dmashburn Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 THE DASH LIGHTS ON MY 89 BUICK REATTA JUST QUIT WORKING. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOULD BE REPLACED. ANY ADVICE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CL_Reatta Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Hi and welcome... first of all PLEASE TAKE CAPS OFF... it intends yelling. is the dash completly blank, or is it the lights everywhere else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dmashburn</div><div class="ubbcode-body">THE DASH LIGHTS ON MY 89 BUICK REATTA JUST QUIT WORKING. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SHOULD BE REPLACED. ANY ADVICE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. </div></div>Welcome to the forum. Please include the model of you car in all your posts or even better include it in your signature line. There were two completely different instrument panels used in the Reatta. '88-'89 and '90-'91. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmashburn Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 sorry about the caps. I am new to this. None of the dash lights work at all & neither do any of the lights for the headlights for the headlight switch or the windshield wiper switch. When I push the test light everything remains blank. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 Check the 15 amp fuse for the Central Power Supply. It is fuse # 5 in the fuse panel on the passenger side of the console. There is a small door there that can be removed to check the fuses. I would check all the fuses while you are in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmashburn Posted October 20, 2008 Author Share Posted October 20, 2008 I have checked all fuses. All are in good shape. Is there any way to check power to the IPC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 The instrument panel problem is not related to the backlights on the headlight and wiper pods. First off do you get the light show? Start by getting into your car using the outside door latch. When you sit in the drivers seat and close the drivers door, the car will go thru a series of checks utilizing the dash instrumentation. This is commonly referred to as the "light show". The dash and light pods should light up. If the dash does not work during the show or when the key is in the "on" position it probably means the Instrument Cluster is dead and should be replaced. If it works, we proceed to the backlights on the switches. I or a number of others have a used IPC you can buy. The backlights on the wiper/headlight switch pods should also come on during the light show. If they do not light up [during the show], in my opinion and my experience, that means the intumescent panels in the switch pods are bad.[When I boght my '89 the headlight pod illuminated but not the wiper pod during the show so I knew the wiper pod was bad.] The switches may still perform their functions, they just won't illuminate. If they do illuminate during the show that means that the photocell under the defroster trim piece located on top of the dash is probably bad. There are 2 pieces of plastic that need to be removed. First is the narrow vent piece that is either a "snap in" trim piece or if you are lucky held in place by 3 torx screws. That piece needs to be removed, so that you can then remove the bigger plastic piece. That larger pice is held in place by "snap in" as well. There are 7 points of snap in, starting from the drivers side, they are at 2",10 1/4",18 1/2", 27 1/2", 36",44 1/2" and 52" on center. Each tab measures 1" wide. You must make a puller out of lightweight angle iron [found in most hardware stores]. You must bend a small lip on your angle iron to allow it to fit into the groove. The reason for this special tool is because you must lift straight up at the points I measured for you. Prying up with a screwdriver will result in broken clips and big cracks in your dash. [Ask me how I know] The photocell is now within reach. I believe you need a 7mm socket [just the socket, you do not need a ratchet]to remove each of the nuts holding the photocell light socket in place. When you have removed the nuts the socket comes out and you can replace the bulb. Some people have had good luck getting a photocell from Home Depot. I would recommend either GM or a used one from Jim Finn our resident parts guy. In my experience very seldom is the problem with the inverters. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JSBojanglz Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Jeepers. Now THAT'S an answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I'm going for the tutorial on Ronnie's website. I always wanted to be published!lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Dave you have hit the big time! You now have two tutorials on my website. One is on the dash pad removal and the other is on the photocell replacement . I made some changes to the wording. If you see anything wrong please let me know.I already had a good troubleshooting tutorial on the insturment panel lights by Howard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmashburn Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 Thank you for the info. The wiper/headlight switch lights used to light up during the light show. My headlights stay on even when the switch is off. Again I am new this... What is the proper way to purchase parts? Is there a way to contact a user personally? I would like to discuss prices on a headlight switch and the instrument panel cluster for my 1989 reatta. Thank you Dave for all the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry yarnell Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Some of us on this list sell parts; Jim Finn (jfinn@cpinternet.com) or I (hyarnell1@earthlink.net), have good used parts. Jim's in Minnesota, and I'm in maryland, so consider shipping costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVES89 Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Uhh... not to brag, but I also did the CRT tutorial which gives me 3 tutorials on your great website, which thru your generosity I am now a part of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 That's great Dave. I'm always looking for good info to post there. Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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