Cluster Replaced...now truck's got gremlins!

[MikeTheApeman]

Had my cluster replaced in my 2005 Tahoe last week under warranty because the speedo gave up the ghost. Gotta say that the dealership was actually pretty good about doing the replacement, no charge out the door.
A week later, I go to start the truck and it won't turn over at all. I figured that the door wasn't shut all the way or something, so I threw it on a charger. Not even 10 minutes later, I check the volts on the battery with my voltmeter and it's reading just fine. Checked the cables to make sure they were tight at the battery, and they were very tight. Turn the key, starts right up. I let it run for about 30 minutes, shut it down.
Next day I am running out for lunch, and I hit a bump on the way. Cluster reset itself, and came back with a "Service Tire Monitor" or something to that effect. It wasn't reading 3 of the 4 TPMS units. Drive around the block, pull into my driveway. Shut the truck off, wait 30 seconds, started right up. Okay, off I go. 10 minutes after, the radio reset itself. Are ya kidding??
Yesterday, truck pulled the "I won't start" again. Turned the key a 2nd time, and the gauges cycled, but didn't turn over. Third turn of the key, started right up. Jumped in to run to the store, cluster displays "Service Stability", and the battery light is on. Get out of the store, start it up, cluster was fine for about 5 minutes, then reset again, bringing the TPMS error up again.

None of this stuff happened before they replaced the cluster. I guess my question is would replacing the cluster cause all these issues? I thought I read something that a bad BCM would cause it as well, but I am looking for things I can check myself before I take it back to them to try and fix. I suppose I could try to re-seat the battery cables, and check the chassis ground, but there's part of me that just finds this all too coincidental that none of these problems existed before the cluster replacement.

 

[blueflamed03]

did you try to dis-conenct the battery for a few minutes, and reattach...resets computer.

 

[MikeTheApeman]

Thought about that not long after I posted. I'll give that a shot tonight and see if that does anything.

 

[MikeTheApeman]

Okay did that last night before a ride. I guess I didn't think of it before because I would have thought it'd be SOP for the stealership to have disconnected the battery before doing any work. The cluster seems to be fine after doing that....but now I've got only hot air blowing out the passenger side. Now, I know that the A/C problem shouldn't be related to the cluster...but dammit, this is just too coincidental that after the truck was in the dealership for the very first time since I owned it, all hell breaks loose.

 

[M3PO]

Why not take it back to the dealership if its under warranty?
I am not a tech, but I have been told on some cars using CAN, the gauge cluster is part of the network, so my guess is it could affect other functions that seem random.

 

[MikeTheApeman]

It's not under warranty, I should have been more specific there. The cluster was replaced under the Special Coverage / Class Action Suit thing for the stepper motors. This is why I'm asking if the cluster could be causing other issues. If they replaced the cluster, and that's causing issues, then I don't want to pay for repairs caused by it.

Although I did find a thread in here about replacing the actuator, so I might try that route if the dealership tried to charge me an insane amount.

 

[Toejam]

It's not under warranty, I should have been more specific there. The cluster was replaced under the Special Coverage / Class Action Suit thing for the stepper motors. This is why I'm asking if the cluster could be causing other issues. If they replaced the cluster, and that's causing issues, then I don't want to pay for repairs caused by it.

Although I did find a thread in here about replacing the actuator, so I might try that route if the dealership tried to charge me an insane amount.

Mike, you werent charged for what they did, so I can't see how the term "Stealership" applies.
If you had none of the problems prior to the cluster replacement, and now you have all these issues, then you can only conclude that the problems started WITH the cluster replacement. Could be a loose connector, bent or loose terminal pin or socket, blown or missing fuse, etc. And if this is the case, no way should you be charged to correct what happened at their hands. When a repair is performed as a result of a class-action lawsuit, it is considered a warranty repair and as such is guaranteed--although the time and mileage limits may vary.
The instrument cluster is a vital part of the CAN (Controller Area Network) system, and is the gateway for low, medium, and high-speed networks. This means gauges, heater, audio, airbag, powertrain and other control units receive from and send signals to the instrument cluster. So yes, a cluster issue can definitely affect every other system in the vehicle.
And this problem could easily be a defective cluster.Many of these clusters are remanufactured, and even though new to the vehicle, new doesnt necessarily mean good.
They did the work. Let them correct it.
I'm still trying to figure out why you would ask a forum these questions when the company that deals with these products day in and day out, and worked on your car wasnt contacted first.
I have a tech services administrator that gave me a great line: "Always look FIRST where the human was LAST."

 

[MikeTheApeman]

You're right, I shouldn't be calling them a stealership in this instance, since no dollars have left my pocket. I'll put my past experience having work done at dealerships aside for the time being.

I did let them know that I am having these issues before posting here. The appointment was already set, and the truck is going in Tuesday. They were not told about the HVAC issue yet, as that happened after the appointment was made, and they were closed before I could let them know. I posted here only after that symptom came up to get some opinions. I'm one of those people that likes to have as much information as possible. That's why I'm asking how integral the cluster is to all this. If the majority of folks came back and said there's no way that the cluster replacement could cause an HVAC issue, then I would tell them about it, but wouldn't have high expectations for them to fix it under warranty. However, since it seems that it could be at fault here, I'll see what they do.
As for looking up the blend door issue, if the cluster isn't causing that problem, and the dealership doesn't fix it, I don't want to be charged more than I have to be.
I thank you guys for all your input.

