dash fairly hard. This causes the cracked cold solder joints to make enough contact to work for a while. Eventually not even slapping the dash will fix it and you will have to take the dash apart and reheat the solder joints to fix it.
Now you will finally start adding mileage to the van ;) Anytime the gauges were dead, it wasn't recoding mileage. The pros and cons of this malfunction.
My friend hired a guy to do exactly what you did, he charged $100 to fix my 98 Dodge Grand Caravan, and it started and ran for four weeks. Now it won't start again. DO I need a new one?
Faye Nguyen if it won’t start, it won’t be anything to do with the instrument cluster. I would start with the obvious things like a clogged fuel filter and then bad fuel pump. I would look at things like fuel and spark.
@@lonex00 I'm thinking its the alarm, because the wires was disconnect in the drivers door where the key goes, and at the bottom; after my window motor was changed.The battery is new, and I hear the fuel pump engage when I turn the key. The car starts but won't stay running.
Faye Nguyen hmmm well depending on the alarm, it may cause it not to start but the fact that you say it starts but won’t stay running still makes me think fuel filter. But I could be way off. It’s hard to troubleshoot when you are not actually there turning the engine over.
Faye Nguyen oh I see. I am not familiar with a van not starting due to the failed instrument cluster but if there is an anti theft system that reads information from the cluster maybe that could cause it to shut down. As I am not a certified mechanic, I am hesitant to direct you to what to do next. But if you have a dead cluster, I would remove it and make sure all of the pins are soldered again. Maybe only the visibly damaged one was fixed the first time and now other pins are cracked. Each pin will relate to something different on it. I’m sorry I can’t be more help but I would return to the cluster since you know it is not working and will most likely require the same work done to it again.
Wish I had a picture. On my cluster there is a string that leads from the shifter in the column to the indicator for PRD12 etc... I cannot see or figure a way to disconnect it so i can take the cluster out of the vehicle. I can work on it in place but would rather have it out to check the solder joints and re solder if needed. Yours must be a digital it there is no string. but my caravan is a 99. I'll look further on the web. Thanks
Need help fast! I've never soldered before, and my panel is a LITTLE bit different. The connector is the same though, I've done research saying I might as well just re-solder all the pins.
Could you give us a more detailed explanation of how you removed the cable from the instrument cluster ? Looks like it is by "feel", what are you feeling ? Thanks for a great video !
Harry Lankford all you need to do is just pinch it and slowly wiggle it off. It may be a little tight but it should come off without a problem. Good luck!
I checked all solder joints and its all good. My cluster works on and off, I changed my BCM body control module and it didn't work. Perhaps the one from the junkyard was bad too I don't know.
Hopefully you will get to the bottom of it. Those cracked joints can be very hard to see sometimes. I have had people say that they couldn’t see any cracks but just hit the joints anyway with a soldering iron and it came back to life. I hope you figure it out. Good luck my friend.
I'm glad I came across your vid very straightforward. Did exactly what you're saying and booyah baby its all good to go. Great job on the vid man peace out and take care:)
Best to get a soldering gun or soldering iron. Not a torch. Just heat up the soldering iron or soldering gun and gently touch each connector individually. The heat from the tool will be enough to re solder the connection. And that's all there is to it.
I have no lights. Cluster ok, replaced light unit. At the connector at the swicth Orange/brown wire. When operating slider it's going from 0 to 4.95V but at the connector at the cluster it's staying zero. Any suggestions?
Sorry Marlene. But RUclips is a great resource for the do it yourself type of person. Taking the instrument cluster out is just a matter of taking out a lot of little screws and disconnecting a wiring harness. Do you know a young teenager that could help you out? If I was in the area, I would gladly help you out. Good luck.
i have a 99 town and country, the only problems i have are with the abs lights and the trac control, come on, i brought it in and they said it was a wire, could it be this same problem, repair estimates were way to much
Would this be the fix for the problem if the way I get the panel to come back on right now is by pulling on the wires where the plug is a little bit. That's how I get it to come back on right now after taking it apart from the dash but it's usually back off when I slide it back into place to bolt back onto the dash. So would your fix most likely be what would take care of my problem?
