mekanik
Senior Member
The intermittent or dead International instrument cluster. I have repaired dozens of these over the years. The weight of the wiring harnesses at the connectors at the rear of the cluster causes the solder joint between the connector and the printed circuit board to fail over time. Its a simple repair for anyone with a few basic tools and some soldering skills. The unit can be damaged by static electricity so proper precautions should be taken.
The cluster a 20 watt soldering iron and some fine electrical solder.
Lay the cluster face down and remove the metal shield.
Remove the odometer and hour meter connectors and the remaining screws from the circuit board. Lift the board out of the cluster. The gauges plug into it so it takes a little bit of effort. Make sure you did not miss any screws.
A problem area
Inspect the solder connections on the opposite side of the plug where the connectors are soldered to the board. A magnifying glass helps. You can see the cracked solder joint in the picture. This is what is causing the problem.
The repaired connections.
Remove both the small circuit boards from the sides if so equipped and inspect them as well. The air gauge side needed repaired on this one as well.
Reinstall the boards, pushing them in place. Don’t forget the odometer and hour meter plugs. Put the shield back on and all the screws back in. When you install the circuit board some of the gauges will push ahead and need to be put back in place afterwards.
Next remove the five screws from the top and remove the front of the cluster exposing the gauges.
You can see some of the gauges pictured had moved ahead when the board was installed. Lay the unit on its back and carefully push the gauges back into place. I like to use surgical gloves so I don’t leave finger prints on the gauges. Next clean the dust off the gauges bezels with a soft paint brush. Then replace the front of the cluster.
I always give the front a good cleaning with lemon pledge before reinstalling it. The ABS light plug is a pain to get back in otherwise its a simple repair.
The cluster a 20 watt soldering iron and some fine electrical solder.
Lay the cluster face down and remove the metal shield.
Remove the odometer and hour meter connectors and the remaining screws from the circuit board. Lift the board out of the cluster. The gauges plug into it so it takes a little bit of effort. Make sure you did not miss any screws.
A problem area
Inspect the solder connections on the opposite side of the plug where the connectors are soldered to the board. A magnifying glass helps. You can see the cracked solder joint in the picture. This is what is causing the problem.
The repaired connections.
Remove both the small circuit boards from the sides if so equipped and inspect them as well. The air gauge side needed repaired on this one as well.
Reinstall the boards, pushing them in place. Don’t forget the odometer and hour meter plugs. Put the shield back on and all the screws back in. When you install the circuit board some of the gauges will push ahead and need to be put back in place afterwards.
Next remove the five screws from the top and remove the front of the cluster exposing the gauges.
You can see some of the gauges pictured had moved ahead when the board was installed. Lay the unit on its back and carefully push the gauges back into place. I like to use surgical gloves so I don’t leave finger prints on the gauges. Next clean the dust off the gauges bezels with a soft paint brush. Then replace the front of the cluster.
I always give the front a good cleaning with lemon pledge before reinstalling it. The ABS light plug is a pain to get back in otherwise its a simple repair.
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