I just pulled my panel and inspected the socket. Everything looked fine but I decided to re-solder anyway. Some fingernail polish remover - acetone - took care of the coating. I applied it, let it evaporate, and brushed with a nylon brush. The coating turned to a white powder and brushed away and did not interfere with the soldering iron. The intermittent problem is now solved. Thanks!

HeyThanks. I am a 65 year old gramma and with your instructions i was able to fix my 2003 Avalanches, instrument cluster problem that was going to cost $680. I'm not sure why you put it on you tube. but i love ya for it, kiddo!

Brian. I posted on your other, related video, how I was having an issue with an instrument cluster that had malfunctioning gauges and glitchy speedometer. I lived with that for several months but this past weekend, on a -15 / -18 below zero morning, the cluster died completely. Your two videos are sheer brilliance. It took me half of President's Day, but I was able to replace all the stepper motors AND repair the connector pins. I WAS terrible with soldering and really was apprehensive about tackling this job, but even your tips on soldering helped a LOT. The first motor took me 20 minutes to de-solder and repair. The next, maybe 6 or 7 minutes. The subsequent ones.......less than five. Thank you VERY much. You saved me a lot of money and helped me learn a valuable skill. Take care and keep up the great work.

I can give you a few hints on soldering and removal of the film. I worked for 2 years at Model electronics where I fixed radios and speedos. 1 Get a thinner tip on the iron. 2 get thinner solder 3 buy some resin remover 4 NEVER USE A METAL BRUSH. 5 Keep up the great job!!!!!

Good job with the explanations. I've done repairs like this for decades and what you showed was really the way it goes.

Thank You Brian, I have had this exact problem with my 2003 chevy, I went to the local chevy dealer, and they said 300.00 just to take a look at it, of course I passed on that, so for about 6 months I did nothing about it. I found and watched your video and was able to fix my cluster in about 10 minutes!!! Now I want to work in the local chevy service center, 300.00 bucks for ten minutes of work, I'm in lol,,,,,,, aganin thanks alot. Robb

If you use a magnifying glass sometimes you can find a conical fracture around some of the pins. This was the case on my 88 Honda Civic. You could only see it with a magnifying glass and it was quite clear on 2 of the pins. They were on a relay coil which heated up. The coil itself was fastened to the board so when the leads expanded, the only thing that could give was the solder. 5 minutes and it was fixed.... Years of headaches gone. 2 shops said they couldn't fix it because they couldn't repeat the problem. KZfaq to the rescue! Thanks for the great video.

You saved me a pile of money. Guy I bought the Tahoe from had put in servos and gave up. Sold it to me for half of true value. Spent an hour removing the cluster/ heating those pins and refreshing solder/ re-installing and BAM! Plus one and thanks for this valuable resource.

Great vids, I just changed 6 stepper motors on my '03 silverado, now I have to order 8 bulbs for the cluster A BIG THANKS for a great vid.

You need a flux pen. Trust me. Apply some flux from a flux pen and it will re-flow the solder as if it was brand new. The flux together with the heat from the solder iron also cleans your contact surfaces and gets the solder to stick properly.

Brian, I replaced my stepper motors in my 2003 GMC Envoy instrument panel and bought a solder sucker from radio shack and replaced the old solder with new it was the balls worked excellent!

Thank you I would never thought of looking at that part particularly I'm learning all about Electronics all by myself thank you very helpful

Thx again Brian. Once again you've helped me tackle another one-off the list. Old faithful is back to normal and glowing PRND123. Nice to see the mileage again too (194,xxx)

I’ve just bought a 2002 GMC 2500 HD, with the LB7 Duramax, this last week. It runs really well but the dash cluster is a wreck, it looks like a Christmas tree sometimes then resets itself randomly. I’ve checked codes and it only showed ABS related data. The water pump crapped out two days into checking it out. Lol Your channel was a great help in figuring that out, anyways I’m back now with the dash cluster issues. Once again thank you so very much for putting out these videos man this is so cool and the information is most helpful your way of explaining things this is on works very well thank you sir

Easy to see why the dealer would just replace the part rather than spending time. But for those of us who pay for everything and do our own work, this is gold.

this fix works. I have a1999 silverado and now it works great

Thanks for the video..helped me narrow down issues with loss of power to the cluster. Used the pin out diagram and touched up pins A12/B12 grounds and 12v pins B11/ B9. Zero'd up the gauges before putting it back and seems to be working now. 👍👍

Hey just a heads up and a thank you. You inadvertently mentioned the resistors for the PRND123 readout next to one of the stepper motors. We had fixed the others and had no idea there were more. They had cold joints we fixed them and all is good. With your help we fixed 2 instrument clusters. Thank you

Thanks Brian! Bro, you saved me $800. Dealer didn't even know what to do/wished to rip me off. Your a Tahoe-Saver buddy.

