Econometer not working with new SI board

[bstarr3]

I was having lots of SI board related twitches - econometer wasn't working, temp and fuel gauges were twitchy, tach sometimes wouldn't work. So I bought a 'refurbished' SI board with new batteries from a member here with good rep. Swapped it in, temp gauge still a little twitchy, econometer still doesn't work! Service lights are reset, though. And fuel gauge seems not to have any problems. Anything that can be wrong with the econometer besides SI board? Or did I just get a bad board?

[Turf1600]

Did you use your old coding plug?

[nando]

does your speedometer work?

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showpost.php?p=3131224&postcount=6

[bstarr3]

Speedo works. Re: coding plug, I'm taking abort the mpg gauge on the cluster. I don't have a 13 button obc.

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[nando]

the SI board has a coding plug too. it tells the SI board how large your injectors are and how many cylinders you have.

[bstarr3]

Anybody have a picture or tell me where it is? I hate the idea of taking the cluster back apart, though...

[nando]

it's on the very front of the cluster, in the lower left corner. you don't have to take apart the cluster to get to it. you don't even have to take the cluster out of the car, just remove the trim peices.

that said, if your tach works, it's probably not the problem. it could be as simple as a solder joint or bad connection at the MPG gauge.

[bstarr3]

OK, so if tach's working, it's not likely to be the coding plug? Tach works fine. So does speedo, temp, fuel gauges. SI lights are intermittent. Usually all the greens are lit up, sometimes nothing, then once I saw only the red one lit up, but without the "inspection" light that was on with my old SI board.

The thing about the econometer is that it was working fine when I bought it, then just stopped working one day, and I figured it was a good excuse to replace the SI board, with all the other issues I was having. But now, no different. Sometimes it'll move, but it seems to be at random. Usually it's pegged up past 40, sometimes it'll sweep through to zero then bounce back to 40. Occasionally it'll track with the engine speed, almost like it's working, but it's backwards, going towards zero as the engine should be getting more efficient.

[nando]

that sounds like a loose connection / bad solder joint to me.

[Gregs///M]

The Econometer problems might be related to bad solder joints in the tach unit.

For the temp gauge, measure the resistance of the temp sender at the thermostat housing. The values should range between 1000ohms at room temp to around 250 for normal operating temp.

Anything out the range can be a "Engine to Chassis" ground cable. This is the cable that bolts from the oil pan to the frame rail.

[vinman1513]

hmmm ... I seem to be having the same exact problem . Mine started when i removed the ground from the oil pan to the frame to replace a oil pan that was cracked wide open . ive been researching this long and hard and there are all kinds of opinions on this , the ones that stay pretty consistant are the ground from the pan to the frame , and the s.i. batteries . i have also been told as to find a known good working used cluster and replace it . ive seen this problem posted on numerous sites and they all have the same core problem , the mpg guage inside the tachometer stops working , works intermittantly with the tachometer , sometimes goes backward etc . ive been trying to figure mine out for about a week now , gone through wires , checked grounds , and havent found a solution which has to be a comon fix for the comon problem . im gonna keep looking and if i find anything i will definetly post and hope everyone will do the same . There has to be someone out there who has found a resonable solution to this problem .

and FYI from NANDO , which is good to know .

okay, for the last time ---

THE SPEEDOMETER AND GAS GAUGE DO NOT NEED THE SI BOARD

okay? good.

I don't think the temp gauge does either, but I haven't tested it yet. the tach does (and the MPG gauge won't work without the tach working).
__________________

[Gregs///M]

Completely disassemble cluster and inspect for cracked solder joints or open traces.

[idanity]

my econometer and tach is doing that too (intermittently works fine, then tach pegs 0, econometer stops at some random range...always different).

i did crack the pan, and will check the ground cable, (or buy a new one, i hear they can go bad...i know i wirebrushed the connection points in september 2011) when i replaced the oil level sensor...

i replaced the batteries too, and after a few days both tach and econometer worked (for about a week)..now, its back to buggy.

its not top priority on my list, but its up there...subscribed and will report back if i find anything..(will be swapping it all out with a good unit on the 17th for testing).