[V8] Gremlin (no, not AMC)

[dsaad at icehouse.net]

Sounds similar to my findings. I had some of the pins cracked (but not visably)
on the long ribbon cables that connect the rear most circuit board to the front.
 I replaced them all with individual wires.

Dave


Quoting Ingo Rautenberg <IRautenberg at comcast.net>:

> Mike,
>
> Here's a repost of what my intermittant IC problem was and it has given me
> nary a problem since I did the repair in September.  So if you're game for
> removing the instrument cluster, read on...
>
> OK.  I finally figured out what was causing my IC problem.  First let me
> explain what enabled me to finally figure it out.  I have been driving
> without my dash pad for the past few weeks.  When the ground for the Water
> temp and fuel gauges would disappear I found that often by pushing forward
> the top of the IC while driving contact would be restored...for a while.
> Sometimes this didn't work and I found that fiddling with the loom at the
> back of the IC attached to the yellow plug, the contact would also be
> restored -- but I still had the aggravating oil pressure warning display and
> chime come on intermittently.  So last evening I once again removed the IC
> and took off the main back panel containing the boards for the computer
> warning display and then proceeded to remove both circuit boards.  When
> laying on the workbench (or in my case kitchen table) and with the warning
> display at the top, I first removed the screws attaching the right side
> circuit board, as that one plugs into the left side (see green plug on
> left -- this turns out to be the critical area).  I used Deoxit to clean the
> pin contacts there and the long strip of contacts in the middle of the right
> circuit board.  Then I reassembled and reinstalled in the car.  Drats, the
> low oil warning light came on almost immediately.  It was late and I decided
> to bag it.
>
> This morning I made an interesting discovery:  Two pins from the IC were
> laying together in my work area from the night before!  Hmm, out goes the IC
> and I disassembled once more to find that the missing pins belonged to the
> left circuit board where the right circuit board plugs into the left one and
> with a third pin about to fall out!  I think there are eight pins in total.
> So I removed the left circuit board and resoldered all of these pins... the
> solder joints were all suspect.  Reassembled and Voila!  No more warnings
> and I believe this will definitely take care of the problem.  Now all my
> previous experiences made sense.  Bad solder joints on these pins.  So
> before I replaced the board, I press-fitted the two boards together to make
> sure the pins were securely soldered in and then screwed them back into the
> white plastic back of the board.  Don't forget to plug the warning chime
> into the plug on the right of the board.  I would have taken pics, but I
> left both digicams at the office yesterday!
>
> HTH
>
> -Ingo
> '91 200q20v...Slightly modified
> '84 Urquattro
> '91 v8q 5-speed w/ lots of mods :-)
> http://hometown.aol.com/quattringo/index.html
>
>
>
>
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