Experience with renewed gauge cluster?

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db944

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03 Tahoe Z71. I repaired the lights in the gauge cluster once, but being inexperienced with soldering tiny parts, it didn't last. I've seen various offers on ebay for "renewed" gauge clusters. Does anyone have any experience? Unfortunately I have one of the early clusters that don't allow new LEDs to be popped in, they have to be soldered.

Any help or experience would be appreciated.
 

OR VietVet

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IMO, Digital Dash Solutions have my vote. You can pick different colors for needles and back lighting and even get the trans temp gauge if the harness is available in the back of your old one. Mine was plug and play because the trans has the sensor and the wiring up to the cluster. If you send your old one to them you get a lifetime warranty on the cluster. They send you a return sticker and cover the return shipping in the original box.
 

Fless

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Ditto on @OR VietVet's DDS recommendation; a few years back when Carl was repairing them I sent mine in and it came back in fabulous condition. And I'm not sure I've seen a GMT800 cluster that DOESN'T have solder-in bulbs. Pretty sure they're all that way.
 

rockola1971

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On these clusters I can tell you that if you dont have above average soldering skills you will ruin traces on the circuit board and cause one or more problems on your cluster. These clusters are soldered in a solder(silver solder) with a higher melting point (usually no lead) solder. The way to do soldering work on these circuit boards is while heating a solder joint you add low melt solder which essentially waters down the original solder causing a lower melting temp which subjects the circuit board and its traces to less heat while working on the cluster. A soldering heat gun station can also be used to focus the heat better but even then I use low melt solder. Low melt solder has lead in it and lead has a lower melting point than most of the crap they have out there now (read as environmentally friendly). If alot of work is going to be done on the circuit board IE: replace all stepper motors and lights then I recommend preheating board on a preheater which most people wont even have at home, atleast not the ones that dont do much electronic work. I myself have one because I do a fair amount of cell phone repair.
While the cluster is out of the dash always give the circuit board trace side a good cleaning with some alcohol. They are notorious for getting silver migration which is just corrosion on the solder that grows and can bridge solder traces and components on the circuit board. It will appear as a white, grayish or blackish crud on the circuit board. Can appear to be just old fashion crud from a vehicle that is 2 decades old but it isnt dirt at all!
 

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