 

[M3PO]

If you could, do others a favor and let us know the outcome of the trip to the dealer. I always feel like I learn more from the outcome.
I know it sucks to have to drop the truck again, but with all the problems you are experiencing, I would be worried too.
I asked my buddy (a dealer tech) about this situation and he agrees with Toejam, that the cluster in many newer cars IS the center of the nearly all the vehicle's networking. So your HVAC problems could very well be part of this cluster.

I bet and hope they get you all fixed up and down the road.

 

[MikeTheApeman]

Will do. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I don't mind dropping the truck again. I know that not everything can be foreseen, or prevented. If this is simply a case of a bad part, I won't fault the dealership for that. (I think that line even came out of my mouth when I made the appointment.)

And Toejam, I'm sorry if my post came across or rubbed you the wrong way. I had an experience in the past where shoddy dealership service cost me a tranny rebuild on another vehicle in the past, so I'm very jaded when it comes to dealers.

 

[Toejam]

Mike, I didnt take your comments the wrong way or felt insulted at all. You can only go by your personal experience, and I appreciate your honesty.
One of the points here is that no matter who worked on your vehicle, if a mistake was made let them be given the 1st chance to correct that mistake.
And it's possible that it isnt a mistake at all, possible a bad new part, or an unfortunate coincidence . The proof will be in whatever it takes to fix your truck's ills.

 

[MikeTheApeman]

Not really an update, since the vehicle didn't go to the dealer yet, but during a quick run for milk this morning the passenger a/c vents are blowing ice cold. This is after the truck sat all day yesterday. Now I am really starting to believe this is either all related to the cluster, or resetting the computer worked and I just didn't wait long enough for the actuator to recalibrate before testing the vents. In either event, I put a log of all the occurrences and issues together to give to the dealer when I drop it off tonight.

And Toejam, I agree 100% with your statement "No matter who worked on your vehicle, if a mistake was made let them be given the 1st chance to correct that mistake." In fact, I agree with that not only when it comes to vehicles, but life in general.

 

[M3PO]

I put a log of all the occurrences and issues together to give to the dealer when I drop it off tonight.

GREAT MOVE!
I wonder if they dealer can test the cluster or if it has to be sent out? Toejam?

 

[Toejam]

Not really an update, since the vehicle didn't go to the dealer yet, but during a quick run for milk this morning the passenger a/c vents are blowing ice cold. This is after the truck sat all day yesterday. Now I am really starting to believe this is either all related to the cluster, or resetting the computer worked and I just didn't wait long enough for the actuator to recalibrate before testing the vents. In either event, I put a log of all the occurrences and issues together to give to the dealer when I drop it off tonight.

And Toejam, I agree 100% with your statement "No matter who worked on your vehicle, if a mistake was made let them be given the 1st chance to correct that mistake." In fact, I agree with that not only when it comes to vehicles, but life in general.

"Resetting the computer" is a term that doesnt really apply to today's vehicles with CAN systems. In "The Old Days", you could disconnect the battery, step on the brake pedal for 30 seconds, and codes were erased, and the engine control unit reverted back to as-built status.
With CAN systems, all the control units communicate with eachother , and it usually takes a scanner or special service tool to make that happen. In some cases the control units have a built-in timer, or a certain procedure needs to be followed for all the systems to operate correctly.
Using a log to document problems is an excellent idea. Many customers keep a notepad with them and jot down every cough, burp, sneeze the the vehicle does. Communication is the key to service. If the technician knows what the actual complaint is, when it occurs, frequency of the problem, temperature, miles, time the problem appears, etc he will have a far easier time correcting it. The 1st step in auto repair is "Duplicate the problem". If you can't duplicate it, what are you fixing and how can you verify the repair?
It's entirely possible that all your control units had to "learn each other and get along" for your a/c to work correctly. No matter--have the dealer check all your complaints. Be sure to keep all documentation.

 

[MikeTheApeman]

Well, picked up the truck tonight. Dealer drove for 12 miles on the highway, couldn't replicate anything. They scanned everything from soup to nuts and found no codes, and I did tell them that I had disco'd the battery, and that might have caused codes to clear. The dealership did acknowledge the fact that the cluster could have caused the issues, so at the very least, this is documented in their system in the event something goes nuts again. While I don't feel 100% comfortable that the problem is solved, I feel like it's at least been a fair resolution, and I appreciated the fact that they kept the file open in the event it starts acting up again.

For the record, this was Oasis Chevy in Sayreville, NJ. While I'm not the type to take my vehicles to the dealer for every little thing, if I did need something done by a dealership, I'd have no problem going back to them. They did right in my book.

 

[M3PO]

Just keep your paperwork and keep your log book. It is good to hear they looked at the vehicle and acknowledged there could be a problem.

 

[Toejam]

Mike--good for you, and good ON you for both how the dealership AND you handled the situation.