Gear/Temperature Display Blank

[StevieB]

Hi there,
I started my D40 today to find that the little digital display that usually shows the gear, 2/4WD status and ambient temperature is completely blank.

Any idea if there's a fuse or wiring loom that supplies this display only? The odometer display to the right is fine.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Tms40]

Has happened to mine on the odd occasion. I give a sharp slap or 2 to the dash above the effected instrument cluster. Always flicks back on. Not sure what the problem is and im to lazy to pull the dash out. I’ll have to investigate further one day but while the slap is working I’ll stick to it. Hope it works for you.

 

[Old.Tony]

It's possibly just a loose cable, it's also possible that it's due to an earth fault. This usually happens after removing the stereo, because the instrument cluster shares an earth with it. The usual fix here is to attach another wire from one of the body mounting bolts under the dash to the casing of the stereo.

However, it's always possible that your instrument cluster has a fault. Try removing plugs and reinstalling them, plus testing the earth. It might be prudent to do a full reset of the car - have the radio PIN handy, note the tripmeter figures if you use them for fuel calcs, then remove either battery terminal and (do not use a helper for this) go and put your foot on the brake pedal before reconnecting it. This consumes all of the residual power in the system forcing a reset. Reconnect the battery and see if it fixed it - if not, and the earth is good and plugs are intact, you might need to get another cluster. I don't think that individual section is replaceable.

 

[StevieB]

Excellent advice as always, thank you. Just went out to try method 1 (the slap technique) and it was all working. What's the easiest way to access the wiring connections to give them a wiggle?
Cheers,
Steve

 

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(not for reset op) when disconnectin battery on my old ford it was recommended to wire up a 9volt battery and push into to cig lighter to maintain power while changing batterys or whatever, does any one know if this system is still used

 

[Old.Tony]

(not for reset op) when disconnectin battery on my old ford it was recommended to wire up a 9volt battery and push into to cig lighter to maintain power while changing batterys or whatever, does any one know if this system is still used

It's not needed on these cars, particularly if we're trying to consume all the power to force the reset. The ECU can be reset with a command from a Consult device, not sure about the instrument cluster - but that's all unnecessary now.

Excellent advice as always, thank you. Just went out to try method 1 (the slap technique) and it was all working. What's the easiest way to access the wiring connections to give them a wiggle?
Cheers,
Steve

You may (depending on your acrobatic and contortionist skill level) be able to reach up from under the dash and get to the plugs. It's not something that I've tried (I have little desire to be extracted from the car by Fire & Rescue looking like a pretzel).

If tapping it worked, it's very possible that it's a poor earth. Have you worked on the stereo recently?