My son brought his 2011 g3x back from college. It was mine from the get go. All works on car except the dash board. Middle square works but all dim

tried raising lighting, checked all tail lights.

Turn signals work but no noise or inside lights. Brake lights work

Not sure what fuses to check??

Thanks for help. It is. 2011

He leaves for school in a week.

 

Is it just the gauge cluster lights are out or does the cluster not work at all (ie. speedo, tach, etc.)?

First, check the fuses. Driver-side left footwell there are two (2) fuses: one (1) marked "Meter/BAT" and one (1) marked "Meter/IGN."

Assuming both are good then it gets trickier to diagnose.

 

fuses all good. I went through all of them

all 4 clusters do not light up

tach/ speedo/ gas/ battery

 

OK, the backlighting does not work, but do the gauges themselves work? Does the tach show engine rpm, or zero? Or, is everything at zero?

 

everything tach/ and speed stay at zero

 

If I were to guess, it would seem that the either the gauge cluster or the unified mater/ac amp has died. Being that cluster does not even illuminate would lead me to believe the cluster is the issue. Even if the cluster lost communication with the amp, the LED's should still light up. This is the first time I have seen a cluster go completely dead.

It could also be the IGN relay. Do you have a multimeter? If so, check for 12V+ AT THE FUSES I indicated above. Make sure that the fuses are getting power.

A few additional questions:

• Does the RED KEY icon blink every 1.5 seconds when the car is OFF?
• Has anything been modified to the car?
• Any issues with the radio? AC?
• Engine starts/ runs fine?

Also, while not out of the realm of possibility, any water leaks in the cabin?

Feel free to download the MWI (Meter, Warning Lamp & Indicator) section of the factory manual for you/ your sons car from NICOclub. That will have all the wiring diagrams as well as step on troubleshooting issues.

There are several youtube videos which will show you how to remove the cluster. This video shows the quick method:

 

Small key blinks as suggested
muffler about 1 year ago
radio fine
a/c runs

yes I have a multimeter meter. pretty handy just need instructions on how to check

appreciate the help

 

The blinking light combined with the center LCD display turning on indicates that the cluster is, at least, receiving BAT power. This then points to the IGN signal- which turns the cluster "ON."

1) With a helper, start engine and put car into REVERSE. Do the BACKUP lights turn on?

2) With car completely OFF, pull the METER/IGN fuse. Press the start button to ON (engine OFF). Using the meter (black probe to bare metal) check for 12V+ at the empty fuse slot with the red probe.

3) Using the multimeter, check the continuity of the two fuses I mentioned above. Do not rely on a visual "look see."

What are the results?

 

11.5 on meter

white reverse lights good

 

Based on all that, it appears your cluster is dead.

The FSM has details on what wires to check for further diagnosis. How far down that "rabbit hole" you want to go is your call.

No evidence of water leaks?

 

Thank you my man. Appreciate all the time and help. Can I find a used cluster and is that something that someone with some good skill and patience can do????

 

There are tons of used clusters on eBay from ≈$50-250. Keep in mind the mileage will not match so you will have to make a notation somewhere of your cars actual mileage. This may/ not be a concern should you decide to sell the car later on down the road. There are online services that can reprogram the mileage should you decide to go that route.

The video above shows a easy way to remove the cluster. Unbolt the cluster, disconnect the harness, and swap them out. It is not the hardest job, but it can be PITA as you'll be working on your back most of the time and in this heat...

Try running the self-diagnostic and see if the cluster responds to any inputs:



Maybe other forum members will have some ideas...

Please keep us updated.

 

Welcome to the forum

 

Thank you. Is this the same as a new cluster or different and easier to replace?? I am game. Just want to get his car up and running safe again..

 

I am not following your query- is "what" the same as a new cluster?

A used cluster off eBay (or a local pull-a-part junkyard) is just that. A used cluster. A new cluster on the other hand will run you at least $1,000.

Did the self-test posted above offer any help?