Nissan Repair: NISSAN 240SX GUAGE CLUSTER PROBLEM, nissan 240sx, seatbelt light

Question

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Followup To

Question -
Hi, Whoo! i,ve been trying for days to get a hold of you! That only shows how great you are !!i've ask around and nobody can give me a good answer to my problem.Ive done this once before with no probblems but this time it's been a nightmare.see i swapt my dash out of my 240sx " they tend to crack"and i put everything right back how i took it apart .But when i looked at my guages my check engin light stays on without the key in the ignition . when i turn the car on none of my guages work .speed,rpm,temp,gas,.nothing but the check engin light stays on as well as the seatbelt light and others .also when i do turn it on at first the cluster illuminates and "blinks" for a minute them shuts down & every so often the wipers come on for one stroke .Also the small gigital clock illuminates but their no digits.? the plugs for the cluster "3" of them can only be put in one way in it's corresponding slot i've tryed checking my fuses all seem to be ok as well as my relays..I usualy find the problem but this time am stumped !! . i need your mighty knowlege & expertise. please .thank you so mutch for you time ..god bless peace,,bill.. from miami

Answer -
Bill,

If you did a swap you have to make sure the years are the same and the wiring is the same.  I would first check to see that the cluster you put in is the same.  Second, I would check the connections to make sure that they are the same and the terminals are clean.  Get a number 2 pencil and rub the contacts to get them clean and then plug them back in.  But, you might end up taking the flex board off the old cluster and install it on the new one so the wiring will be the same.  Also, if you took the whole dash out make sure that you reconnected the ground cables and that they are tight and they are bolted to a clean surface with a star washer if possible.  The intermittent wiper feature will get pulsed if there is feedback in the system like a bad ground on the dash harness.  Check it out and email me back.

Mr. SUDDERTH..I thank you so mutch for your quick response and the exellent feedback . No one has told me that .I sprinted to the car as soon as i got home from work and read your message.But unfortunatly no results. The cluster and everything else "exept the dash"is from the original car i also read the factory shop manual but nothing .the car drives fine and a/c works fine i checked the ignition fuse & relay like the manual says but nothing ..any other ideas you can give me ? i apretiate all your time and patience ..thank you ..sincerly..bill  

Answer
Bill,

If everything is original on the instruments and it is doing as you say you might check the ground cable to make sure that the ground feed from the dash is getting to a clean ground.  If the ground is good then you are going to hate it but you will need to get a volt/ohm meter and a test light and a wiring diagram and probe each terminal and track down if the wiring is bad or the cluster is damaged.  my bet goes with a ground that is not connected properly or perhaps that the harness is not connected under the dash.  Can't think that all the items described would fail at once on the cluster.  The connection to the ignition is good?  That is, there is a connection on the column that has to be connected for most of the gauges to work properly.  It is hard to see under your dash from my computer?  If you lived in Las Vegas I would come over and look at it.