I hope i have this in the right forum, mods can move it if it isnt. This is all for a 2004 Sunfire. Alright where to begin. I have never had a problem with my instrument cluster until yesterday. Just yesterday installed two subs and after all day of slammin i went to turn on my headlights and noticed that only the fuel gauge was lit up. So i drove home and searched what could cause that. I came across a post on here that said "hit the dash like it owes you money", so i went and beat the hell out of my dash until the speedometer lit up. Now when i drive the speedometer comes and goes and the fuel gauge stays lit up all the time while the tach and temperature gauge are always dark. Now from searching on this forum and on google it seems that my dash should have led's soldered somewhere inside the gauge cluster but i am afraid of taking the gauge cluster apart and ruining it. Now i am wondering if there is any wire or fuses that i should be looking for before i try and replace this entire assembly. I dont think it would be a wiring problem because the fuel gauge and speedometer can still light up, but what do i know? lol


ALL IDEAS WElCOME!

Yeah, something must've definitely gotten knocked a little loose after the audio work. You'd think if a bulb was soldered to a circuit board that it'd stay there permanently, but GM in their infinite wisdom probably cheaped out on the type of allow they used for the solder and it breaks down over time. The bulb that's behind the right side of my Cavalier's cluster (from between like 60 to 90mph) is loose and I have to beat it like it owes me money, too. I used to just be able to press on the clear plastic cover of the cluster and it'd light back up, but hey, beating things won't continue to fix the problem forever.

Sorry though, man. You can easily find a replacement cluster at a junkyard for <$20 though. Real easy to remove, just a couple of screws, no removal of the steering wheel or anything crazy is required. Good luck.