My dash, the speedo & the tach will sometimes simply not work,..
If I rap the top of the dash, HARD once maybe twice boom! They work!
I've taken the cluster out. And, where it plugs into the socket of the dash,
I've cleaned the terminals with electric contact cleaner. (Both sides. The cluster side
and the dash side). No help. STILL HAVE TO GO BOOM, BOOM on the dash to jar them
into working. This happens twice a week maybe? Am I missing something I gotta clean
or replace??

 

I had my cab dome light blink on off sometimes one day as I was poking around under my dash I noticed the dome light flashing on off again then I noticed it was related to a wire plugged into the back of the fuse block if you touched it it blinked.

Check those wires going to the back of the fuse block see if it blinks as you fiddle with the connections. I think the *** that installed my alarm system half unplugged the connection and it was never fully plugged back into its socket properly or they damaged the plug.

 

is prob a contact.... dont know where or wich

 

I guess I'll keep looking. I ill check out the back of the fuse-block. Thanks.

 

Sounds more like a cold solder joint, cracked circuit board or some other connection or internal part of the instrument cluster is going bad. I don't know what year your truck is, but on the 2001 and up there is a self test you can do on the cluster. The directions for the test are in the Service Manual link at the top of the 2nd gen Dakota page. You can also download the manual from this post too:

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-download.html

Yuo might have to look through the post to find the link that works. Some guys here posted they had problems with that.

Even so, the self test may not work if you have a bad cluster. It might help you find out if the cluster is bad though. You might be able to find a good used one at a junk yard for a good price, or maybe find one online.

Jimmy

 

from 01SilverCC

Quote:

Sounds more like a cold solder joint, cracked circuit board

If thats the case then could you find it and solder the bad spot?

Is it easy to get acess to the board and inspect it for the problem area? 01SilverCC can you see the curcuit board clearly and easy if you removed it for inspection?

 

I guess the OP could check it, if he can get the cluster apart and has the electronics training and tools to find and repair or replace the bad solder joint, cracked circuit board, open trace on the circuit board, ruptured or swollen capacitors, whatever the problem might be. If the cicuit board is cracked, OP will need a new cluster regardless. There is not much you can do for that.

Some years ago there used to be ignition and automotive electronics shops that all they did was diagnose and repair or rebuild starters, alternators, speedometers and things like that. You don't see those shops around much anymore, I guess because of the cheaper cost and different construction of parts nowadays, it's cheaper to just buy new parts instead of rebuild them. If the OP could still find a good auto electronics shop maybe they could diagnose and fix it, but that could possibly cost as much or more as a new or used cluster. Or maybe a good electronics, TV, stereo repair or computer shop etc might be willing to take a crack at it.

I would say here that if all the wiring and fuses, etc for the cluster all check out OK, then there has to be some internal problem with the OP's cluster. Most of the time when you have an intermittent problem like that with an electrical component and you can tap on it, or in OP's case bang on the top of it and get it to work again, it usually indicates a faulty part or connection inside the component itself.

Jimmy

 

Wow, sounds like that could be it. Guess I might be on the way to the bone yard to
look for a cluster.

 

my Neon had the same problem. i took the cluster out and i was able to see the cracked solder joints. i fixed them and never had the problem come back.

 

My 97 did that too. Also, the lights would flicker at night. Safe, right? Mine ended up being the two bolts on either side of the dash that secure it to the body. Apparently it wasnt making ground connection. Would be easier than pullin cluster. Just remove the kick panels and youll see the bracket with the single bolt