Minor electrical gremlins...

[haruman]

So. Pump replaced in the transmission and now the truck is running great again. Just passed emissions the other day, registered for another year. :thumbup:

Now, when it's cold out (which won't be for much longer here in Arizona), I get some weird symptoms in the dash. Gas level doesn't register, and the battery light is on. Turning the turn signal on causes either the wrong dash indicator to flash, or both, and the battery light will flash too.

Checking outside the truck, turn signals are working correctly, so it's just the dash.

Once the cab warms up, these problems go away.

I'm assuming I have a cracked solder joint somewhere. Question is, where should I start looking?

[tortron]

HI, sounds like issues with the voltage regulator for the instruments.
If you remove the instrument cluster there is a hard pcb on the back, so check that out, there could also be corrosion around where the loom plugs into the back of it (round style pin plug).
Im not sure where the voltage regulator is on these trucks as mine has a different cluster with the regulator inside it, but they have the same issues when they get dry solder joints

[camoit]

It's a little rectangle metal box with a 12V source on one side and it should be on the back of the cluster.

[haruman]

Awesome, thanks guys, I'll give that a look. :) Cluster easy to get out?

[geezer101]

Yep, fairly straight forward. Take off the heater control knobs and blower knob, undo the retaining nut holding the blower switch in place. There's 2 screws in the instrument surround anchoring it to the underside of dash padding (in the instrument cluster recess). Take those out, pull the entire instrument surround forward (you'll need to slip it past the steering column cover - if you've got tilt adjust, drop the column all the way down), the cigarette lighter wiring will still be attached so rest the whole surround on the passengers side floor (if you got lucky and have the factory clock you will need to unplug it as you pull the surround out). One screw in each corner of instrument panel (they'll be semi covered by the dash padding around the sides). Take them out, pull the instruments forward and reach behind the instruments and undo the speedo cable. Last thing - 3 wiring plugs. A small one either end of the instruments and the main round socket off centre. Once those are disconnected the instrument panel is free.

[haruman]

Thanks!