Sorry William, I don't know how your post snuck by but for some reason, I didn't see it. But I would say that you have the same problem and my solution would fix your issue. Because it is where that wiring harness connects to the board, pulling the wires probably gets the joint connected for a short time much like those of us that just pound in the dash.
i have the same problem when turn key on the gas and temp guages go up half way but never read everything else is dead tack, speedo, odom, and trip odom, is this the issue you had?
i have the same issues but i have a added issue, from banging on the dash to get everything working again my engine temp gauge needle and fuel gauge needle popped off its location, popped off and i can see a light in a hole where the needle goes. how can i fix this?
I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that one. I am assuming that the only way to get at those is through the front plexi glass. Maybe another yutuber has been down that road...Sorry dude.
travis grimm not on mine. The turn signals always worked. The first place I’d check would be fuses. But I am not sure if the turn signals are tied through that harness or not. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
this has been happening to my 98 caravan and today I lost all gauges and the van wouldn't start until I slapped the dash. did your van not start when i did this? i dont kbow why my van wouldn't start because of this
Thanks Shawn, you don't happen to make home repairs do you? My Mom has same problem but they want to charge her $500 for repairs. She lives in Arcadia, ca if you know anyone in the area please le me know.
It sounds like it’s the same issue. If you pound on the dash right above the instrument cluster and it comes back to life for awhile and the quits again. It should be the exact issue. But I can’t remember off the top of my head if the speedometer was affected on mine. It may have been one of the only things that still actually functioned but I’m not sure.
Thanks so much for posting this video! We have been having this issue with our 1999 Caravan and after checking with a former Dodge mechanic he told us to replace the cluster circuit board. The best price we found was $499 through Amazon and Ebay. My husband saw your video and we were able to fix the van without having to spend all that cash! You're our hero!
Just pulled my cluster out, got it under a magnifying glass, and SHAZAM! The exact same terminal as in the video was cracked. I soldered it back, and now I have Tach, Speedo, gas gauge, odometer, and thr trip computer works again! Thank You.
Whaaaaaa? A thumbs down by someone? I have been so proud to have 100% thumbs up for almost 3 years. I love this vid. It's helped so many people it's crazy. I thumbs down you mr. Thumbs down guy....
The only thing I would complain about regarding this video, is soldering is easy, but HOW the fuck do you take out the cluster from the dash? That's what I will have trouble with in a few minutes when I go to figure that out...You showed the easiest part, in my opinion.
@sub par The dash isn't too difficult to disassemble. I didn't bother making that video because there is already one on RUclips. It really is fairly simple but I can understand the frustration. I just att led it myself because that how I am. My wife calls me a bull in a china shop but I just get things done;) here is a link to a video that may help you.
ruclips.net/video/wKtwRrRE3Rc/видео.html
lonex00 Thanks, I actually figured it out and got it working! Huzzah!! My dash couldn't take anymore pounding. ;)
Thank you so much. Been racking my brain to figure out how to get my wife's van to stop the dash slap routine. She never could get it to work and it finally just quit working all together last night. 30 minutes counting the dash removal and reinstallation and we are up and going again.
Great video Sir. Our 96 Caravan was doing this crap. Been beating the hell out of the dash for a year now (LOL). Problem was "3" cracked solder joints on the back of the main plug. Just heated them up, applied a touch of solder, & my cluster works like brand new. It even made the door locks react quicker, & somehow fixed my rear window defogger!!?? Dunno how, but it did. Thanks again my friend for the instructional video!! Great job!!
I have been dealing with this issue lately and was ready to buy a new cluster. I am so glad I came across your video. Now I know what to do when I pull my cluster out without buying another. Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it very much. You are a wallet saver.
I appreciate all the positive feedback. It's really nice to hear when it benefits someone else.
Thanks so much for posting this! Dodge Grand Caravan, instrument cluster had been off and on for years (worked in winter, died most of the summer). Needed this fixed because transmission can't be diagnosed without cluster. Had been too chicken to fix this myself until I saw your video which showed very clearly what needed to be soldered and encouraged me to find a video on how to remove it. Was REALLY easy! Saved $1,000! Thanks so much!!!
