sball67 Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 digital dash is very dim and only shows "error" in the odometer and double 00 in the speedometer and nothing else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry yarnell Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 Bet it's a '90. Bad dash. Check E-bay or a repair person. I've used Steve Pierce out of Baltimore. spierce64@sprintpcs.com About $100.Others on this list say they've had some success using spray contact cleaner on the connecter pins, but hasn't worked for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted July 27, 2004 Share Posted July 27, 2004 I have several Reatta parts cars and have a good used IPC available. I can be reached at jfinn@cpinternet.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kimber Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Oddly, I had the same problem today! Could you give me a clue as to where the IPC connectors are so that I can spray some cleaner on them? thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry yarnell Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 The IPC will have to be removed to clean the contacts. The whole panel simply plugs into the dash. The one connector is on the right side ('90-91).To get to the four screws holding the IPC, remove the plastic wood bezel; Torx screws hold it in 4 places. There are 5 friction-fit pins holding the rest of the bezel; 2 under the radio, one over the HVAC controls, and one on either side of the steering column.When you get the 4 screws out holding the IPC, it just pulls out. The connector will be obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickCollector Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 The error code is listed as "Loss of Serial Data" which means the serial data is not making it to the internal circuitry (chips) of the IPC where it is interpretted and displayed on the LED gauges.--It is my understanding that.....While this can be caused by problems external to the IPC, it is unlikely.--I have had this problem for a while.Mine is intermittent.It definitely is heat related (cold interior=doesn't work, warm/hot interior=works).If its warm in the interior, yet the dash isn't lit, (with the dash bezel off), pressing in the center bottom of the IPC causes it to light up and it will usually will stay on.....at least for a while...and as long as the temperature doesn't drop.If its cold in the interior (< 75deg), there is really nothing I can do to get it to work...short of warming up the interior.(This obviously is a more of a problem in the wintertime).--This tells me that something is losing contact (whether it is the connectors, inter-board connections, on-board traces, etc.), I cannot tell, but heat expands the problem (culprit(s)) and allows contact... or if its marginal, pressing on the IPC warps things just enough to make contact.--I've thoroughly cleaned the connectors and it has not helped.--If you're stateside, the guy in MD seems to be a better deal, rather than the Canadian firm, BUT I HAVE NOT PERSONALLY USED EITHER...(yet).--And finally, the fact that both can fix the problem by just having the IPC, leads me to believe it is definitely internal to the IPC, not the connectors. Other posts mention something about resoldering non-specifically-listed components. I tried heating up solder joints (inter-board, etc.) which I thought may be stressed/loose...no luck.--These guys have figured out the problem and they know how to fix it.If you don't want the annoyance, I suggest using them or getting another IPC.Keep in mind the odometer reading is stored in the BCM, not the IPC, so swapping IPCs shouldn't/doesn't hurt anything.--Doesn't mean I'm going to give up though "finding the actual problem"....Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry yarnell Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 This is a very fustrating problem for me; an electronic tech. Mr. Pierce apparently KNOWS what the problem is, but won't tell me. Otherwise I'd fix it myself. I understand his situation.I also would love to be able to troubleshoot the '88-89 CRT's, but no service lit seems to be available. Beleive me, I've looked for the cold solder joints that I've suspected, but never found any.If anybody has service data on either of these pieces, please speak up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wally888 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 May be of help?http://www.mrwhizard.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickCollector Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 This is the place in Canada. $199, I believe.Can't really fault Mr. Pierce... he figured it out and can make some $$$ as well..... but someone, somewhere will find it and eventually post it, I'm sure.