L series Instrument Cluster Problem

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 3:19 pm

Anyone had a problem with their instruement cluster being "sticky"? My cluster is from another car, on warm days or when i have the heater on for an hour or more, the tacometer gets stuck and will stay there for a bit before moving again, sometimes it doesn't make it off zero.

Now i've noticed my speedo does the same (don't think this is related to temp as much as the taco is), this concerns me more than my taco, that ones just an inconvieneice. Sometimes i can be accalerating and while my revs go up, my speed needle does not. Other times i can be slowing down and the needle stays at the speed i was cruising at.

My Fuel guage won't move until i get to my desination and turn the car off to let it sit for a while, after that it will drop to the level it should be near.

Any idea how i can go about fixing this? And if not, how do i tell if a replacement cluster will do the same thing?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

wrx_nut · Post by **wrx_nut** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:59 pm

yer i have the same problem with the speedo needle
takes time to come back down to the speed you are really doing

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:29 pm

when I HAD an engine in my GLAT the tacho was sticky (& not from coke overspray) Not yet had a chance to test speedo or the rest of the car for that matter !!

I wonder if it is a bad earth to whole cluster. Nah , speedo is cable driven so not an electrical gauge. I'd pull cluster and tinker with screws and wire connectors at rear and see - power side + as the signals are earth based aren't they ??

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:48 pm

Thanks wrx_nut and jono,
With the taco on mine, you can see the needle trying to move... i think its a physical thing, that the needle is physically stuck. I've had the whole dash apart to try and find the problem, it worked for a day or two and the problem was apparent again... I'm thinking the best solution would be to get another cluster...

BlackMale · Post by **BlackMale** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 1:46 pm

I have been there as well. This will sound really weird and I have no idea if it was a cause and effect thing or just totally coincidental but I started to soak my dash, specifically along the crack in the top of the dash, in Armoral and my tack stoped sticking!?!?! Did not know it had lubrication properties LOL

New cluster sound’s like the way to go, I will have 1 soon however I am sure that you will get 1 more locally.

Fury · Post by **Fury** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 7:59 pm

I had a similar prob in the Vortex ( when Igot it originaly it had been sitting for some time) and all the guages were sticky.
I used contact cleaner and a little Inox for some light lube on each of the needles and has worked ever since. Mind you I also did a few small mods and checked all the electrical connectors, earths etc..

That was a few years ago now

Suby Wan Kenobi · Post by **Suby Wan Kenobi** » Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:18 pm

My RX suffers from that as well and i call it the suprise speed when it comes good, when it gets a refurbish next year thats on the to do list.