Hi all,

Wondering if anyone has seen this before or could suggest some troubleshooting I can do before I visit the dealer :)

I did do a search prior to posting this, didn't see anything pertinent :(

Speedo/tacho/fuel/temp gauges are all getting power (lighting up when ignit is on and when car is running and when lights are switched on). But, they do not do the usual startup needle sweep sequence, nor do they display any readings when the car is running. No idle, no nothing. The boost gauge is working (illuminated when lights on and gets a pressure reading), so it seems to be only the combo gauge cluster.

I've checked that the wiring going to the back of the cluster is plugged in well, and didn't see any bent pins, etc.

Any ideas/suggestions/places to start troubleshooting?

Background: rod bearing died, swapped motor out, just finished putting replacement in. Made sure all the sensor wiring was plugged in while mounting. Gauges did this once in a very long while with the old engine, but would eventually come back to life.


Thanks in advance

The power to the dash lights is different from the power to the gauges. Did you check the fuse panel for a blown fuse for the instrument panel?

Main fuse box in the engine bay - all good
fuse panel inside car - all good

Any other panels I should check?

kinda sounds like it's not getting the ignition power...warning lights turning on when igntion is on(low oil pressure,MIL, ect)? if not its definately not getting ignition power...

Warning lights are all coming on as they should, and are turning off once the engine is started. It's really weird, but the gauges just aren't getting any readings. They illuminate when ignition is on, and when car is started and light switch set to on, so it seems the power from ignition is ok, and power via light switch relay is ok. I'm starting to wonder if I did miss a connector when reinstalling the motor...

You might try disconnecting and reconnecting the main connector to the dash panel to see if that makes a difference.

Warning lights are all coming on as they should, and are turning off once the engine is started. It's really weird, but the gauges just aren't getting any readings. They illuminate when ignition is on, and when car is started and light switch set to on, so it seems the power from ignition is ok, and power via light switch relay is ok. I'm starting to wonder if I did miss a connector when reinstalling the motor...

As mentioned previously, the power for the illumination of the gauges is a seperate circuit than the power circuit needed for making the gauges work. They may or may not share the same connector to the gauges. Sometimes the connections can make a bad contact in the connector.

I've had this problem!

It ended up being a bad/loose solder on the ignition switch (where you turn your key).

Basically, you have to run through all the wiring and find where the connection is messed up. Have your local auto-electrition check it for you.

PM me if you have further questions!

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

The dealer did some diagnostics and said it is the microprocessor in the cluster itself that is dying. I say dying as it apparently came back to life while they were examining it. They don't know how much longer it will last and suggested I replace it :/

The fact that the gauges are now working I suspect the trouble is really due to a faulty connection somewhere. I am not aware of any processor in the gauge circuit but there may be one. I would be leary of spending a lot of money for this repair. You do need the gauges though. You might want to consider having a auto electrical shop check this out the next time it fails. I still think this is a power connection problem, but I may be wrong.

Erg...died again today and hasn't come back yet :( I'll look into an auto electrical shop.