I did it! and it works. I made a little change; I took the piece to a radio shop and ask them to weld it for me. they charge me 3 dls. I just indicate them wich ones to weld. thanks man was fun and awesome!
Thanks. I spent a year without gauges dreading ripping apart the dash but finally I got enough information to just do it. I was quoted over $750 by the dealership to deal with it. When I finally attacked it and when the dashboard display came back to life it was "great success" as Borat would say. Every time I look down at the dash now I have so much more appreciation for this bit if technology.
A true gentleman/thinker/do-it- yourselfer. Thanks for posting this repair job. My 98 caravan gauges have been teasing off and on, and about 3 weeks ago refused to come back on. I wasted many hours reading schematics, checking wires and vacuum hoses, sensors, etc, because I did not want to hassle with the dash disassembly. Everything works so good engine-wise, driving, and a great cold A/C, no other problems, just the "fun" unknown of driving without gauges. The soldering job you did is about the same job I recently did on a pawn shop Fender guitar amplifier. Both guitar jacks and foot switch jack had pulled loose from the printed circuit board from too many jerks of the chords. That was easy and came out perfect. So I'm hoping the same success for this instrument cluster f#@$%. I have already pre-cussed enough at it in the summer heat and fighting mosquitoes. So it goes...
Well I wish you the best of luck. It is a little pain in the butt to pull the instrument cluster but it's not that bad. Probably only takes 5-10 minutes to get out. I too spent a lot of time trouble shooting. I lived with it for over a year until finally just dug in to it. It has worked fine ever since. I'm blown away with the fact the my short vid has over 100,000 views. It just goes to show how common of a problem this must be.
+lonex00 Thanks, Also since I have tried hitting a few things here and there like the fuse panels,etc., I have yet to try a direct blow to the top of the dash. So I'll try that tomorrow and save the disassembly for next week. This weekend I am hauling me, my band, and equipment on another 60+mile out of town gig. The other guys and one girl kind of get a kick out of the suspense of driving loaded down and otherwise in the middle of the night through the Twilight zone possibilities. Not me, I'm ready for some working gauges. I'll give you an update at some point.
Yes a good slam on the top of the dash. I did that off and on to extend the life of it for awhile but eventually no amount of pounding would work. It just softened up a spot on the dashboard. I hope you have a good time with your up coming gig. My daughter is working on writing a few more songs before her and her friend hit the road touring. I have no clue what kind of tunes you like but I'll leave you with a tune that she just finished a video for. ruclips.net/video/LbmYxTR409o/видео.html
Cheers
I am glad you found the answer. My dash is digital so it has a slightly different configuration. I would do some searches about the gas gauge now. It could have something to do with the sensor in the tank. Chances are though is that it has something to do with the work just done to the instrument cluster. Hopefully there was no contacts joined with solder that shouldn't have been. Good luck with the fuel issue. If you resolve it, let us know. Cheers...
We live off the income of 2 handi-capped children. So income it TIGHT. This video has helped me very much! Kept us from walking for a long time. THANKS
Thanks SO MUCH for this video. I just about wet my drawers when you were talking about banging on the dash. I just did it out of instinct. :) I've had the dash out a few times, for other reasons, and I sprayed the connector with electronic cleaner and it actually worked again. for about 2 miles. I did notice that if I put pressure on the connector the lights would come on, put the dash back and they'd go out again. So this video made perfect sense to me. No visible problems with the solder joints, but I heated them up with a new touch of solder. It's a MIRICLE!!!! Again, THANKS!!!
Did this fix and damn, easy as hell. Even used a soldering iron I didn't think would work. Took me a total of about a half hour because I was fumbling with the panels and helping a friend out at the same time. The solder reflow on the pin doesn't look pretty, but it works, and that's what I was going for. You know that gauge cluster would've cost me 200 for a replacement part alone?
After pulling the green computer board from the cluster, I found many (10 to 14) bad connections. I went ahead and re-soldered them only to find the cluster still not working.
I'm not the best as soldering so I thought I would take it out and give it another try before spending some serious cash. After finding a couple more questionable places, I fixed them and THIS TIME rather than getting everything back together and THEN starting the van, I simply connected the cluster and checked it (before putting everything back together). Worked fine. COOL!