(The race is on.)Someone mentioned soldering transitors in another thread?I haven't had the time, but plan to trace the serial lines internal to the IPC. I figure using a VOM (don't have a OSC' available), I should be able to see (at least) some fluctuating voltages and determine if the data signal loss is prior to going through any major components (ICs, resistors, transistors, whatever) or if the problem is past that point. After the first component, it gets too time-consuming for me to trace. Heck, I haven't even found the time to get this far yet and my dash have been intermittent for 3? years.My particular dash seems like a good candidate because it is temp-sensitive and more importantly flex-sensitive. I should have a half a chance to find the problem. Anyother problem is the wiring isn't long enough to get the IPC out of the dash very far to probe while plugged in and powered up.The SC Regal group has a HVAC display problem and they traced it to poorly soldered resistors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrwhizard Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Hi - Just to let you all know that our repair price for the "00" and "Error" is $179. The $199 price is for a completely dark dash. Mention you saw this here and we take off $20 for a repair price of $159 for the "00" "Error" fault or $179 for completely dead dash (includes work to prevent the "00" Error in the future.Tom JeroskiMr. Whizard Technical Services Mr. Whizard Technical Services Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 My 90 IPC was completely dead and I bought one from Jim Finn for the same or less then repair. Since I wasn't worried about my old one, I took it apart and found some transistors bad so I just have to find the right parts and I'm sure it would work again, but that might have to wait for a few months. But I will come up with the fix and post it sooner or later, if nothing else I have a friend in the TV repair business that will find the problem and help me on the how to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickCollector Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Thanks for the discount, Tom.If I wasn't bent on trying to find the problem myself, I'd have a fixed dash 3 yrs ago, a lot less frustration, and only a few $$$s lighter in the wallet.Sounds like a good deal no matter who you go to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wally888 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Explain the 00 and 0 display? My 91 IPC has intermittant problem. Trip meter will reset to 00 but sometimes never registers as I drive, stays 00. When this is happening I can not enter diagnostics and when the car is restarted the trip meter shows mileage since all was working (i.e. not working but resets to 00, does not register miles being driven. Restart=shows lots of miles.) Periodically it starts to work, can enter diagnostics. Worked for several months after removing and cleaning contacts. Can't discern if temp. has any correlation. Liker my 90's Oil Level display=works O.K. after restart! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickCollector Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 oil LEVEL display?You mean "Low Oil"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wally888 Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 My oil level sensor does not work "Oil level low", but does work or at least does not present message, if I restart engine. Typical, as I have read here, of failure!? Meant gremlin in IPC and Oil Level Sensor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry yarnell Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 Mr. Prix. (sorry, but you have no other name registered); I hope your tv repairman is better than me. I repaired tv's for many a year til it became unprofitable (and impossible). The bench setup to do these dash's isn't simple. A test jig has to be assembled to simulate the data line, plus the interconnects. I'd rather pay someone else under those circumstances, but I'd REALLY rather do it myself. There's a challenge to troubleshooting electronics, but I know better when I don't have the proper eqpt.and schematics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kimber Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 Thanks for the instructions for getting to the connection, but, YIKES!!, I still haven't reinstalled my glovebox from replacing my ECM at Christmas! If my research is correct, the intermittently freaked out IPC will not impact the operation of the vehicle, other than perhaps not knowing that I may be about to overheat! (1990 Reatta) One question... [color:\\"blue\\"]do I have one problem or two? Since Christmas, I have had the exact problem as Wally888, where I reset the trip meter, and <span style="font-weight: bold">SOMETIMES</span> it stays at 00 until I turn the car off and back on again. During the time the trip meter is not working, I cannot enter Diagnostics (by the way, this all started in December when I had a high voltage problem which you all helped me correct). Additionally, last week, on the highway, in the "cool" morning, the whole dash went blank and I got the ERROR and 00 message, plus the "Electrical Problem" light was lit. After clearing codes, the only code that came up was the <span style="font-weight: bold">b336h</span> -- loss of serial data, right? I corrected the problem by pulling off the highway and restarting the car about 4 times until the dash lights came back on. The very next morning it happened again, and this time I noticed it occurred when I HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD. It flashed off then came back <span style="text-decoration: underline">immediately</span>. So, it sounds to me like the latter is a [color:\\"blue\\"]connection problem, and may be related to the <span style="font-weight: bold">HORRIBLE</span> condition of the roads around here. If so, I think I'd