[V8] Ron - find anything on the "box"

[Ron Wainwright]

Steve, I'm sorry for the confusion. I had seen Jason post on another web site about his problem & the need for a certain part that he was asking someone else for... so I was kinda busting his balls a bit about not asking me 1st ;-)
 I had asked him what was going on & tahts when he got into detail (posted below)
 So when he mentioned wacking the top of the dash pad & the IC lights would work again I was certain the controll box wasn't the problem. But....

..... I'm with you when you say that if the replacment dimmer switch he used he KNOWS for a FACT works.... then he's got to dig into the wireing manuals & follow the track that the lights are on, clean stuff & resolder stuff.
 
 I've had plenty of IC troubles in my 3.6 cars that I have all ways just solved the gremlins by swapping in a 4.2 IC boared. You do loose a few of the small features that the 3.6 board allows... & you all so gain a few nagging things the 4.2 cluster board allows.... but I have had NO issues @ all with the typical early cluster board problems that the 200's & V8's had.

 Ron


--- On Mon, 2/2/09, urq <urq at pacbell.net> wrote:

> From: urq <urq at pacbell.net>
> Subject: Re: [V8] Ron - find anything on the "box"
> To: "'V8 list'" <v8 at audifans.com>
> Date: Monday, February 2, 2009, 6:01 PM
> ... when you said that you replaced the dimmer does that
> mean that you
> replaced the PC board with the potentiometer that controls
> the illumination?
> If you replaced the potentiometer with a known good unit
> then obviously
> you'll need to look elsewhere.  I've got similar
> problems on #344, but I
> know it’s the potentiometer.  It does not have a stop at
> either end of
> travel, as if some PO forced it past the end.  
> 
> There's some chance that disassembling the IC and
> applying the contact
> enhancer of your choice to the pins would help ... 
> 
> Check the wiring diagram ... I'm pretty sure the lights
> in the IC proper are
> controlled by the dimmer potentiometer directly, not the
> external buffer, if
> that is the case and you see the lights in the IC
> misbehaving it would
> exonerate the external buffer.  
> 
> Steve B
> San Jose, CA (USA)
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> 
> Sorry, guys - didn't mean to confuse anyone.  The
> orginal question was this
> - My dash lights are intermittant, what is the problem? 
> Usually they will
> come on when you first turn the lights on, after a while
> they will go out.
> A good whack on the dash will usually bring them back on. 
> Sometimes they
> will only "glow" - almost like you have turned
> them down with the dimmer.  I
> have tested the switch on the collum - tested ok, I have
> also replaced the
> dimmer in the IC with a known good one.  I have not
> replaced the whole IC as
> of yet but I do have one to test with, but it has other
> issues!  I was
> thinking that it could be the black control box under the
> center vents in
> the consol, but as Ron mentioned he doesn't think that
> is the problem.
> Anybody else want to chime in, go ahead.  Or if you think
> it is in the IC -
> then where exactly can I look?  Thanks.
> 
> 
> --- On Mon, 2/2/09, urq <urq at pacbell.net> wrote:
> 
> > From: urq <urq at pacbell.net>
> > Subject: Re: [V8] Ron - find anything on the
> "box"
> > To: v8 at audifans.com
> > Date: Monday, February 2, 2009, 3:30 PM
> > ... I read this message and have to admit I can't
> make
> > heads or tails about
> > what is being requested ... other than it likely has
> > something to do with
> > the instrument cluster ... 
> > 
> > Steve B
> > San José, CA (USA)
> 
> 
> 
>       
> 
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