I left the van running while placing the cluster into the dash, and it STOPPED WORKING.
Here's what I found. The main power clip/connection had a loose wire where in went into the white clip. Problem fixed.
MY ADVICE: If you find no problems with the soldering, or fix the problems and it still won't work. CHECK THE PLUG. Worked for me!
thanks for the video! my panel had the same pin cracked. 45 minutes of work and I no longer have to use my GPS as a speedometer. (smart phone. yeah there is an app for that.)
It is videos like this that make the internet the most powerful tool on the planet.
Thanks for the best info and (only) fix I can find for this online. Had this problem was driving me nuts. Gonna break out my soldering iron and try your solution tonight.
I have beat this thing for well over a decade! It still comes off & on when I hit a bump, & my ride only has 87k miles on it lol. Many thanks to you! Many!!!!!
THANKS!!!! Did the repairs tonight and the dash came to life immediately after. THANKS!!!!!!
GREAT VIDEO!!! I understand your frustration when you get a thumbs down and all you did was try to help someone out, we go through the same thing, don't know what's wrong with people, just ignore them and keep doing what you do, again, GREAT VIDEO!
Hey John, thanks for adding more great info. It looks like you went through quite the over haul for your electrical system.
i wish avery body that makes videos could be like you straight to the point nice video
@MrSargentodpro I am glad it was able to help out someone who can really appreciate it. It was time well spent making that quick video for everyone else :)
I'm back, and I did it! It works! Soo happy to have my gas gauge, speedometer,and odo back. Glad I found this video because I never take my car to any garage, I always do my own repairs. However, it would have been nice if you did do a video on how many screws there were to get to the circuit board! And how to disengage the emergency brake release handle correctly. On mine the cable popped out of its spot in the back. Gonna have to take the metal piece of the lower dash area (by knees) off, to get access to that area. But that's for another day.
+queenninathetwin I don't understand what the E-brake release has to do with the dash display? Please explain? And, how do we get the dash assembly off the car to start all this project?
I had the same problem with my 1998. dealership wanted $500 to replace dash, took me 30 minutes to do it myself. Thanks!
Thank you so much! I had this issue with my 98 Dodge Caravan and until I found this video, I was thinking it was going to be a minimum of $200. As someone who drives a 20 year old vehicle, I obviously can't afford upwards of $200. :) I understand that old cars need help and I do as many of my own repairs as I can. I still have the service engine light on but everything else works fine. Once it gets to the point where a good smack doesn't work any more, I'll hit it with some solder. Tomorrow we change the oil to see if that helps.
I am glad it helped. It took me a while to sort this out so I wanted to spread the love. Go Dodge Caravans!!!
Great video. Thanks so much for the help. I resoldered each joint and instrument cluster works great again. No more having to bang on the dashboard. Thanks again...Huge help
Ron Tolley I’m glad it helped you. I always appreciate hearing from those that have been able to use this quick vid to fix their dashboard display. 👍
1997 Dodge Caravan. In winter, no amount of slapping fixed it. Summer was better, but it's beginning to act up in warm weather too. I am relieved to hear it's only about a half hour job. I had the fear it was going to be a 3-4 hour job. Going outside with all the stuff I need to get this FIXED, right now.
Will post how I made out.
Great advice! I've only had one of my five Chrysler mini-vans act up and it's now too old and worn out for further help. The instruments on it would usually start working again after restarting the car.
Your welcome! I appreciate the extra time you took to leave a comment here. That is the only way I know it is helping people. It makes me feel great to know that my video is helping others. Cheers my friend...
thanks a lot. I was going to the salvage yard. Saved me a trip. Just fixed mine. works flawlessly.
@TheHinton58, I am not sure about the instrument cluster affecting your car that way. But if your cluster is dead, this is a really good place to start as I have found that it has affected thousands of vehicles.
