instrument cluster on 98 XJ

[Rescue Ray]

98 XJ

At times my instrument cluster (gauges) will go "dead" then come "alive" again.

sometimes the volt meter, fuel gauge, temp guage, oil pressure gauges will work and the speedometer and tachometer will not,

then at times they will work.

more often then not when I pull my headlight switch on and off...then gauges will kick in....

HELP...PLEASE!!!!

TIA

Ray

 

[Judd W. VA]

From what i understand there is a problem with the plugs and the sockets the gauge cluster mates to. There is a TSB concerning this problem. Might be worth your while to look further into that TSB. Talk to your local dealer and see if they will let you look at it. Think there might be a problem somewhere else with a ground, but that had something to do with a couple of gauges acting weirdly. Perhaps someone else will have more to add on this topic. My '98 has had no broblems thus far with this (knock wood). Hopefully that problem was addressed before i took delivery as was a used vehicle. Good Luck!! Judd

 

[RichP]

It is usually the connectors on the back side of the cluster. You can either have the dealer fix it or pull the cluster yourself, clean the pins and *tweak* them a bit so that they hold better. Thats one of the things I did to mine. I also found that the big grey bulkhead connector down by your left foot was loose on mine, almost falling out. I pulled it apart, cleaned it out and put it back together again. I still get intermittant once in a blue moon but a good pothole usually fixes it
The gas gauge is can also be flakey, but that is due to the painted on resistor that is used as part of the sender. Mine is bad but I'll be darned if I'm going to spend a couple of hundred bucks, I'll wait till the fuel pump goes and then replace it.

 

[Rescue Ray]

hey thanks...

Judd...what's a "TSB"??

 

[Kejtar]

TSB tech service bulletin or something like that..... what I did to it I took mine off sprayed some compressed air into the connector and made sure all is clean... popped it back in and it's working like a charm ever since

Kejtar

 

[Judd W. VA]

TSB.......

Technical Service Bulletin. The dealers are swamped with them on every vehicle make. It is a recognized problem with some XJ's about the gauge assy intermittant malfunction. Any good dealer would be happy to allow you to look at what info they have on things like this. It is true that is just as easy as to 'tweak' each pin so as to apply additional insertion contact. Is nothing unusual on vehicles. GM's with digital gauges had exactly the same problem in the past. Was totally repairable just by the same method. Judd