junkyardjeff Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 The smoke came out of the digital dash in my 90 Town car so anyone know of a place to get it repaired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 I don't suppose Lucas smoke will interchange but if it will, it's sold on eBay. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 Welcome to the future of auto restoration. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted July 22 Author Share Posted July 22 I really did not want a car with a digital dash but I do know I will never get another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3macboys Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 If you can find a local radio or electronics repair shop they might be able to help you - of course that's also gotten to be like finding a mechanic who knows carbs .... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E_Johnson Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 (edited) Call Apt Instruments in Bloomington, MN at 952-881-7095. They repair speedometers and instrument clusters from antiques to modern. Not sure if they deal in digital, though. Years ago, I brought them the analog gauge cluster from my 1989 Pontiac Grand Am because the speedometer was clicking. Turnaround for the repair was less than week. Erik in Minneapolis Edited July 22 by E_Johnson (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 Once the smoke packets leave the device, you might want to work on a contingency plan of finding a used digital dash replacement. Smoke = bad things have happened.. From chips that are out of production and stock, obsolete chips, proprietary chips to, burned up circuit board and traces, these are what you are dealing with. Thanks to all the bans on heavy metals like lead used in solder in the early 2000's millions on millions of IC chips were put out to pasture and obsoleted with zero replacements thanks to RoHS which took effect in 2006.. Fair chance if the cluster just went dark without the smoke cloud, it might have been repairable due to solder connections failures.. I would start looking for a used working "pull", but it will most likely have to be within that yr of your vehicle.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 2 hours ago, ABear said: ...contingency plan of finding a used digital dash replacement. "Lincoln Land" in Clearwater, Florida has extremely knowledgeable people. They would likely have a replacement if needed; maybe they do repairs or likely know a capable repairman. https://lincolnlandinc.com/ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jubilee Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 I know absolutely nothing about digital dashboards, but I have repaired two in the last 4 or 5 years. I plugged in a code reader. one was a obd1. The other obd2. Bad ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 8 hours ago, Jubilee said: I know absolutely nothing about digital dashboards, but I have repaired two in the last 4 or 5 years. I plugged in a code reader. one was a obd1. The other obd2. Bad ground. OP said.. 18 hours ago, junkyardjeff said: The smoke came out of the digital dash in my 90 Town car so anyone know of a place to get it repaired. Now, I don't know if it was "literally" smoke pouring out or not, but in reality, I have never seen a way that a "code reader" has to put "smoke back into a device". OBD1 systems barely had any real troubleshooting data and codes, just general info that could cover every sensor and still not nail down the problem. OBD2 was a vast improvement over OBD1, included a lot more sensors and data, but still without some good troubleshooting knowledge of engine systems you still end up being a backyard parts changer. Neither system is able to diagnose "bad grounds", OBD1 cannot diagnose anything outside of engine sensors and only newer modern more advanced OBD2 systems using CANBUS serial data streams can diagnose other computer modules but even then, there are limitations as to what modules can be read as each manufacturer has the right to not give access to non engine modules.. As far as "repairing" digital dashboards, bad solder joints on the circuit boards can cause a lot of issues, but it isn't going to cause smoke to pour out. It is much better to leave this kind of repair to real electronics techs, they have the tools and knowledge to do the repairs properly without causing more damage to your dash unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripwire Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 Have you tried googling Electronic Dashboard Repair? I did and several companies came up. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zimm63 Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 18 hours ago, Grimy said: I don't suppose Lucas smoke will interchange but if it will, it's sold on eBay. Pretty sure its positive ground. American smoke is negative ground these days, right? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 8 minutes ago, Zimm63 said: Pretty sure its positive ground. American smoke is negative ground these days, right? For that vintage Lincoln, yes, you need 12V negative ground smoke! 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted July 22 Author Share Posted July 22 Yes smoke came from the dash so something in it fried,contacted a couple places that fix them and no go so looking at GPS speedometers to put on the dash so I won't get spending tickets. Will not have gauges so I will have to figure out where I have been to keep track on gas,this might speed up the death of this car as if I found one with a regular dash that needs a engine this one could be parted out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted July 22 Author Share Posted July 22 It's a nice car and a shame something simple could doom it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 It is a shame, that is for sure, unfortunately, society as a whole has accepted vehicles as throw away appliances, but then again, very few manufacturers ever plan to stock OEM parts after ten yrs. You could try to look up wrecking yards to see if any can do some network searches between wrecking yards. Just one of many reasons I have tried to stay away from factory digital dashes, but now days, very few manufacturers even offer mechanical gauges and even those are computer driven. You can get aftermarket gauges in not just analog but digital but would require a lot of fabrication/modification to your existing dash cluster or if you can find a donor junk cluster to modify. Holley did have a digital aftermarket generic cluster with GPS speedo but it was crazy expensive and as of right now, looks like out of stock and perhaps out of production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