Hey Shecky308, I simply reheated the solder joints that were there. Because of the hairline cracks that were barely visible plus the fact that I wanted to be extra careful not to touch any other pins and have them short out together, I felt the safest thing was to simply re heat the existing solder joints. And this has worked perfectly now for 3 years. No problems since the fix.
how about today... still working? muhahah
@@ohwow3158 it was still working when I sold it about 4 years ago. The transmission on the other hand 😬. It worked most of the times but sometimes decided not to engage for a few seconds. Nothing crazy unless you were trying to pull into traffic....😂
@@lonex00 perhaps soon thanks to your video i will no longer, once in a blue moon, have to slap the dash to get my gauges going again. thank you sir
Did slap dash for a year before going out. The tach needle came off from slapping. The pin on mine that was broken was the same one. Thx! With 240K the car isn't worth spending much on. I'm reasonably mechanically inclined. If I did it now knowing exactly what i was doing and everything went well it might take me an hour. Otherwise figure 2 even if you like to fix things. Resetting the needle took time to get it right. I would not have seen the crack w/o a lighted magnifying glass.
@717lin, it is actually very easy. You need to look around the plastic surround. You will see a bunch of screws. You need to remove these scenes. Once all the screws are removed, the plastic cover/surround will come right off exposing your instrument cluster. You will then need to undo a couple more screws to release the cluster itself. The only tricky part comes next when you pull the instrument cluster out, you will need to move the gear shifter down in order to have enough room to get the in
The fix for my Dodge Caravan instrument cluster was the capacitor on the back of the panel next to the connector in the center. It was weak and hadn't failed open yet. Replaced it and it was alive again, an easy repair.
Note: Some multi-meters will test capacitors and there are testers on ebay from $15 on up. If you are going to buy one make sure it can test the large capacitors in your AC/ heat pump. 50uF is not uncommon in newer units, but most will test much larger than that. You won't regret buying one.
I have been looking for this information for ages! Thanks for taking the time to show us!
Just what I needed. Took a couple hours, but fixed the problem perfectly. Thanks a lot!
Good luck @queenninathetwin. It will take a little bit to take the dash apart and pull the panel but it is a simple in and out job. I had the same experience during winter or rain. If it was sunny and dry, the slaps worked a lot better.
Found the answer. On a mechanical shifter indicator you have to slip the small cable (string) off down on the column and slide the mounting bracket free then it just comes out with the dash. I hit all the solder joints and it's working for the moment. Only problem is the fuel gage now just goes up to full when you turn on the ignition whether there's gas in the tank or not.
Thank you Sir. My brother 98 caravan was doing the same thing. Resolder all the pins. Works like new. Thanks again my friend :)
@concepra, most of technical skill stops at "slap dash". But it does sound to me that the power between then harness on the cluster and your switch is where the issue is. My cluster was fine except for the cracked solder pins. Once those connections are fixed, more times than not, your entire panel comes back to life. I am sorry I can't be more help but most of my knowledge was gotten by just over a years worth of part time google searching and forum reading until I finally got to this info. Th
This video was extremely helpful and I followed it to the letter AND it solved the problem, awesome and thanks for posting!!
thanks from Argentina dude, my friend could repair his cluster following your instruction!
There is a ribbon cable that needs to be unclipped from the wiring harness to the instrument cluster. You should be able to just gently pinch the sides or use a flat screw driver to disconnect it.
Thanks! You just saved my GF $600! (what a mechanic quoted us to fix it)
You are most welcome. That seams to be about the average. $500-$750. It's hard to justify on such an old vehicle but when it can be done for free....GIDDYUP!
99 Plymouth Grand Voyager checking in. Yes, this was the problem and for $9 at my local car shop I was able to buy a soldering iron and fix this myself.
@William Keenan, that would most likely be the same issue. The movement from the harness at the connection is what makes the pins complete the circuit.
just repaired my cluster the way you showed, thank you for sharing
I am glad it helped someone else. Thanks for sharing your comment! cheers.
. Me too sir. I tried it with, I have to admit, some doubt but it worked. Dodge should be paying you! Thanks so much for posting.
I did it to my 98 caravan... thank you (never under estimate the powers of the female mind) good to go
I've always tried to work on my vehicles whenever I can because when you show up to an auto shop as a woman, the cost seems to double. Yay for the internet!
just did that to a 2000 Chrysler Town and Country works fine now , was using a wooden hammer to slap the dash with to keep it going , glad we don't have to do it anymore
I like that. A wooden hammer, that's a new technique. By the time I finally figured it all out, my dash was pretty soft. I'm glad your dash is back in business.
