Electronic issues with BCM/instrument cluster

Hey guys,

I have an 03 GMC yukon XL with what I suspect to be a faulty instrument
cluster. Actually there might be a number of problems...

First of all the instrument cluster display cycles through the three languages
(English, French, Spanish) and also the personal trip odometer. The personal
trip odometer also resets occasionally. While all this is happening I cannot
control these with the steering wheel controls or cluster control.

I also have a parasitic draw coming from the high beam light, and parking
brake indicators (no the parking brake is not on). They're very dim and
sometimes flicker on and off. Sometimes the odometer also flashes up
intermittently when the car is parked and completely shut down with no key in
the ignition.

And finally I also have a right rear door ajar message the comes up when the
door is closed. Again this happens intermittently. When it is happening the car
is hard to lock.

Reading things online I first thought it was the BCM that was going so I
unplugged the BCM connector and all these things still happen EXCEPT for
the cycling through of the languages and personal trip odometer.

I've used an ohms meter to see if there is a resistance coming from the door.
I'm getting 0 both when the door is open and closed. Does this mean the door
is a seperate problem to the rest? As in I need a need door actuator?

I'm banging my head against a wall lol.

Does this mean the parasitic draw is an instrument cluster issue, the door ajar
message is a door actuator issue and the cycling of the languages and trip
odometer is a BCM issue?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Instrument cluster problem is most likely silver migration inside the cluster. It needs to be taken apart and the rear of the circuit board cleaned and properly soldered. Its also possible that you also have grounding issues which is stereotypical of the K chassis GM vehicles. They wreak havoc on the BCM. Check all of your main grounds for loose, corroded, open connections. Dont forget the one from the firewall to the engine block! Honestly with the age of your Yukon I would clean all the connections and almost absolutely replace the engine to firewall one. They typically get bad corrosion and go green. Take care of all this first then see what problems electrical that still exist.

rockola1971 said:

Instrument cluster problem is most likely silver migration inside the cluster. It needs to be taken apart and the rear of the circuit board cleaned and properly soldered. Its also possible that you also have grounding issues which is stereotypical of the K chassis GM vehicles. They wreak havoc on the BCM. Check all of your main grounds for loose, corroded, open connections. Dont forget the one from the firewall to the engine block! Honestly with the age of your Yukon I would clean all the connections and almost absolutely replace the engine to firewall one. They typically get bad corrosion and go green. Take care of all this first then see what problems electrical that still exist.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice! I'll give this a crack. I actually pulled the cluster out today to have a look and couldn't see anything noticeable. But I didn't know what I was looking for... I just looked for any cracks in the solders. But now you point it out I think I may have some silver migration. I will also check all the grounding cables. I actually replaced the one from the firewall to the engine about a week ago because it had snapped. The electrical issue has been going on a lot longer though and the grounding hasn't changed anything. I take a look at the others.

Ha sac be you checked your battery and all ground connections? There’s post after post of the odd problems this causes. If the grounds look ok go ahead and clean and reattach anyway.

I took the instrument cluster out and gave it a wipe down and removed any silver migration. Language/personal/business trip issues seem and the parasitic draw from the dim lights on the dash seem to have all been fixed. The right rear door ajar message still shows.

I pulled the rear door plastics off and tested the actuator sensor and i'm getting 0 ohms both when the door is open and closed. This was also the case when I pulled the connector off the BCM. what does this mean? all signs are pointing to the actuator??

snoddy123 said:

I took the instrument cluster out and gave it a wipe down and removed any silver migration. Language/personal/business trip issues seem and the parasitic draw from the dim lights on the dash seem to have all been fixed. The right rear door ajar message still shows.

I pulled the rear door plastics off and tested the actuator sensor and i'm getting 0 ohms both when the door is open and closed. This was also the case when I pulled the connector off the BCM. what does this mean? all signs are pointing to the actuator??

Click to expand...

I’m having trouble with my cluster too, did you fix yours?

snoddy123 said:

I took the instrument cluster out and gave it a wipe down and removed any silver migration. Language/personal/business trip issues seem and the parasitic draw from the dim lights on the dash seem to have all been fixed. The right rear door ajar message still shows.

I pulled the rear door plastics off and tested the actuator sensor and i'm getting 0 ohms both when the door is open and closed. This was also the case when I pulled the connector off the BCM. what does this mean? all signs are pointing to the actuator??

Click to expand...

if your actuator sensor is showing 0 ohms closed and open then the switch is shorted internally and is no good. The switch should be close to 0 ohms one door position and infinite the other door position. This is why you get a constant close the door dummy on the cluster. Glad your cluster gremlins are gone. That silver migration is a very common problem and easily fixed with a good scratch pad and some isopropyl alcohol.