Info Center Gauge Cluster Issue

[DesertYak]

I took the LRV to the lake last weekend and the Info Center gauge went crazy. The Hi Temp, Low Oil, Maint, lights all came on. The gas gauge was going up and down, L Temp showed 32F at one point and 130F later. At idle, the gauge said it was running at 5800 RPM but there was no way it was really running at that speed. It sounded fine and ran fine but the uncertainty of what was going on caused me to put it back on the trailer.

I started checking sensors and so far they all ohmed out ok to the specifications.

I've worked my way to the info center and I'm starting to wonder if the problem is there. I pulled plug #1 from the MPEM. I first noticed terminal 1-15 had continuity with 1-25. Taking apart the GND and VCC connection between the speedo and info center, I got continuity between GND and 1-15. I also found continuity between 1-15 and the BK-WH on the external air temp sensor.

I there supposed to be continuity between GND, I-15, and the Air sensor? Shop manual doesn't show circuit board info. I'm thinking there is a short on the circuit board inside the gauge but want to confirm my thinking and determine if I need to cut open the gauge to find it. Does anyone have a schematic of the circuit board?

Am I way off? I checked battery connections and they were tight.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Those gauges go out...not all that much but they do. Esp with all the testing you have done Id say its a for sure.

I should have a good used one available.

 

[DesertYak]

Thanks Minnetonka. Please pm me if you have one.

Considering the wire to the 1-15 (speed ref) post and the end of the Gnd connector that goes from the info gauge to the Speedo don't run in the same wire jacket I assumed it must be inside the info center and not wire to wire contact. What bugs me though is it looks clean inside the gauge and I would have expected to open it up (the back) and find moisture and corrosion but it was clean.

Does my thinking it might be a bad ground seem logical? I just couldn't figure out how else it why it would light up like that for all of those alarms.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

I would assume its just going haywire. Check and clean the grounds bolted to the side of the mag cover...check all connectors for corrosion before replacing gauge.

 

[DesertYak]

I'll check the mag cover.

None of the connectors have had corrosion. Thanks.

 

[DesertYak]

Everything in the mag cover looked good. the main ground had very minor corrosion on it and plenty of dielectric grease on it still.

I've cleaned it all. Since I have so much of it apart I'm going to grease all the connectors again. On my way to the store to pick up some dielectric grease and get the battery tested for good measure.

So far no ah-has other than the weird continuity I found in the gauge. All of that was found after I removed it from the vehicle so somehow terminal 15 is getting connected to the air sensor and the ground. I'll take a hair dryer to the gauge too before reassembly. I hope to put this back together and retest before the day is over. I replaced the rectifier weeks ago and have been through every electrical connection I can find.

 

[DesertYak]

Sprayed some electric sensor cleaner in the gauge then took a hair dryer to it. Plugged everything in and it looked good. I'm going to finish tidying everything up and will try to run it on the hose.

Back in a few.

 

[DesertYak]

Ran it on the hose and everything was good except the hour gauge. The hours will not show when the ski is running. If I turn it off, the hours show up. They appear as dashes. Is that normal that the hours don't show while running?

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Nope it's a good indication the gauge is failing. Gauge holds its own hours.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

 

[frankcottnj]

Yes this is a gauge issue some sore of failure in the conductor or chip component in the Info gauge.

 

[steve wade]

Just bought a 2002 LRV and have the exact same problem. What was the final outcome?
Thanks