37_Roadmaster_C Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 I agree with you. but these are the times we live in. Repair of custom electronic devices is very hard to do and it is only going to get worse. As said above, parts become obsolete or are custom and not available to the public not to mention that schematics, layout diagrams and anything else a tech would need are not available. This is just another way to limit the lifespan of a product WITHOUT doing it directly. OK, rant off...... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 Thats a shame, in the meantime you dont need to find a gps speedo. I have an app on my phone that I use, and it was free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 2 hours ago, junkyardjeff said: ...contacted a couple places that fix them and no go... Can you give us more details? Why was yours, in particular, unfixable when they do that sort of thing? For example, did you talk to Lincoln Land? I know that Riviera and Reatta owners who have CRT screens in their cars have had them fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jubilee Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 23 hours ago, ABear said: OP said.. Now, I don't know if it was "literally" smoke pouring out or not, but in reality, I have never seen a way that a "code reader" has to put "smoke back into a device". OBD1 systems barely had any real troubleshooting data and codes, just general info that could cover every sensor and still not nail down the problem. OBD2 was a vast improvement over OBD1, included a lot more sensors and data, but still without some good troubleshooting knowledge of engine systems you still end up being a backyard parts changer. Neither system is able to diagnose "bad grounds", OBD1 cannot diagnose anything outside of engine sensors and only newer modern more advanced OBD2 systems using CANBUS serial data streams can diagnose other computer modules but even then, there are limitations as to what modules can be read as each manufacturer has the right to not give access to non engine modules.. As far as "repairing" digital dashboards, bad solder joints on the circuit boards can cause a lot of issues, but it isn't going to cause smoke to pour out. It is much better to leave this kind of repair to real electronics techs, they have the tools and knowledge to do the repairs properly without causing more damage to your dash unit. I didn’t make myself clear. Code readers PROVIDED ground for digital dash. obd2 was a GM and Wi-Fi code reader was left in place obd1 was a Chrysler under hood connection and Chrysler code reader was zip tied in place. Also, I strongly disagree with the statement that obd1 has limited trouble shooting abilities. Just takes the right diagnostic tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 16 minutes ago, Jubilee said: I didn’t make myself clear. Code readers PROVIDED ground for digital dash. obd2 was a GM and Wi-Fi code reader was left in place obd1 was a Chrysler under hood connection and Chrysler code reader was zip tied in place. Also, I strongly disagree with the statement that obd1 has limited trouble shooting abilities. Just takes the right diagnostic tools. I didn't make myself clear. The OP's system IS PRE OBD2 The OP's system IS Pre OBD1 The OP's system DOES NOT HAVE "WiFi". The OP's system IS NOT A GM and IS NOT A Chrysler. OP's system would be what was originally OBD in 1990, which may or may not have a port under the dash, instead it would have had a small connector under the hood for the reader which has no resemblance to a OBD1 or OBD2 port. IF a "code reader" could "provide" a ground for a digital dash (highly doubtful), that would be a 100% STUPID way to # 1 "ground the dash" and #2 "fix the dash". Power for the OBD1 and OBD2 ports typically are tapped off of one of the "cig lighter" or "power ports", ground for those ports are most likely what is used for the port. OBD readers have no way of "bridging" 12V power nor can the bridge the ground to other parts of the vehicle. Your "fix" is not a real fix, it is a backyard DIY rigged job. A REAL "Tech" would have figured out what the REAL problem was and FIXED that problem without leaving a code reader hanging around.. If you had done that to one of my vehicles, you would have been fired. Not to mention, the OP said SMOKE came out of his digital dash, no way a code reader is going to put that smoke back into the dash and magically make it work again. Been a Electronics Tech for more than 40 yrs in consumer and commercial electronic repairs of my life and have as of yet found no way to put smoke back into electronic parts and have them work again.. The real fix for that is to remove the offending burnt parts and replace them with NEW parts and HOPE no other parts were damaged when the offending parts decided to no longer participate in life.. The problem however, is those electronic dashes contain specialized and often patented IC chips which are often kept under tight reins, no one else has a right to reproduce the specialty parts contained within that digital dash. Schematics to the electronic dashes are often not made available for any price. Vehicle manufacturers are obligated to only keep OEM parts in stock for only 10 yrs after that model yr has sunsetted.. That means as of the yr 2000 the OPs digital dash has been on borrowed time for 20+ yrs.. Something else to consider, the early digital dashes kept on board important odometer mileage, basically meaning repairing or working on a digital dash can be considered as odometer "tampering".. The few places that do fix digital dashes have to be careful and mindful of the odometer mileage and often they rely on having used dashes to scavenge for use as a parts supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 33 minutes ago, ABear said: ...that would be a 100% STUPID way to # 1 "ground the dash" and #2 "fix the dash". ...Your "fix" is not a real fix, it is a backyard DIY rigged job. Mr. ABear, you're relatively new to the forum. Your advice may be sound, and it's surely welcome. But this is at least the 4th time your wording sounds argumentative. Please treat your fellow car fans with respect. We're all here to help. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABear Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 30 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said: Mr. ABear, you're relatively new to the forum. Your advice may be sound, and it's surely welcome. But this is at least the 4th time your wording sounds argumentative. Not being argumentative, more like passionate when it comes to diagnosing and repairing stuff correctly. I have had to spend a lot of time and effort undoing backyard hack repairs. OK, so to put this to rest that plugging a reader into a port isn't going to "fix" the OPs dash.. Go to here https://www.2carpros.com/articles/ford-lincoln-mercury-obd1-1995-and-earlier-diagnostic-trouble-code-definition-and-retrieval "How to Retrieve Ford Codes OBD1 and Definitions Ford vehicles manufactured before 1996 are equipped with the OBD1 diagnostic system which is unique in the way trouble codes are retrieved. Each Ford car before 1996 has the data connector in a different place such us under the hood near the left fender or close to the cowl on the right side. It can be hidden by a cover or a dead end connector. The connector shape is the same for all Ford OBD1 vehicles. Ford OBD1 Code Gathering A test light is needed Located OBD1 Data connector Turn key on without starting engine Count the number of flashes (2 sets) Record and combine digits such as 3 flashed and 4 flashes = 34 Lookup code definition for repair" What isn't said in that article is you don't need a test light, the MIL indicator in your gauge cluster will flash that same code. There is very little circuitry on that data connector and the data is pretty limited if you read the troubleshooting codes in the link above. There are more empty pins on that connector than actual used pins, the unused pins were for future diagnostic port enhancements which did not happen with the advent of OBD2 ports and the requirement that all manufacturers will use a standardized OBD2 port with standardized OBD2 engine codes. So, can we put "the reader fixes" the digital dash to rest? OPs issue is not a simple or cheap fix, they need a working pull if they can't find anyone able to repair the unit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 Found a place that will repair it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 5 hours ago, junkyardjeff said: Found a place that will repair it. Please let us know the company, with telephone or website, for everyone's future reference. Someone may find this topic later and be helped by your findings! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted August 10 Author Share Posted August 10 (edited) Dash was returned today and going in tomorrow,a place called Southern Electronics in Richmond Virginia repaired it. Do not know anything about electronic repairs so do not know if price was low or high but much cheaper then replacing the car,I was thinking the car was done for if I could not find anyone to repair it or a good used cluster found but now can live on. Edited August 10 by junkyardjeff added more words (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 On 7/21/2024 at 3:20 PM, junkyardjeff said: my 90 Town car On 7/23/2024 at 10:37 AM, ABear said: The OP's system IS Pre OBD1 That is an OBD I car. Ford started using their version of OBD I in 1984. On 7/23/2024 at 10:37 AM, ABear said: OP's system would be what was originally OBD in 1990, which may or may not have a port under the dash, instead it would have had a small connector under the hood for the reader which has no resemblance to a OBD1 or OBD2 port. ??? OBD is OBD I, just no need to call it OBD I when there was only one OBD. Just like the World War or the GREAT WAR was the name used until WW II broke out! Then we called that earlier war WW I.😉 OBD II standardized the connector and usually put it under the dash. Before then every manufacturer had their own proprietary connector (so scan tool manufacturers had to supply many different cable/adapters) and location. I know, as I had a red brick for years (Snap On MT2500) with a box full of connectors/adapters/cables. Oh I still have those, as they fit the Solus Pro that replaced the MT2500 for me. 😉 I am very glad Southern Electronics got it repaired and Jeff is motoring on again!😃🚗🏎️🚗 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 (edited) I had a Cadillac Allante a few years ago that had a digital dash. Best thing that ever happened was when a fellow asked if it was for sale and I asked where do you want it delivered. Edited August 10 by Joe in Canada (see edit history) 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted August 11 Author Share Posted August 11 Dash is now in and working,now on to replacing the heater hoses and the sensor that is in line with the heater hoses and new plugs. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 Another reason why I only own and prefer to work on vintage cars that originally came with carburetors and points & condenser ignition. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted August 11 Author Share Posted August 11 This one will definately be the last with a digital dash,I got the car cheap so I could not complain 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 (edited) 23 minutes ago, junkyardjeff said: This one will definitely be the last with a digital dash, I got the car cheap so I could not complain This might be the last car that you buy. Almost everything is digital today. Edited August 11 by Larry Schramm (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 I hitched a ride to a family gathering with my sister and her fiance' yesterday. Rode in his new Silverado double cab. It has two large LCD screens; one in front of the driver and one in the center of the dash - no actual gauges... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardjeff Posted September 3 Author Share Posted September 3 Power steering pump always leaked so that is the next project,thought it was the hose and replaced it but that only caused it to leak more. There is a sensor in line with the pressure hose and that looks to be the leak but part is not available so it will get eliminated and go with a slightly older pump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now