Brian! Your vids helped me swap my clutch on my subaru! Love seeing your channel have a vid topic.

Thanks Brian! Very helpful. I'm a little nervous, this will be my first "learning solder" project. But like you said, "it can get worse, it's already not workin'. Thx again!! Great channel!

Thank you for your video. It saved me much time and much money. All I needed was a soldering iron and some time. Anybody can do this fix due to your taking the time to make this video

Thanks man I did everything in a half an hour. And my dash is on working like new I didn't have none of those problems you had .Thanks again

I’ve watched 5 videos and everyone had a different issue. Guess I’ll execute one at a time. Great show my friend

Thanks for the video. Been living without gauges, most notably the gas gauge for a years. Fixed and ready to go!

Great narration and use of proper terms. Seems like some times the more you get in it and mess with it, the more problems pop up. If I do this I think I would de-solder first then clean start over. Old and dirty solder like any other types of welds can be tricky as it gets re-worked and being so small and bad eyes don't help. I had lots of issues like this doing real fine exotic TIG welding on light gauge material that had to be 100%, even under x-ray.

great info, dude! I had this same problem on a chevy wiper motor c-board. when I saw this, I thought "why didn't I think of this"! this can save viewers hundreds of thousands of $.

thanks Bryan. Your videos are well done. Honest, informative and cover all the bases. Keep up the great work!

What a great fix for us DIY-er's! Thanks for your help!

Brian I think I found my problem with my Cluster. After almost ripping my hair out, I came across your video. I had a leak from one of my heater core connectors going to the top of the block on my 03 suburban. I thought it was a bad ground that was oily and wet from the leak. But after watching your video it seems like that would be my issue. I don't have soldering skills but seems to be an easy fix. THANK YOU

Thanks to your video I was able to get my instrument panel working again, thank you

Same problem. All Gauges stopped working. Fuses were all normal. I watched this video. It was so easy to fix. All it took was a little solider. That fixed it.

Hahaha dude!! You're hilarious!! Sub'd Edit: that out of bounds footage....with that camera lens it was deceiving how far you actually traversed. But when you turned back to watch your friend (A.K.A. possible food source if shit goes south) catch up to you, that truly put both the distance traveled and the grade into proper perspective.

Thanks Brian! My cluster gauges were wagging, every one of them from min to max. I touched up the solder joints of the male connector on pcb that the wiring harness plugs into, cleaned with contact cleaner and put it back together. No more wagging!!!

Great info,when I got my truck cluster apart I could not see anything wrong when I put it back together it worked perfectly 3 weeks now no problems if it happens again will consider soldering

Thanks. I pulled the instrument panel off. Then tapped on the very top of the cluster where the plug is and everything came back on. I will do your trick later when it goes out again. for now its working fine again.

Thank you very much for your explanation. I fixed my cluster according to your explanation.

Was able to watch your video to fix a gear shift indicator light. Thanks a million.

problem fixed because of your video.. had a few issues untill i pulled up this vid... thank you so much...

Awesome video Brian . Great job at repairing it. I wish I was as good as you at fixing things

Thank you bro. we got it to work thanks to you. exactly like you said.

Thank you so much! I just did this to my 2003 yukon. I just cleaned the back with acetone then brushed it and sprayed it with electrical cleaner fluid from walmart and it works beautifully! My PRNDL is still out but thats ok. My next step was to call the dealership and fork it up, but thanks to you its working again!!

This whole time I was picturing you a waaaay different person.lol Loved the VID!!! Thank you

2:36 put me in laughter 😂

HI brainsmobil, my 2005 Yukon , the light on the gear selector. do not iluminate, you think that replacing the stepper motors may fix it? thank u , excellent all yours videos,

have 250k + one with 330k miles on all my GMs these years. Except for minor issues original motor trans. This is a common problem plagues many.Also had one dash cause parasitic draw on battery causing it to go dead in two days. Nice video thanks for helping others keep their ole Chevy going. Ps World record for miles on original car is the Volvo with 3million and a Chevy Silverado with 1.7 million. Motors not rebuilt nor transmission.

