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1994 GMC Serria p/u. There is a grinding noise coming from the insturment cluster and the headlamp switch is broken and moves around lossley in the dash. Does the entire cluster need replacing and if so, where can it be purchased?
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Yes the warning lights on the insturment cluster should lite when you turn the key to on . You know ,check engine light , ABS , air bag ,the cluster gauges should also do a sweep test . Does the vehicle have a anti-theft system ? The new PCM would have nothing to do with the lights . Try turning on the headlamps , do they work ?
Which insturment cluster does your's have ? electronic instrument cluster or standard instrument cluster !
Standard insturment cluster - speedo / odometer Speedometer/Odometer
The speedometer and odometer provides speed information based on a speed/distance pulse signal from the vehicle speed sensor (VSS). The VSS is mounted on the speedometer driven gear in the transmission.
Could be the VSS is bad .
Horn
The horn system includes the following:
horn relay
horn
clock spring
steering wheel control switch harness
steering wheel pad horn switch, which is part of the driver side air bag module. For additional information, refer to Section 501-20B .
The horn is located behind the front bumper mounted to the radiator support.
Is the air bag light lit on the insturment cluster ? If it is the clock spring could be the problem . If not lit check the circuits from the horn relay .
Which headlamps don't work ? Low beams , high beams , both ?
The high beams are inoperative
Bulbs.
Circuitry.
Multifunction switch.
GO to Pinpoint Test C .
The low beams are inoperative
Bulbs.
Circuitry.
Headlamp switch.
Multifunction switch.
LCM.
GO to Pinpoint Test D .
Principles of Operation NOTE: Due to varying wattage ratings and resulting current draw, certain aftermarket headlamp bulbs may cause the lighting control module (LCM) to shut down the short circuit protection, resulting in the low beams becoming inoperative. Verify that the headlamp bulbs meet Ford specifications.
Headlamp System
The headlamp system consists of:
two aerodynamic halogen headlamp bulbs and retainers
headlamp switch
multifunction switch
lighting control module (LCM)
circuit wiring and circuit protection
In normal operation:
With the multifunction switch in the low beam position, power is supplied by the LCM to the low beam elements through the multifunction switch.
With the multifunction switch in the high beam position (forward detent), power is supplied to the high beam elements and to the high beam indicator in the instrument cluster.
When the multifunction switch is pulled toward the steering wheel, the flash-to-pass switch (part of the multifunction switch) is closed and power is supplied to the high beam elements. When the switch is released, they return to low beam operation.
The battery saver feature of the LCM will automatically turn off the courtesy lamps, demand lamps, headlamps, or parking lamps under the following conditions:
The ignition switch is in the OFF position.
The headlamp switch is in parking lamps ON or headlamps ON positions.
After 10 minutes.
Headlamp Switch
The headlamp switch is a multi-position switch.
The positions include OFF, PARK, and HEAD.
With the headlamp switch in the PARK position (first detent), a signal is supplied to the LCM which powers the front parking lamps, the tail lamps, the side marker lamps, and the license lamp.
With the headlamp switch in the HEAD position, power is supplied to the headlamps through the LCM and the multifunction switch.
The panel dim switch (part of the headlamp switch) is located above the headlamp switch. The panel dim switch operates only with the parking lamps or headlamps on.
When the panel dim switch is held in the up position, the instrument panel lighting will progressively brighten.
When the panel dim switch is held in the down position, the instrument panel lighting will progressively dim.
For additional information, refer to Section 413-00 .
Headlamps On Warning Chime
If the headlamp switch is left in either the PARK or HEAD position and the driver door is opened, the LCM will sound a headlamps on reminder chime when the following conditions occur:
The ignition switch is OFF with the ignition key out.
The driver door is ajar.
For additional information, refer to Section 413-09 .
Inspection and Verification
Verify the customer concern by operating the system.
Visually inspect for obvious signs of mechanical and electrical damage.
All the thing's your having problems with are controlled by the computer's an communication network . (FEM) - front electronic module , insturment cluster , (REM) - rear electronic module. etc... It's probably a loose ground connection somewhere . The headlamp switch is a electronic input to the insturment cluster , the insturment cluster is hooked to the SCP - serial data network . The insturment cluster electronic's (computer ) microprocessor sends a message to the (FEM) to turn on light's , the front electronic module will then suppy a ground to the headlamps circuit turnning on the headlamps. Samething for the wipers an turn signals an horn too . 010 Ford SCP Communications
From looking at a wiring diagram i would look at ground connection G-304 . Do you know what a body ground is ?
This ground is located How to troubleshoot headlights intermittently on and off with headlights...
1down vote
Basically your headlamps are controlled by a computer. The Front Electronic Module (FEM) to be exact. The FEM grounds the headlamps when it wants to turn them on. This system was an early Multiplex design that reduced wire and total circuits where the modules communicate on a single serial line, now referred to as the CAN Bus (Controller Area Network). You will likely need a scan tool to diagnosis the car, and not a cheap one, but a professional model. You many even need a factory scan tool, though I doubt if for a Ford. Outside of security theft deterrent systems they allow the aftermarket professional scan tools to access their systems.
So where do you go from here? With or without a scan tool, the grounds are a good place to start.
G303 are the main ground for the FEM.
G304 is connected via C179 (C means connector) and through S139 (S means splice)
G304 is located behind the LH cowl panel C179 is located behind the LH side of the instrument panel S139 Dash panel to headlamp junction, near T/O to C192 Front Electronic Module (FEM)
You can see the FEM, G304, and C179 in the picture below. Outside of checking the connections and wiring there is not much you can do without a scan tool.
You can replace the instrument cluster bulb with a regular halogen bulb, or use T5 led bulbs that come in a variety of colors (white, blue, etc.) They are inexpensive and will last a lot longer than the regular halogen bulbs.
Replacing the faulty bulbs isn't too hard for DIY.
For help: Moonlight Driving
It sounds like you may have a broken drive drum or planetary gear set inside the transmision. I believe you have a 4L60E transmission in this vehicle and I've seen several failures similar to this which require the transmission to be removed and repaired. It's always worth a good look at everything on the outside first just to be sure but I think you probably have an internal mechanical failure of some type
I had the same problem with my 2004 yukon. It seems all the gauges in the insturment cluster are known to go bad from 2003-2006 in GMC and Chevys. The deaerships are trying to sell you a new instrument cluster which is pretty costly if your warrenty is up. I repaired the circuit board on my insturment cluster myself and everything is working fine now. Since hearing abouth this problem I have started repairing the insturment cluster as a side business. If your vehicle is out of warrenty and your intersted shoot me an e-mail ([email protected]).
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