rather live with it than risk screwing something up by replacing the IPC. What about the trip meter problem? I can live with that too. Is the best option a new IPC -- <span style="text-decoration: underline">what guarantees that the connection on a new one would be any better than on the old one</span>? Much thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wally888 Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 A few months ago I removed IPC, BCM and ECM, cleaned all contacts. The tripmeter problem completely disappeared for a couple of months. Currently has returned as has b336 ( know is current because can't enter diagnostics!) When I can it will be b336h! Cleaning contacts on IPC may solve your problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuickCollector Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 I don't have the tripodometer problem that you are referring to....at least not that I know of. The biggest inconvenience is not knowing how much gas I have left. I know my IPC is about to go out when my tach drops to zero.Keep im mind several things,1) cleaning the contacts did nothing to help my "00" "Error" problem.2) the 2 persons/companies who fix these dashes do so ONLY with the IPC itself which leads me to believe it is internal problem with the IPC.3) flexing the circuit board (also possibly a "bump") will bring my IPC back on again (if its warm), leading me to be believe it is internal.4) mine problem is temperature-related leading me to believe it is either a marginal component or a bad connection (internally).5) no one has definitively confirmed that components are bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reattadudes Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 maybe its time to do some simple math.lets just say your 1990/1991 Reatta has 140,000 miles on the odometer.lets just say your average speed over the life of the car is 23MPH. this includes all time that the engine has been running, including sitting in traffic, highway driving, city driving, everything. the 23MPH speed would be an average one for someone living in a large metropolitan area.the IPC has been a faithful servant, working thanklessly thru stifling humidity, bitter cold, searing heat, potholes, and washboard roads, and has done this for over fifteen years.it has been staring faithfully back at you for 6,086.95 HOURS, asking for nothing in return.don't you think you owe it a repair or replacement, whether you spend $100 or $350? would you say its been reliable? do you think you've gotten your money's worth from this faithful electronic component?I'm sure the problem is some transistor or something inside, but most of us are not well versed in electronics, and would most likely screw something up if we attempted to repair it ourselves.I never begrudge someone charging money for goods or services. lets face it...we're doing it to someone else in our own respective occupations, aren't we? I also suspect most of us are fairly well-rewarded in our varying fields of endeavor.I have never had much luck with any stopgap fixes. if I'm going to "open up the patient", its to do everything at one time. I'm not planning on going back in again. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aabreatta Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Just installed the dash after repair by Steve Pierce, scirocco841@netzero.com.Great guy to deal with. He works at a AC/Delphi shop where they repair the various GM digital dash panels. The Reatta ones he test at the shop where he works. 1 year warranty, $100 plus $8 S&H. Also polished the screen, looks like new. Returned in 2 days. Very pleased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrallen Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 I have the same problem, the occasional 00 display in my convt so I took the IPC out of my winter drive, installed it in the convt and at first it seemed to do the trick. And now even that one reads 00 so I have to wonder if there is another factor involved, the sending unit? I hate to spend a hundred bucks and not fix the problem especially since this car has had an electrical gremlin running around inside it since the day I bought it. I have thought of installing the IPC back into the stored car and see if it works but I would need to drive it around, that doesn't thrill me since it isn't insured. I did try the high priced Radio Shack contact cleaner-didn't help. This car drives me nuts, sometimes wonder why I put up with it, but then there is a sunny day and the top is down and I know why I love it in spite of its shortcomings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greg Ross Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 The other end of that wiring harness is most likely the BCM. R & R the BCM module and clean those connections.Only hint of trouble I've had (so far) with my '88 is an incident the one time I had the car detailed. What ever compound they sprayed on the dash obviously got down to the IPC connector. It bounced off "00" and "error" and then was fine ever since, that was about 6 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cashbox Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Hi check your central power supply you my have one going bad hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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