All Cluster Gauges Stopped Working...

[mizzouguy]

Ok hopefully someone has had this issue. Driving home from work today the truck was fine. Ate dinner, went back out to run an errand and truck starts perfectly normal. Look down and cluster has lit up because headlights are on but none of the gauges have moved and the prndl screen is blank along with the dic. I shut it back off and pull out the key, put it back in and start the truck again and same problem. So next I go ahead and run my short errand and the whole way there and back no gauges. Turn signals work and light up, check engine light comes on with startup and shuts off like normal, high beam indicator works, cruise works, etc.
I tried shutting the truck off, pulling the key, jiggling the key, thumping the dash, opening and closing the door, nothing seemed to affect it. Some of you may be familiar with how the stepper motors make noise (i think its the steppers) when you first start the truck. It kind of makes this weird noise. I've noticed the cluster make this noise before when I've put a new battery in and it has to reset everything. I don't know how to describe it better. Anyway, its not making this noise...
Let me know if you guys think it could be a problem with the cluster or if it's possibly an electrical issue somewhere not getting a good connection.

 

[mals]

Ok hopefully someone has had this issue. Driving home from work today the truck was fine. Ate dinner, went back out to run an errand and truck starts perfectly normal. Look down and cluster has lit up because headlights are on but none of the gauges have moved and the prndl screen is blank along with the dic. I shut it back off and pull out the key, put it back in and start the truck again and same problem. So next I go ahead and run my short errand and the whole way there and back no gauges. Turn signals work and light up, check engine light comes on with startup and shuts off like normal, high beam indicator works, cruise works, etc.
I tried shutting the truck off, pulling the key, jiggling the key, thumping the dash, opening and closing the door, nothing seemed to affect it. Some of you may be familiar with how the stepper motors make noise (i think its the steppers) when you first start the truck. It kind of makes this weird noise. I've noticed the cluster make this noise before when I've put a new battery in and it has to reset everything. I don't know how to describe it better. Anyway, its not making this noise...
Let me know if you guys think it could be a problem with the cluster or if it's possibly an electrical issue somewhere not getting a good connection.

I had an issue with my cluster where the PRNDL display was very dim. After a little research it turned out to be a common problem where the seven little surface mount resitors that power the display overheat and break the solder connections. It was simple to reflow the solder with a little flux and a drop of fresh solder. In one of the youtube videos I watched, the guy mentioned that there are also three small surface mount resistors that control power to the entire cluster, and his were causing the entire gauge cluster to go dead. He reflowed them and corrected the issue.

Here is the video where he describes the problem and points out the resistors at ~35 seconds into the video:

Fix for GM gauge cluster
​

 

[M1Gunner]

I had a issue pretty similar to this as well. Mine turned out to be a terminal that was coming loose in the harness connector to the rear of the cluster.

With the dash still together I could push on the the top of the lenses to the cluster with a bit of force or tap pretty hard and it would make the loose terminal come in contact and the gauges and PRNDL would all come back to life.

I just pulled the cluster and found the loose terminal and resecured in the connector. My problem was as simple as that to fix.

 

[mizzouguy]

@mals and @M1Gunner thanks for the suggestions I'll check it out. Oddly enough, the last few days it has been fine.