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Instrument Cluster on a '90 went dark and smoked.


bobwhite

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Our instrument cluster had been going dark for a second or two for a few months. It would come back on by itself, or a little slap on the top of the dash over the cluster would bring it back to life. Today it went dark and smoke came out of the vents above the cluster. It was a short trip home. After a few minutes in the garage with the key off, smoke still came out. So I disconnected the battery. I've never had a problem like this, so I would appreciate any suggestions on how to proceed. I am familiar with electronics and have a Fluke Multimeter.

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A multimeter will do you little good, and possibly harm to the rest of your electrical component.

Does your radio and heater control light up as they should? If they do, You need a new instrument cluster. Yours is fried.

We have several in stock, and they're available on our website EastCoastReattaParts.com.

We can also take orders over the phone if you prefer it that way. Our number is 919 233 1973

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Bob,

There are a couple of power transistors and a diode on the power supply circuit board that fail catastrophically and exhibit this symptom. When they go bad, they actually burn up causing the smoke that you saw. You will need to get the cluster repaired, or buy another to replace it. While good used units are available, I would advise that these failures are age related due to the electronic components now being 20+ years old. That is a remarkable service life for components that existed in the temperature and physical extremes of a car. That being the case, used (i.e. working but non-rebuilt) clusters will not likely be a long term solution, as a used unit can fail any time for the same reason yours did.

My point is simply that you may do well buying a used cluster and get years of trouble free use, or you may not, Best to plan on getting your failed one repaired as a spare, in addition to getting a working unit that you can use to put the car back on the road straight away.

KDirk

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Years ago when I was doing a total restoration on my Austin Healey, I had an old fellow tell me that car wiring harnesses were built with internal smoke and if you ever let that smoke out you were in for trouble. I am confident you need a new IPC. You can purchase a used one or send yours off for rebuild. Either way you are looking at at between $100 and $150 dollars. They are easy to install.

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