@underground2000, I am doing some research on a similar problem I have. My rear side window doesn't work. Right now I don't have anything on that but if I figure it out, I will let you know.
Great vid, solved my problem, to those who thumbed down, well, the only thing stopping haters is their IQ, so let them be.
I know how you feel. Mine was dead for over a year and when the dash lit up I was like the Frankenstein doctor.... It's alive!!! (insert evil laugh here)
Thanks geroboan1. I agree. I get a little frustrated watching some DIY videos and having to watch someone take out 17 screws. Not wanting to fast forward in case they happen to say something important. Short sweet and to the point!
Well I couldn't say for sure. But usually when this problem starts, it can be resolved temporarily by slapping the top of the dash fairly hard. This causes the cracked cold solder joints to make enough contact to work for a while. Eventually not even slapping the dash will fix it and you will have to take the dash apart and reheat the solder joints to fix it.
Now you will finally start adding mileage to the van ;) Anytime the gauges were dead, it wasn't recoding mileage. The pros and cons of this malfunction.
Omg,,, my car has had 0 anything for months now, Imma try this and hopefully it works *keeping my fingers crossed* Thanks for the info and video :)
My friend hired a guy to do exactly what you did, he charged $100 to fix my 98 Dodge Grand Caravan, and it started and ran for four weeks. Now it won't start again. DO I need a new one?
Faye Nguyen if it won’t start, it won’t be anything to do with the instrument cluster. I would start with the obvious things like a clogged fuel filter and then bad fuel pump. I would look at things like fuel and spark.
@@lonex00 I'm thinking its the alarm, because the wires was disconnect in the drivers door where the key goes, and at the bottom; after my window motor was changed.The battery is new, and I hear the fuel pump engage when I turn the key. The car starts but won't stay running.
Faye Nguyen hmmm well depending on the alarm, it may cause it not to start but the fact that you say it starts but won’t stay running still makes me think fuel filter. But I could be way off. It’s hard to troubleshoot when you are not actually there turning the engine over.
@@lonex00 I forgot to mention that when I turn the key the lights and the gauges don't work on the cluster.
Faye Nguyen oh I see. I am not familiar with a van not starting due to the failed instrument cluster but if there is an anti theft system that reads information from the cluster maybe that could cause it to shut down. As I am not a certified mechanic, I am hesitant to direct you to what to do next. But if you have a dead cluster, I would remove it and make sure all of the pins are soldered again. Maybe only the visibly damaged one was fixed the first time and now other pins are cracked. Each pin will relate to something different on it. I’m sorry I can’t be more help but I would return to the cluster since you know it is not working and will most likely require the same work done to it again.
Thanks for the post, totally crapped out finally on my parents van. Going to get out the Weller :)
Hi, thanks for the info. Mine has a string from the gear shifter to the indicator in the cluster. How did you disconnect that? Thanks
Thanks so much, this just saved me a few hundred bucks and I'm so grateful
Timothy Dowd thanks. That’s what I like to hear. Cheers!
@@lonex00 thanks again!
very informative. found the same pin cracked at the solder... thanks again!
I'm glad it helped. Just trying to make the world a better place one dodge caravan at a time ;)
Wish I had a picture. On my cluster there is a string that leads from the shifter in the column to the indicator for PRD12 etc... I cannot see or figure a way to disconnect it so i can take the cluster out of the vehicle. I can work on it in place but would rather have it out to check the solder joints and re solder if needed.
Yours must be a digital it there is no string. but my caravan is a 99. I'll look further on the web. Thanks
Need help fast! I've never soldered before, and my panel is a LITTLE bit different. The connector is the same though, I've done research saying I might as well just re-solder all the pins.
Could you give us a more detailed explanation of how you removed the cable from the instrument cluster ? Looks like it is by "feel", what are you feeling ? Thanks for a great video !
Harry Lankford all you need to do is just pinch it and slowly wiggle it off. It may be a little tight but it should come off without a problem. Good luck!
for changing dashboard lights on any car, do you have to disconnect the battery first?
Thank for posting, fixed mine.
