Chrysler Repair: Dash gauges do not work:97 mini-van, headlamp switch, column release

Question
i have a 97 town & country 3.8 fwd mini van and the gauges tach, speed, oil, volts etc stopped working. The lights do work ok , just no readings. The fuse seems to be ok , i did disconnect the batter for 3 mins. but that did not help. Also the light which shows which gear is engaged is not illuminated. Any ideas? Thanks
tom

Answer
Hi Tom,
The data signals for all the things that don't work are digital and they come into tbe unit on pins 9 and 10 of the instrument cluster plug on the back side. It has been observed that the solder joints between the socket for the cluster plug and the circuit board sometimes crack which disconnects the data signals in your situation. I would remove the cluster and touch the tip of a soldering gun to the circuit board/pin interface for those pins.
You will need to remove the top cover of the steering column (screws on the underside). Then remove the end cap at the left end of the dash. Then remove screws on the lower edge of the bezel:  Then remove more screws at left end of bezel and headlamp switch, and screws at either side of the steering column. Release bezel clip from above the right vent louver. Remove bezel and remove wire connectors. Then you can release the cluster by removing screws.
Roland