GQ dash cluster dicky

Wasn't too sure where to put this but recently my speedo needle jumped to 180 and since then has been doing as it pleases sometimes with a Big Bang of the dash it comes good temporarily, having all my demerits and doing a lot of long country drives it has been shitting me as don't want a fine, now my temp gauge has decided to do the same and only works with a bang of the dash. I want to fix the current cluster as I'm proud of the 620 thousand ks it's done, just wondering if someone fixes them or it's a problem I could tackle myself or I need a whole new cluster (which no doubt would have much lower kilometres) and if so how hard is it to change the dash etc? Thanks heaps guys (cars a 92 GQ ute td42)

you can just swap the speedo section i've done it on mine as i could only get a petrol cluster

Going by past similar threads on this. A common fault is the soldering connections on the back of the cluster crack and then you get intermittent connections. You will need to remove the entire cluster and get out a magnifying glass and go over the connections I reckon.

Attachment 70181 Attachment 70182 adding to this i ripped the cluster out yesterday contact cleaned all connections, which all looked pretty good anyhow and made no difference. Wierd i will accelerate and speedo will read backwards to about 120 then decellerate and it drops back to where it is and temp guage is just stuck under the c where it is when car's off. Time for a new cluster i think as all i can get is internals are screwed? Rev gguage battery oil pressure fuel and odo all work sweet, kinda sucks as i like the fact its done so many ks and runs so good now will have to chuck a much lower k dash in

There was a bloke doing a reco / changover for GQ dash clusters I haven't checked to see if he is still on ebay for a while. I haven't dealt with any of them, so can't comment on their service.

Hi all,
I've got the same issue with my otherwise trusty 1992 Maverick diesel. Just got a cluster from the wreckers and was wondering if there is any real issue in just swapping that flexible circuit. That would save me adding 100k to the odometer. Something I really don't want to do. Seems to me that there are only four solder joints on that board and they are for diodes that have nothing to do with the speedo. Do some of those screws electrically connect to the guts of the cluster? Anyone pulled one apart?
Cheers.
ps: Are there detailed diagrams in any of the manuals with details of how the cluster actually goes together or is it just treated as a unit as it is in my manuals?
pps: Did Mark89 eventually solve his issue?

Hey mate should be able to pull out & swap just the speedo part from the cluster no probs. Mine stated to play up recently, got patrolapart to fix it for around 100 bucks from memory. . . Haven't yet got the car on the road to see if it works, hoping it should.

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Great thanks for that. Yeah Patrolapart did not have any changeovers at the moment. I can now see how that flexible circuit just connects to everything underneath via some of those screws. Just swapping over the board from the one I picked up from the wreckers may just do the job. (next weekend) I'll let the forum know how I go.
and thank for the quick response. :-)

Hey mate just re-reading your post. The problem is usually in the speedo part of the cluster not the board so likely the problem won't be resolved if your keeping original speedo part. . . If that makes sense and i interpreted everything correctly . . .

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OK then. :-) I'll see what's swappable when I get them apart. Worst case is I swap the lot and lose 100k. Doh!

The cluster is user friendly when troubleshooting. A common fault is that the legs on the crystal deteriorate. The screws hold the gauge to the panel. Just be careful when disassembling it all.

Thanks for that. I will take care. I have a background of a lifetime in the electronics industry. But I know how brittle some old gear can get unless you hasten slowly. :-)

Mudnut, it sounds as though you have had the cluster apart. Some of those screws look as if they are holding the panel there and some look as though they carry an electrical connection through to the PC boards inside and as you say to the gauges. From Mark89s picture earlier in this post can you tell me which are which or am I wrong in my assumption. Those in the triangular patterns definitely look to be electrical connections. I am just going by looking at it, I haven't disassembled anything yet. :-)

I've got a spare cluster on the shelf if your want me to have a look at anything, happy to pull it apart and get some pics if you like, I'm never ginna use it. . .

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rossco

I've got a spare cluster on the shelf if your want me to have a look at anything, happy to pull it apart and get some pics if you like, I'm never ginna use it. . .

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Thanks for that mate but I have the one I got from the wreckers to play with. I will know soon enough how it goes together. (or not) :-)

Thank you for the offer though.

The square pattern is the speedo. From memory, I think there is another screw holding the speedo in as well.

@Rossco, if you aren't going to use the cluster would you consider selling it? I need a unit I can strip down to practice repairs on.

There maybe some info in this thread that may help. http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...peed-sometimes

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mudnut

The square pattern is the speedo. From memory, I think there is another screw holding the speedo in as well.

@Rossco, if you aren't going to use the cluster would you consider selling it? I need a unit I can strip down to practice repairs on.

There maybe some info in this thread that may help. http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...peed-sometimes

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Hey craig, yeah its all yours it's just sitting on the shelf doing nothing was going to do a clean out sometime. PM me your address and I'll send it. . .

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That link is perfect Mudnut. Thanks heaps. I have been doing a search around on this great forum but hadn't found that one. Again thanks.

Job done. Thanks to posts by mudnut and others. Checking that the issue was in fact the speedo and not the sensor or sensor wiring, I figured that the speedo and odometer both use the same pulse train from the sensor. Given that, I zeroed the tripmeters on both the cluster and on my gps and waited until I had clocked 1200 km. The difference was within 2km. Pretty good and proved to me that the sensor data was getting to the speedo ok. I bought a cluster from the wreckers and removed the speedo. This is only held in by four screws. Those four screws also carry power and the pulse train from the printed loom to the speedo pc board. Also disconnect the plug wiring to the odometer. The speedo then simply comes out. Removing the cluster from the truck and swapping the speedo mechanisms over and putting cluster back in the truck. Road test and check against the gps. Just about perfect. Job done. Thanks guys.
Attachment 72833Attachment 72835

Well done and thanks for the feedback and pictures. If you still have any more problems, check that the power wiring and earth points are all in good condition. Have a real good look at the circuit board on the old speedo. You may find the fault and be able to repair it. If you find that you need to adjust the speed, there is a small potentiometer that is accessible by drilling a small hole in the top of the cluster, so it can be adjusted while still in the dash.

The fuzzy pic in post#7 of this thread shows the hole. http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forum...-Helpful-Hints

Thanks. I did note the adjustment pot when I had it apart. The speed against the gps is spot on 60-70 kph and about 3% high at 100 kph. I reckon that's close enough to spot on. It means that when my speedo says 100 kph I'm actually only doing 97. :-)