So my 1991 Montero was working just fine, then one day the tach, coolant gauge and fuel gauges stopped working. Up until this point every once in a while the tach would not register and a couple taps to the top of the cluster would get it going. But now that doesn't work either.

Any thoughts??

Chuck

 

Start with the simplest - check fuses for the cluster.

 

Hunter-
I checked the fuses on the left side of the dash. All are good. Is there a secondary fuse box in addition?


Chuck

 

Not sure about your specific year, but there is often a box under the hood too. I've seen instrument cluster running on fuses from under hood boxes.

Do any lights on the dashboard work (check engine, transmission, illumination lights, etc.)?

 

not common in mitsis...
You may hav to pull the cluster and check the solder connections on the pcb.

 

all other lights seem to work.
when it was intermittent, a little tap on the housing would fire it back up. Now nothing. But if I do tap the housing with some force, the needle on the tach jumps a bit.
The water and fuel are pegged at the bottom.


Chuck

 

In that case, it sounds more and more like a bad connection or some internal issue (break at a soldering point somewhere). Start by pulling the cluster out to see if over time one of the connectors on the back may have came off. Like I said - I don't know specifics on your year Montero. But it is possible for plastic tabs on the connectors to brake off from age and that make connector wobble and eventually disconnect enough to interrupt the circuit. The tapping (as you mentioned) may have helped to wiggle connector and cluster back to contact. Eventually it stops working when connector just moves too far.

If connectors to the cluster check out OK, you could open up the cluster and with a magnifying glass look at the printed circuit board to see if you notice any crack in soldering. Start by looking at the points where connectors from harnesses go to the board and also where the gauges have connectors. A '91 vehicle is a good candidate for thit sort of a thing - age, miles and all vibrations eventually do add up. I had and '86 vehicle which had multiple failures between the board and the soldered pins. This caused the board not to work. Heating each joint with a soldering gun reconnected the pins to the board and now it works just as intended.

I must emphasize that you should do this ONLY if you are comfortable with it and know what you are doing (as in how to solder properly). If you do not have experience with it, you still can examine the board for any faults, but find a friend or someone who does electronics and ask them to touch up the connectors.

 

this strikes me as a resounding waste of time, if you've pulled it all apart, just resolder the bastard.
old solder wont always go so easily, but if that works for you, all the better.
it doesn't have to be visible to be a failed electrical connection...



also. you can teach monkeys (and chinese children, even the odd american or two!) to solder.

learn.

 

If it's a waste of time for you - don't do it. No one is forcing you to do anything. As for me, I find that sometimes it is useful to find what the problem is, even if you are not able to fix it right away.

No it doesn't always work, hence the suggestion to find a friend or someone else who knows how to deal with this

You can teach monkeys to type too... They usually produce garbage, but some think of it as art.

 

hahah! i'd totally buy you a beer hunter!