Different Needle Problem
 

All four of my dash needle lights go on, off and/or flicker together. When they are lit they are all fully lit together. Backlight is fine. Is there a common voltage or ground point that could be affecting all the needles together? Sometimes you can hit a bump or turn on the lights or move the seat and they will all come on. Sometimes they stay on for a week and sometimes they are out for days. I don't seem to have the indivdual bulb problem that I have read about. All the bulbs light fine......when they are lit. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Ralph

93 SC400

Hi Ralph, Inside the cluster there are three main points that run the needles. two of them are high power switching transistors, and one (which is the main drive) is an OP AMP. it is a surface mount chip that controls the duty cycle of the needle's. I have searched far and wide for the replacement chip, however it seems to be a part that Nippendenso made sure noone else could get. I'm afraid that a replacement cluster may be your only hope.

Not what I wanted to hear but thank you very much for the help.

Well, there is one more solution i can offer. Try finding a replacement dimmer module (the knob) and see if it helps. However your backlighting would also be doing this if it were the cause. Perhaps you'll get lucky? good luck.

Backlighting is solid and constant. Could it be a ground connection? Is there one that maybe goes through a connector? Sometimes when you hit a bump in the road they come on. Seems like maybe someting is loose. Possible?

well, that's the entire problem with the needles to begin with. The needle's seperate inside and prduce a contact problem. I have found instances where there were board problems and posted on that a loooooooong time ago. the majority of problems are almost always in the needle's and it IS a connection problem. However it does seem you have a board problem and the only real solution i can offer is a board replacement because if you fix one cold joint, another pops up (old board problems). I have a cluster that i use to hack on in the thread sticky up there about the caps, and the board is good on it, maybe i can swap with you or something, since i dont use it to drive with. I dunno, P.M. me if you want to swap or something and we'll figure something out.