[s-cars] bad dashboard computer display in 2000 S4 - ideas?

[Bob Rossato]

Did you use any contact cleaner/enhancer such as Stabilant?  Stabilant is
this weird mystery fluid that can be conductive, yet non-conductive at the
same time, i.e. it will increase the conductance of two mating pins yet not
short out with adjacent pins.  I think it even helps regrow hair but what do
I know.  I'm not an electrical engineer and those guys do some weird things.
I believe Caig DeOxit is similar.

If that doesn't do the trick there is one other possibility that comes to
mind.  And this is going to be pure conjecture at this point since I'm not
familiar at all with the A4/S4  instrument cluster (B5 chassis) but, on the
'92-'97 100/UrS4 & A6/S6 instrument clusters (C4 chassis) the digital
displays are typically connected to the circuit board via pad contacts.  So,
if your 2000 S4 has a similar arrangement your problem may be with the
continuity at those pads instead of the connectors feeding the circuit
board.  Remove the IC again and disassemble the cluster to get to the center
display.  Remove the center display and clean the contact pads on both the
display and the circuit board.

Bob R.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: s-car-list-admin at audifans.com
> [mailto:s-car-list-admin at audifans.com]On Behalf Of Sung, Bryan M.
> Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2003 11:17 PM
> To: Robert Myers; s-car-list at audifans.com
> Subject: RE: [s-cars] bad dashboard computer display in 2000 S4 - ideas?
>
>
> This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
> --
> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> Thanks for the information - unfortunately I took the instrument cluster
> out and cleaned the contacts (the wire contacts for each of the three
> connectors), and no dice.  I noticed that the farthest left connector
> was for the digital displays which control the clock, center panel, and
> the odometer, and the only one that's screwed up is the center display).
> I have a feeling that I'm hosed and it's just a defective display
> overall.  Any further ideas?  If I do have to buy a new display, it
> looks like I'm going to have to purchase the entire instrument cluster.
> Have any ideas or know where I can get a deal on one?  I don't relish
> the idea of spending 700 dollars for Audi to provide me with one...
> blah.
>
> Thanks again for all the help folks...
> Bryan