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

Tue Feb 3 06:52:03 PST 2009

One comment - if your console switches go in and out - they probably need dissasembled and cleaned.  When I first bought this car I had to do it - along with replacing all the LED's/tiny bulbs in the door switches.  All work like a charm now.

About the IC problems - What cold solder joints?  do I just need to re-solder the pins that connect the boards and the pins that go to the plugs on the back of the IC?  Is there something else to look for?  What contact enhancer, and where to get it?  Thanks.

--- On Mon, 2/2/09, Ron Wainwright <ron_01056 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Ron Wainwright <ron_01056 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [V8] Ron - find anything on the "box"
> To: "urq" <urq at pacbell.net>
> Cc: wilke_jb at yahoo.com, v8 at audifans.com
> Date: Monday, February 2, 2009, 6:36 PM
> 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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