hi, love my 84, but the cluster is not bright and it will not come out enough to get to the wires to clean up the ground plug inside the cluster....so whats the trick to get it out and to the wires....drop the steering colmn? thanks

Welcome Brian.  Just exactly what are you trying to do.  Are all lights dull?  I will help as much as I can.

I always pull the upper dash pad off to get my cluster out. Never had to drop the column.
Can you see the tach/speedo readings at all? If not, then the cluster will probably need to be repaired. I had mine done a couple of years ago, and it was less than $200...everything on it works perfectly now.
If you can see the speedo/tach readings, but the lights that illuminate the LCD don't come on, first check the LCD fuse, if you haven't already. IF your fuse is blown, and you put a new one in it and it blows, the cluster will need to be repaired.
The main ground for the cluster is on the driver side kick panel, just above the "hush" panel.
The early clusters have a problem with the circuit boards loosing the ground at the connection for the two sections of the cluster. Sometimes, resizing the terminals will fix it, but some folks have even inserted a small wire into the female side of the connector to make the connection tighter, and that has worked for them.
I will suggest that you get Gordon Killebrew's manual on the Digital Dash Troubleshooting...it's great, and leaves no stone unturned in diagnosing the cluster. You can usually buy it from any of the Corvette parts vendors(such as our Sponsoring Vendors here), or you might even find it on e-bay.
hth.

I'll throw this in, too...and hope you don't take it the wrong way....
Are you sure the headlight switch/cluster dimmer is turned to the right all the way?
Adams' Apple2009-10-21 20:00:18

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Joel Adams  
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Boy !!  I tell ya, that Joel guy got all the good remarks and answers!!

i appreciate this input. i will try the ground at the hush panel...whatever that is...i will look for a panel in the foot well and see whats there.  if you could give a more involved description this would help...thanks...brian

Sorry... I should have been more specific.
The ground is on the vertical panel on the driver side dash. If you look at the dash, the carpeted trim panel that extends from the bottom of the dash(under the steering column, about where your knees are while driving) forward is the "hush" panel. If you remove that panel, you can look to the left, over by where the parking brake pedal would be on a "regular" car...that is called the kick panel. There is a plastic trim panel on there, also. Just above the top of the trim panel is the grounds. There will be more than one wire, and they are attached with a small bolt to the metal part of the body there.
I'll see if I can get a diagram and post. It's kinda hard for me to describe what to look for.


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Joel Adams  
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thats a great explaination.  I shall try this weekend to check both the fuse and the ground.  after all this input i just want to take the cluster out and have dinner with it.  then take it outside and put it back in.....thanks

No grease fitting in the rear, unfortunately...
Rear hub bearings normally will not stop making noise like that, but I guess it is possible. It could be a brake pad noise, tho, or if you actually use your parking brake, then it could very well be that...they tend to hang/stick when first released, and can create a moan noise.
Adams' Apple2009-10-24 09:30:52

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Joel Adams  
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

As we get new projects and we start to tinker my mind gets filled with so much information.  i am pleased to hear about the parking brake again.  i have not used it ....and i won't.  that is a perfect word for the sound....moan...then it goes away...it all makes sense.  now the ground.  i will check that place.  i can see the tac and speedo and just see the numbers for the guages during the day.  at night it's just nothing.  the wife is off to idaho on thursday so we will have time to play...thanks again.b

Sounds like the LCD fuse is blown, if you can see the readings. The 4 bulbs in the cluster illuminate the LCD panels so they are bright/visible. It's possible all 4 went out at the same time, but not real likely. Stranger things have happened!
The connectors for the two cluster panels may need a good cleaning, if you have a good fuse, and the grounds checks out ok. I do have some info on the cluster circuits if you get to a point to where you need to pull it apart and have a look-see.


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Joel Adams  
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

I too have had the same exact problem with my 1986 C-4. After days of tracing ground wires, checking fuses, throwing things and verbally abusing everything that crossed my path......I sent a money order for $300.00 to some dude from texas on flea-bay by the name of scarabexc@aol.com. 10 days later I was cruising with a bright display. I even had a big scratch on one of my lcd's and he replaced it.

happy halloween,  went out this morning and the lites all came on for about 30 seconnds and then went back to just barely being able to see everything. the tac and speedo and fuel are lookable but the numbers take some bending and twisting....I shall go and check the ground at the hush pa;nel tomorrow.  i replaced the 5 amp fuse for the lcd....seems like its a ground/short thingy...b

Hello all. Crawled under the dash today and looked around and reread the last post and could not find a bolt or nut with wires looking like a ground.  i did find a large black wire that came out of the loom and went under the carpet at the diagonal brace.  i did not get the carpet back enough to find the end but will need a little more location instruction to proceed.  I do see about five to eight wires going up above the a/c duct toward the outside at the end of the cluster. I replaced the 5 amp fuse on both the cluster and the LCD.  I am reluctant to take the cluster out until i find the ground as suggested in the post.  thanks for the help...b

I forgot to mention that the turn signal indicators are lite and the high beam center blue light is on.  they still work. 

[QUOTE=obrian] i replaced the 5 amp fuse for the lcd....seems like its a ground/short thingy...b[/QUOTE]

Is the fuse blowing, or did you just replace it just for the heck of it? If the LCD fuse is blowing, 9 times out of 10 the cluster is bad, and in need of repair.
The turn sig indicators and the hi beam lamp on all the time also point to a bad cluster...


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Joel Adams  
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

ok, thats what i needed to know. for the time being i will drive at night with a small pen light to see what i need and then look for a repair person to fix it. thank you all for your help.  more news at 11

O.K.  You were all right. the help was all correct. It just took taking it out and apart and seeing the last post and cleaning and resoldering and putting on a short wire to double fix it and victory.  Full lights and back to normal.  Thank you for all the help and coaching.  On to the next thing....it will be in rear bearings.....obrian