Brian, just want to tell you thanks!!! This worked on my '04 Suburban. Dash suddenly went dead, no lights, nothing. Followed your lead, and voila! Works perfectly again. Much appreciated!

this is 1 of the best if not the best video out there . congratulations it really shows that were not perfect & how to correct things in real life & no editing or bullshit great video . i have seen another video of yours for shorts & really liked that 1 too you deserve a 1000,000,000. hits wish you luck

I also love whenever you said oh there's our prndl it just had to warm up

Would this effect door locks and anti theft? My vehicle bounces from driver1 on dic to unknown...and the guages turn off and on quite often. Thankz

Fantastic Video, especially the skiing at the end!

Great video! I sure wish I'd seen this before I spent the big bux replacing my cluster!

The PRNDL on my wife's 03 Impala works intermittently. So thanks for that easy fix! Also took me forever to figure out what was killing my battery on my 01 Astro Van. Seems if I leave the dome override switch on, it keeps the BCM alive for some reason. I'm just going to put a switch on the dome light, so I can turn it off, when I want.

My gauges just went out today. Before that though my start up chimes and sounds were pretty muffled and would cut in and out. Is that indicative of the same problem?

Great video. I have a 2003 Tahoe with the same cluster problem. I have a question. You mentioned door switches briefly in this video. I have both the 2003 Tahoe & I also have a 2003 Silverado 1500hd.The Tahoe has a rear right door ajar warning. The battery will randomly go dead. It's been that way since I've aquired the vehicle. Well a few weeks back my silverado now has a rear left door ajar warning and since that has happened, that battery will randomly be dead. Would the bad door switch cause that? I do leave the dome in override so that the lights wont stay on.

Thank you. I pulled her out and gave her hell on the solder. Fixed it all up

Hey buddy thank you I just fixed my cluster in my 03 Silverado with your help on how to do it it is fixed my cluster doll shows 195 on the miles more than what I thought but oh well thanks again

thank you so much for this. I am going to try this when I get home. save myself 200 bucks I am hoping

Small advice: do not try to connect the cluster back in the car, without the back cover. High chance of touching something metallic (ground) and short a component. When reflowing solder connections, use flux and a small quantity of fresh solder. Clean afterwards with ethanol or isopropanol and an old toothbrush. While you are there, you might as well replace the bulbs with LEDs (you need much more experience with electronics, though).

just watched your vid, thanks for posting it. i have similar year model truck same problem, but while testing it fixed itself, should it reaccure I know where to start.

Thanks for your time in showing how to repair the 03 dash cluster. How did you get the coating off to be able to solder?

Great video… 60-70% isopropyl alcohol is good for cleaning circuit boards. Also a little bit of flux on the pins before you try to re-flow the joint will make things a lot easier and produce a better joint.

Clicked for the instrument cluster, subscribed for the skiing.

you da man! you made my little project a bit more pleasurable .. thanks man! your funny as hell...

thanks a lot man! I've had a dim PRNDL for some time and never knew how to go about fixing it. you saved me some cash. much appreciated and keep up the kickass vids.

This worked for me and saved me some money thanks for the help

Is this job pretty general for all makes and models? I have a 02 Volvo s80 with an intermittent instrument cluster. I was thinking about removing the IC, unplugging it and then looking for any burn marks, is that the main thing to look for? like on that area you were talking about which you repaired. Just thinking, could it be a loose chip? or something else? or is it nine times out of ten those solder joints around the top and bottom between the plug-in area? Thanks!

Thanks for this Video, I’m going to try this on my 04’ it would work sometimes, with the exception of the Gear Position, 1st step, get some good quality Solder and a clean wire brush :-)👍

Thanks man. I’m gonna check them joints now

Hey Brian, thanks for this video. I own a 2003 GMC Sierra with the exact same problem. It started years ago with the speedometer intermittently moving up to 120 mph. I had the "instrument panel" replaced under warranty and everything worked for a few years. Now there is no PRND2L indicator and occasionally the instruments are inoperative until things heat up. It seems that for the price of this item they should build a better product. Thanks again for the info.