I checked all solder joints and its all good. My cluster works on and off, I changed my BCM body control module and it didn't work. Perhaps the one from the junkyard was bad too I don't know.
Hopefully you will get to the bottom of it. Those cracked joints can be very hard to see sometimes. I have had people say that they couldn’t see any cracks but just hit the joints anyway with a soldering iron and it came back to life. I hope you figure it out. Good luck my friend.
I'm glad I came across your vid very straightforward. Did exactly what you're saying and booyah baby its all good to go. Great job on the vid man peace out and take care:)
By chance are you still active? Having a similar issue but have already gone through resoldering it all.
Best to get a soldering gun or soldering iron. Not a torch. Just heat up the soldering iron or soldering gun and gently touch each connector individually. The heat from the tool will be enough to re solder the connection. And that's all there is to it.
I have no lights. Cluster ok, replaced light unit. At the connector at the swicth Orange/brown wire. When operating slider it's going from 0 to 4.95V but at the connector at the cluster it's staying zero. Any suggestions?
Thanks for commenting. I like to know it's helping people.
Cheers
This helps a lot, thank you very much!
Sorry Marlene. But RUclips is a great resource for the do it yourself type of person. Taking the instrument cluster out is just a matter of taking out a lot of little screws and disconnecting a wiring harness. Do you know a young teenager that could help you out? If I was in the area, I would gladly help you out. Good luck.
when you solder the joint,what gage solder did you use,thanks.
i have a 99 town and country, the only problems i have are with the abs lights and the trac control, come on, i brought it in and they said it was a wire, could it be this same problem, repair estimates were way to much
Would this be the fix for the problem if the way I get the panel to come back on right now is by pulling on the wires where the plug is a little bit. That's how I get it to come back on right now after taking it apart from the dash but it's usually back off when I slide it back into place to bolt back onto the dash. So would your fix most likely be what would take care of my problem?
Sorry William, I don't know how your post snuck by but for some reason, I didn't see it. But I would say that you have the same problem and my solution would fix your issue. Because it is where that wiring harness connects to the board, pulling the wires probably gets the joint connected for a short time much like those of us that just pound in the dash.
What diffent instrument clusters go in there
i have the same problem when turn key on the gas and temp guages go up half way but never read everything else is dead tack, speedo, odom, and trip odom, is this the issue you had?
It’s not the exact same but I would hazard a guess that one or more of those pins are cracked. I think you could benefit from doing this fix.
i have the same issues but i have a added issue, from banging on the dash to get everything working again my engine temp gauge needle and fuel gauge needle popped off its location, popped off and i can see a light in a hole where the needle goes. how can i fix this?
I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that one. I am assuming that the only way to get at those is through the front plexi glass. Maybe another yutuber has been down that road...Sorry dude.
Good advice Russ.
Yesss!! thank you for posting your video....
Did the turn signals stop working along with the guages? Thanks
travis grimm not on mine. The turn signals always worked. The first place I’d check would be fuses. But I am not sure if the turn signals are tied through that harness or not. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
Glad it helped you out @Sidney Griffin.
omg I wish I knew, been driving without my gages for 8+months! def about to go buy a solder gun!
Ugh love when all
The lights come on
My Speedo is dying. This gives me hope. Cool!
this has been happening to my 98 caravan and today I lost all gauges and the van wouldn't start until I slapped the dash. did your van not start when i did this? i dont kbow why my van wouldn't start because of this
All I did was plug the harness back in and turned the key on. As soon as I did that, all the gauges lit up so I went ahead and reinstalled it.
Good catch!! Thank you for sharing
The information is stored on your bcm onboard computer.
Thanks Shawn, you don't happen to make home repairs do you? My Mom has same problem but they want to charge her $500 for repairs. She lives in Arcadia, ca if you know anyone in the area please le me know.
Only my speedometer isn't working, will the slap test verify this is the issue
It sounds like it’s the same issue. If you pound on the dash right above the instrument cluster and it comes back to life for awhile and the quits again. It should be the exact issue. But I can’t remember off the top of my head if the speedometer was affected on mine. It may have been one of the only things that still actually functioned but I’m not sure.
@CarpScout17 That's the exact reason I wanted to do it myself. The dealership here wanted $750 to fix it.