So my Speedometer and RPMs work, and have illumination, but all my gauges for gas, temp, oil pressure, odometer, and error messages are dead... I have the "instrument cluster" taken out and all the circuit boards look good and solid. All the solder connections are looking good. I do have weird problems here and there with certain things like headlights not working now and then(I think with battery not fully charged on star up?).... but the gauges, etc. are allways completely dead. I have a 1989 XJ6 and they went dead while I left the key in the ignition for over an hour (I was washing my car and put the key in to roll up the windows and forgot to turn it off/ take it out ). Not sure how important that info is.... but that is when they all died. I would like to troubleshoot this without sending out for a new instrument cluster because I have all kinds of tools here at my house to fix just about anything! And they look expensive... any ideas for me????

 

Does your amperage meter work? If not, have your battery and alternator tested. That would be my first suggestion. Sorry, I don't have a second suggestion.

 

What is the amperage meter and where is it located? Not sure, I will take a look at it and see if that may be the problem?

 

Amperage meter is located at the top left side to the RPM . It just shows you charge level of your battery .

 

Check if you have right amount of cranking amp (right size battery)
alternator
instrument cluster
available dimsum29@hotmail.com

 

Ahhh, okay. All the gauges and the warning alert section are dead, so I cant see that amperage meter. What should the cranking # be for the battery on a 1989 XJ6? I can say that I had that battery in there for months before it all went dead and it worked just fine. Battery is not even 1 year old yet too and is a good quality battery so I think the problem has got to be somewhere else. What about fuses, is there any special fuses hiding or problems with the fuse boxes... I have examined the fuse for the radio/illumination lights, and it is good. (If I take it out the radio, clock,spedometer and rpm lights go off, and come right back on when I re-insert it) Weird thing is that there is also is a 3 amp fuse listed as "instrument pack" on the drivers side (left). That fuse seems to do nothing to anything if I take it out or put a new one in. Also, could it maybe be a problem with a grounding issue? I have read that could be a potential problem with my Jags model, but I have no idea where the ground for the Instrument Cluster is.

 

Checked all the grounds, they are good. Anybody have any other ideas like the fuses, or a potential problem with the wiring up of a new stereo I had installed?? I am stuck and super frustrated!!

 

I have a similar problem but with mine, everything works and then i could be driving down the road and everything goes off except my rev counter. To get it back on i have to bang the top of the dashboard which really hurts your hands. I have tried to locate the problem but failed so will be taking it to the garage next week

 

How did you overcome this issue? or you still having the problem, me too, I have a dead instrumental panel.

Gus

 

1. any power going to wire when u disconnect cluster(put meter on it )
if you have power then replace check the ones you claim dont work check wire@ harness for power

2.buy an instrument cluster have one that works fine
dimsum29@hotmail.com
954 298 5602

 

Good news,, I got this car about 3 weeks ago, and the first thing I did was degreased the engine, and washed it down, of course I was very carefull not spraying too much water in the electrict stuff.

Well, I was about to take apart the cluster panel to begin troubleshooting it, but then I decided to double check that fuses one more time, this fuse is located on circuit 2 Fuses box, position #B3, on the driver side with a 3amps fuse, as I disconected the fuse I noticed that the fuse was kind of wet, so I got my air compresor and shoot air throught the fuses panels to get any moisture away, I made sure that the circuit was dried before applying some electricity.

Voila the fuse panel came alive, it looks like when I washed down my engine somewhere in the firewall of the car there is a leak, or small hole that is allowing moisture getting there and it would make his way to the fuses box.
I would be using silicone to seal any possibles holes or cables going through the firewall behind the dash board.

Thank You very much of your advise and winsdom.
You guys rock.

By the way, I went today to the jaguar dealership and I took the radio with me and the title of my car and they graciously gave me the security key for my radio, and it is working fine. no fees.

But I did buy the master key for my car because my car got sold with the valet key only, the green key, would not open the glove compartment and the trunk neither, does the reason of me getting the master key. thanks to the internet, I figured out that the green key was a valet key, since I have never owned a Jaguar before.

Car is running smooth, not overheating, so I am not going to foul around with the thermostate as yet, I do need to fix my electric fan, so it will turn on automaticacly when is needed.

Happy Holidays,
Cutler Bay Florida
Gus

 

Glad to hear that things are good for you
I hope my XJ40 will be perfect soon too

 

my dashboard lights go out and my speedo stops working. I have taken it to the garage and they said that they will fix it. They said that they cleaned all the contacts and that it will now work properly, but as soon as i left the garage, about half an hour later my dashboard lights went out and the speedo stopped working and the petrol was not showing, basically it was all blank except for the rpm.

Can anyone let me know what i should do to sort this out, and do you think the garage should give me the money back after they said i should have no more problems and it happens again

 

After about 4 months of trying every method availible or talked about all over the manuals and internet...., I still had problems, and a few fixes that worked for only a day or two , so I just bought a new one off the internet and it is perfect now. I reccomend that method, as the $275 I paid for it was well worth all the effort to fix it, plus- once I put it in and it all lit up I was so happy!!!

 

The problem was on the fuse compartment false contact I clean the fuses blades with a litle sandpaper, it looks like moisture got somehow there when I while I was washing the engine. Nothing wrong with instruments panel

 

Mine on occasion goes out, but a quick smack to the cluster housing always turns them back on

 

Hey guy's, I just wanted to know, did your Jag's dash lights come back on with a slap of the dash? If so, how can that relate to the fuse? I have two 89 XJ6's and both cats have cluster light issues, off, slap on repeat? WHY!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Jerry,

You're issue is with cracked solder joints on the circuit boards within the instrument cluster. I'm assuming by your description that you have the digital displays on both cars.

There are many posts in the XJ40 archives describing your symptoms and the manner in which to correct the problem. I pulled mine about six years ago, repaired the affected joints and have no issues since.