I swear, I'm ready to shove a stick of TNT up the tailpipe of this truck and blow it half way to the moon-and then buy a Jeep. Yes, I said it. I'm one outburst away from being hauled in to a padded room wearing a straight jacket. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />

This time it's the instrument cluster. Yesterday everything worked. Today-nothing. Tach, oil pressure, temp, all idiot lights-all out. The only thing that lights or works in the dash is the green backlighting that comes on when I turn on the headlights. I replaced the 10a guage fuse in the left kick panel-no joy. Is there something obvious or simple that I'm missing? Perhaps a relay or something?

This may or may not be related... the speedometer started acting up about 4 months ago. It would work intermittently. The odometer continued to work even when the speedo stopped. About 2 months ago, the speedo and odometer both stopped working. The speed sensor is good. I haven't had time (motivation) to yank the dash apart yet. I have no idea if this could be related.

It's a 92 22re extra cab 4x4 and it's red. I'm open to all suggestions.

Oh God whatever you do don't make a decision in haste!!! Put the TNT down and back away from the truck!! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> As far as the speedo and the odo I'd be willing to bet either the cable is shot or the gear on the transmission is done. I haven't had the pleasure of having to replace or fix either of these, but from what I understand they're not too bad. Hopefully someone else here has some ideas as to why your lights aren't working.

If it is an electronic speedo/odo, then there is no speedo cable.

Was anything added or modified in the truck recently? Radio or CD or amp installed? Or if any aftermarket electronics is in there, might try disconnecting it to see if anything changes. Otherwise, sounds like something was gradually failing over the time things were stopping working. Might study the cluster wiring diagram and see if there is any related circuits in the parts that have failed.

Nope, no speedo cable. I haven't been in to the dash in... I donno, probably 8 years or so. That rules out my 'work' screwing anything up. I hope I find something obvoius when I start taking it apart. Otherwise I'll have to send it to $omebody to deal with. When it comes to electricity, I'm way too inexperienced and ignorant to feel comfortable fooling with it. I was hoping there might have been a relay or something that could have caused it all to conk out.

Might test the fuse holder to see if that is getting power. Then try checking all the connectors on the cluster, pull them apart, clean and replace and see if that helps. Look for any burned or broken circuit traces on the back of the cluster.

Also check behind the driver's kick panel for a brass ring terminal with 1 or 2 white with black stripe wires going into it; I'm pretty sure that's the main cluster ground point.

Ok, so a friend of mine told me how to check a few things in there. Behind the fuse block at the left kick panel, there is an integration relay. He told me to check voltage at pin #9. I don't know how anybody ever put the truck together-nobody has hands small enough to get in there. I unbolted the fuse block at the bottom and then couldn't figure out how to get the **** thing out at the top. I finally wrestled it out (sort of) and was able to pivot it around to check the pin. Zilch. I unplugged it, fooled around with the pin, plugged it back in and checked it again. The voltmeter was going all over and the door buzzer was driving me nuts so I sat up and noticed the idiot lights were on in the dash. I turned the truck on and they all kind of worked. The tach was reading higher that it should have and the volt/battery guage was reading a lot lower than it should have. I drove it just far enough to see if the speedo would work-it still doesn't. Having unplugged a few things to get as far as I did, I figured if I put it back together maybe it would go back to normal. This is where I feel like a complete moron. I can't get it all back in there. The top of the fuse block has so much crap around it that I just couldn't get it back in. I tried taking off some of the stuff at the top but the little plastic clips beat me to it. Then it started raining! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" /> I'd like to take that thing out completely and go to the junkyard to find a donor to see if this integration relay is my problem. I'm getting my <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" /> kicked by little plastic clips. I don't know how I'm going to get it apart... *sigh* If little plastic clips are breaking me down this bad, I should turn in my tools and take up knitting. This is rediculous. I know it doesn't have to be this hard. I'm just so damn frustrated. I've got to stop before I just yank it out of there with force. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />


Edit-after some lunch, I went back out to deal with it one way or the other. In less than a minute, everything slid back in to place perfectly. It seems that having a temper tantrum did the trick. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> Guages and lights are all good (except speedo-I'll deal with that another day) and things seem to be fine. Then the hood release cable broke. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> When the weather is nice again or if I get moved soon I'll tear in to the dash to deal with the speedo once and for all and replace the broken cable.

Yep, gotta walk away sometimes before you break stuff!

I have a high dislike for dash work; seats come out first. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> it's nice to have someone help with a bench seat though....

haha, don;t give up. i'm sure you are not alone. (those plastic clips I'm refering to). I just ripped mine apart by zanking it out. Go ahead and destroy that door buzzer while you have it apart. About the speedo, take of the instrument cluster (4 screws) & fit a small hand from the passenger side to the back to unclip the speedo cable. once you have the cluster detached, you squeeze a tube full of bike grease into the end of the speedo cable, trying to lube as much as you can in there. (after i did mine the speedo needle stop jumping anymore.)