Re: Lights out on digital dash of 86 Coupe GT

[Chris Idleman (FSAC) <cidleman@fsac3.pica.army.mil>]

> From: gkaufman@tiac.net (gkaufman)
> Date: Fri, 7 Jul 1995 00:13:04 -0400
> Subject: Lights out on digital dash of 86 Coupe GT
> 
> The Coupe is a great car but it's ashame Audi had to put in this pseudo hi
> tech digital dash.  Here's my problem.
> 
> There are 3 lamps for the dash ($18 ea.)  Last week, the first one went out.
>  OK, it's a dead bulb.  Two days later, the second one went out.  OK.
> Today, the bulb for the speedometer went out.  A pain but now I can just
> replace all 3 at once, right.  Almost.  Tonight, the speedmeter bulb came
> back on --- yuck!  I've never heard of a bulb coming back to life.  This
> sounds like an intermittant issue.  Does anyone have any suggestions?
> 
> Here's a real zinger.  If the main circuit board has to be replaced, Audi
> wants over $1300 for it! I haven't checked Carlsen yet.
> 
> Thanks for any feedback!  glenn


What a coincidence!  About 2 years ago one of those nasty (expensive) bulbs
burned out in my digital dash too.  My local NAPA dealer had them for about
$7.50 each, and when he looked up the price in the book he was as surprised 
as I was -- I was expecting $2.50 max.  Anyway, he brought one out from the
back of the store and I took a close look at it and noticed a slightly-tan
tinge to the white plastic base where it contacts the glass.  Being somewhat
of a regular at his establishment and not wanting to make a second trip with
my dashboard's guts draped over the steering wheel, I asked him to find a 
"clean" one.  Each one he looked at had the same semi-burned tinge, so he 
simply gave me two for the price of one (both of which lit properly when I
got home!  ;-)   After sandpapering the contacts on the circuit board, I 
installed the bulb and then went through the convoluted procedure of reas-
sembling the dashboard with the steering wheel still in place --- I broke 
one of the housing pod tabs but managed to get everything back together 
after an hour or so of cursing.  Everything worked fine until about eight
months ago when a different bulb (right section) went out.  It was out for
two weeks, and I made sure I warned my wife to keep the gas tank filled 
if she used my car since the gage was no longer illuminated.  She came back
and I asked her if she had difficulty driving with one panel blacked out ---
she said "I didn't see anything wrong with the dashboard..."  I turned on 
the ignition and sure enough everything lit up properly.  Made me extremely
happy to *not* have to reopen the console....!

Now, if I can just get some of those mysterious GOOD gremlins into my house
to magically fix some of my other projects!!!!

Chances are it's the lousy contacts between the bulb leads and the copper
foil on the circuit board.  Try cleaning them up with fine sandpaper, give
the bulb leads a slight bend to press against the circuit board, and that 
should take care of your problem --- I very much doubt you'll need a new
circuit board, just some creative electrical cleaning and/or "Rube Goldberg-
ing".  Good luck!


					- Chris Idleman
					  '87 Coupe GT "Special-Build"
						  FOR SALE!