Auto Electronics: 2004 Chevy Trailblazer instrument panel cluster issues, oil pressure gauge, 2004 chevy trailblazer

Question
Mr. Link,

My 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer 4X4 V6 is experiencing some instrument panel cluster problems.
While driving, my battery gauge, fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, and temp gauge stopped working and bottomed out as if I had shut off the engine and removed the key. Most if not all of my warning lights came on also. I pulled over and did a reset by disconnecting the battery. That got rid of some of the warning lights, but the ABS, seatbelt, battery, and parking brake light stayed on and the 4 gauges mentioned previously were still not working. Also, the gear indicator light telling me if I am in P,R,N,etc no longer highlighted the gear I was in and the cruise control light didn't come on when I engaged the cruise control.

I was planning on having the cluster rebuilt, but if that didn't resolve the issue, is there anything else that would cause this problem?

Thank you for your time,
George P.

Answer
George, before condemning any module you should always check all power and ground feeds, and make sure it can communicate on the network. A loss of any of these or a module failure, in your case the IPC module, could cause your problem. Don't forget the ignition switch as a possible source of power loss. The best place to start on this problem is with a scan of the system, including a network communication test. This is best accomplished with the Tech 2 factory scan tool. It is the only scan tool made to communicate directly with all the modules in your vehicle and is your best chance to find the problem quickly, without wasted time and cost. The tool doesn't perform miracles, it needs to be used by someone with knowledge and experience on your vehicle. I wish you luck my friend. Don.