Great video very informative. I have a 2005 Trailblazer with similar problems. Is my dash similar insofar as accessing the cluster? Plus, after the first broad-brush-solder-'em-all approach didn't work, - is there a schematic where you could have determined which pin(s) was the culprit and work it individually rather than more broad brush soldering?

great bass line. Perseverance wins the day.

Hey Brian. I know it's been a while since this video but I just had to do the same thing to my nephew's 2004 silverado 2500. The oil pressure gauge did the same thing. Did you ever find a fix for that?

Hello Brian just saw your video, one question if I had to replace the unit could I get one from the junk yard?

Dude! Great video! i'm a gonna try this out, you give me confidence Dude! Thanx so much.

None of the lights work on my Tahoe IC, any idea what resistors or connections feed the entire bank of lights?

Hey man crank my 2003 chevy Silverado this morning for work and everything was dead it run but nothing on the cluster work where could I get a soldering at so I could try and fix it my self

The indicator in park is probably an issue with a weak shifter spring. It's a tiny spring. My spring is now broken completely. My console was going all haywire on me one day. I'm guessing I will be doing this one day. Great job and good video.

I took my cluster out & FEDX ed it to Circuit Board Medics, as I don't do soldering anymore. Glad this guy can do his own dash.

hey brian, great vid. i was surprised that u didn't pull the fuse out for the airbag. u got guts lol.

I have the same issue with my 2004 suburban cluster and did the solder job plus replacing the motors with the new X27 motors and added leds, put everything back together and the display and prndl still keep coming and going and only come back if I hit the right turn signal or flashers? What could it be???? Everything else works fine, even added ground wires to the ground wires on the connector to a better ground location to rule out any ground issues to the cluster.

This video was really helpful. Thank you very much!!!!!

PRND321 has 7 resistor on other side of board. That's the common source of the dim or dead display. My vid shows were they are and you'll see how bright it gets back to once you reflow them. People think it's the pins because the heat warps the board enough to make contact again. They are surface mount 1206 resistors, lead free solder cracks on them

Great video I'm going to try that this weekend and I have the same problem speedometer works rpms work the other gauges and light don't work so you help me out I look forward to more of your videos

What temperature is your iron? As for the dirty connector, you can spray it out with electronics cleaner and fill each pin hole with dielectric grease. Just a little more effective than working the plug in and out.

Having the same issue I looked at the sodder points nothing looks burnt or anything any other ideas I could try?

For the Park indication, you need to adjust the transmission shift cable at the park/neutral switch at the transmission, just slightly out of whack. That should fix it.

Hey Brother killer video! I admire your intelligence . Thank you for passing your knowledge on to us. What grade Sauter do you suggest to use?

Haha both my trucks are manual which I have always driven, you had me with the prndl for a few minutes

MY oil pressure is also broken I think it reads ok then low then lower then zero I have already replace the sensor what do you think

Cluster didn't work at all in the 04 Tahoe I just got. I followed your vid and got lighting and tach and oil and temp, but no battery or fuel indicators or speed. So I put it back in and after a few times starting the truck, the whole thing quit again. Any suggestions?

grate job you did grate tanks you took time and explain very clear ......

Hello, are the turn signal bulbs the same as the back lighting bulbs?

My instrument gauges stopped working again on my 2004 Silverado. They went out before but started working again while driving down the road. I read somewhere that it could be the ignition switch so when I turn the ignition on I wiggled the key some and all the dash gauges started working again. Will probably replace the ignition switch which is a $20-$35 parts but so far everything is still good.

Brain is just awesome and has a great channel

I just found you're channel and you seem very knowledgeable about vortec Chevy's I just got a 1999 1500 Silverado with the 4.8 with 177xxx miles trucks very clean and runs good I have one problem though when traveling at 40-45 in overdrive and u meet a hill after the truck down shits then reaches the top of the hill the truck sometimes (not all the time but seems to be becoming more frequent) surges like the rpms fluxate up and down by about 100-300 rpms it does this until you let out of the throttle then its fine and runs normally do you know what this could be and if its common? I've heard torque converter but I'm not sure thanks

I have a 2002 Olds silhouette that is losing lights. The tachometer and speedo are not backed with light. Do you get to the clusters bulbs the same way?

I died laughing at the "130mph in my garage... AAAHHH!" thing. How high were you? Lol

Great video sir , my tac and my oil pressure gauge has went out on my 05 Chevy avalanche, I am going to show this video to my friend to c can he do this.

Good video, Brian! Thanks!