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Dashboard Instrument Cluster Issue

14K views 23 replies 6 participants last post by  Krisstall  
#1 · (Edited)
Greetings,

I have a 2007 Versa SL. Within the last few months the dashboard lights have begun blinking furiously.

I will be driving along and all of a sudden all my gauges will go to zero and start to twitch and everything that has the ability to light up (tire sensor, airbag, hot and cold temp lights, parking break light, odometer backlight, speedometer backlight) will blink on and off really fast.
Funny thing is, if I push in the odometer trip reset knob really hard, it all stops blinking, but as soon as I let go, they all start blinking again.

What has gotten worse is that after I turn the car off, the gauges (fuel, speedo, RPMS) twitch, causing battery drain, so I have to disconnect the negative battery cable whenever I am done driving for the day.

Does anyone know what needs replacing or fixing for this issue? I assume there is a contact behind the dash, but I am not a mechanic by any stretch, but I know a few people who tinker, so if they know the name of what to fix, then we can at least try ourselves.

Thanks!

-Colin
 
#2 ·
if you push the the reset knobs and you see some changes it might just be that the cluster panel went bad. It happens.

You can easily find it on eBay, but you must make sure it's your part number, with all your transmission options (CVT etc). or you can try a junkyard and pull it yourself.
Swapping that part is not very hard to do...
 
#5 ·
It does sound like a cluster issue. 2 VERY IMPORTANT things:

1) The trans has to match EXACTLY!!
2) If you ever plan on selling the car, you will have to get the milage adjusted for your current car.

To keep the same backlighting, use 2007-2009
To have white/orange backlighting, use 2010-2012(hatch)
Expect to pay about $25-$50 on the cluster.
 
#6 ·
Funny thing is, if I push in the odometer trip reset knob really hard, it all stops blinking, but as soon as I let go, they all start blinking again.
Definitely seems like a case of a bad connection somewhere in the cluster. When you take it apart, take a magnified lens and search for cracks in the printed boards, cold solderings (Adafruit Guide To Excellent Soldering), and other bad connections.
 
#11 ·
behavior like that may be symptom of an electrical issue.
I'm not sure if the ECM is to blame, maybe it's faulty somewhere....it's hard to tell.
Again, like in similar situations, you should visit a autoparts store and have them check for codes. If there is something more specific that should tell you.
 
#17 ·
Well, darn. Looks like the auto parts stores around me only read the codes if the Check Engine light is on. Only scans for those codes. I have a friend with a FIXD device that might be able to help. Will check with him.
 
#15 ·
Ok great!

Thanks, we actually replaced the positive cable and reinforced the negative and make sure it was clean. I have to unplug the negative while it sits so that my battery doesn't drain and reattach before I go. I let it idle a bit before I leave though.
 
#18 ·
Those scanners are only going to look at the ecm. If you can on top of the dash does it flicker? It could just be the connector in the back of the cluster needs some help. I'd take the cluster out and wiggle the connector to see if it does it. The meter itself is a module and needs to have good power and ground to it. An all module scan would be helpful here. I have deep hatred for that Fixd tool and their ridiculous marketing.

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#19 ·
I borrowed a friend's thingamajig code reader. I think it is BlueDriver and it doesn't show any codes. I ran it while the issue was happening and it didn't find anything.
It has the ability to scan for all system codes.

18210


Anyways, I am thinking of taking it to a local mechanic I can trust, and just have them diagnose the issue and get my stepdad to help fix whatever it is.
The part that bugs me is that when the flickering is happening and I try and gun it with the gas, it revs/unrevs/revs/unrevs. Hard to explain, but it feels the same as if you floor it, let off, floor it, let off.

I appreciate you all in all your help and suggestions.
 
#20 ·
The tool in the pic only communicates with the ecm. You may need to talk with the meter here and those tools start around $300.

That reving you described, is that while driving or in park?

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#24 · (Edited)
I bought a Nissan Versa six months ago. I recently encountered such a problem that some of the lights on the dashboard occasionally go out, and today they all went out. Without thinking, I went to the auto repair shop AutoLeap. The next day, they brought the car, and experts began to look for the problem. The problem turned out to be oxidation of the dashboard, and the guys said that because of this and can turn off light bulbs, as well as in the future did not work such devices as speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, antifreeze temperature. The specialists solved the problem, gave instructions to prevent such situations, and on the plus side, they were reasonably priced.