There was a post a while back about people having speedometer problems where the speedo doesn't read the correct speed, gets "stuck" on a certain speed, drops down to zero during travel, & other problems.... I don't have time to hunt for the post so I'm just starting a new one. I decided to get a whole new instrument cluster to see if the cluster itself is the problem. The reason I did this is b/c last week not only did the speedo in my 03 Cav act crazy (it's been doing that for like the last 6 months), but my fuel & temperature gauges went haywire too!!! I ordered a Sunfire instrument cluster off ebay & I'm waiting on it to arrive. If anyone else has had this problem or has solved it let me know how. i'm hoping it's the cluster like i suspect... Plus, I wanted a 'Fire cluster anyway.... I'll post the results.....

its probably the cluster.....if not that, then id guess the bcm, but try the cluster first


and like you said, you wanted the fire cluster anyways, so its not like your wasting any money


You'll never touch God's hand
You'll never taste God's breath
Because you'll never see the second coming
Life's too short to be focused on insanity
I've seen the ways of God
I'll take the devil any day
Hail Satan

(slayer, skeleton christ, 2006)

does the fire cluster fit directly into the cav



If your name is Mr. Crunch, and you joined the Navy, would you eventually be Captain Crunch?

speedo not working = vss sensor
temp gauge = coolant temp sensor may be bad or a bad connection
gas gauge = never had that problem

buddyclub2cav wrote:does the fire cluster fit directly into the cav

They say it's a direct swap. Just unclip, remove, clip in new cluster...

yes it is a direct swap so long as you get the right one. if you have a 99 and below j body you have to swap with a 99 and below cluster, and if you have a 00 and up jbody you have to use a 00 and up cluster

and baggedcav98. it could be all the sensors, but come on...how often do all those sensors fail at once. im willing to bet its the cluster itself


You'll never touch God's hand
You'll never taste God's breath
Because you'll never see the second coming
Life's too short to be focused on insanity
I've seen the ways of God
I'll take the devil any day
Hail Satan

(slayer, skeleton christ, 2006)

it might not also be all the sensors. my temp gauge was acting funny do to the fact the wire going ot the harness connected to the sensor was broke so it could be as easy as a loose harness and a bad sensor. if it is that, then replacing the cluster is just going to result in the same things

True.... We'll see what happens... Like I said I wanted the 'Fire cluster anyway though... I'm going for the whole "sexy red" theme inside with red neons, led's etc.... The lady's love it.....

BaggeDCav98 (Unquotable One) wrote:it might not also be all the sensors. my temp gauge was acting funny do to the fact the wire going ot the harness connected to the sensor was broke so it could be as easy as a loose harness and a bad sensor. if it is that, then replacing the cluster is just going to result in the same things

true.. diagnosing an electrical problem is always fun isn't it. you never know what could be wrong. but hey, if he's already planning on changing the cluster for asthetic reasons, id try that before trying anything else


You'll never touch God's hand
You'll never taste God's breath
Because you'll never see the second coming
Life's too short to be focused on insanity
I've seen the ways of God
I'll take the devil any day
Hail Satan

(slayer, skeleton christ, 2006)

true it cant hurt if he wants it anyway. i would still check the sensors though because the odds of it bein' the actually cluster are pretty slim

I've had two clusters go bad on my J in the year that I've owned it.

STLWACO wrote:I've had two clusters go bad on my J in the year that I've owned it.

Wow.... That doesn't sound good... Well the cluster is en route. I hope it gets here by at least Wednesday...

Well, got the new cluster in today!! Slapped it in in about 10 minutes... Everything works fine. Readings correct so far... Got in the car to take it for a test drive & noticed THE MILEAGE ISN'T SHOWING!!!! I just disconected the negative cable for about 15 minutes in hopes of resetting everything... Hope it works....

Im actually looking into a Sunfire cluster right now also, but i heard from a chevy dealership that the mileage is stored in the cluster itself, not the bcm. So i was told id have to order a new sunfire cluster and have the factory preset the mileage anyone have any insight on this? Steven keep me updated, good luck

Bruce
red03ecotec

no, its stored in the BCM, trust me, when my cars harness that plugs into the cluster wilggled out once, i drove 100 miles home with it like that before i figured out what was wrong, and when i plugged it back into the cluster, the mielage was updated, and when i swapped the sunfire cluster in, the miles were correct


You'll never touch God's hand
You'll never taste God's breath
Because you'll never see the second coming
Life's too short to be focused on insanity
I've seen the ways of God
I'll take the devil any day
Hail Satan

(slayer, skeleton christ, 2006)

What year sunfire clusters will work in a 03 cav? Steve did you get the mileage to work?

Bruce
red03ecotec

I just noticed the mileage is working but it is VERY dim.... I think the bulb may be blown or something like that. Other than that it works fine. I'm loving the red numbers b/c it compliments my red neons I have under the dash. I wish I knew how to make my HVAC panel light up red but oh well! The mileage (when I can see it) is correct. It IS stored in the BCM. 2000+ clusters will work in a 03 Cav.

actually, heres what the GM performance shop told me is that the milage on the electroinic clusters gets stored on both the BCM, and the cluster, so if you change your computer and have the same cluster, the milage stays original, but if you change your cluster, then the milage will match the BCM saved milage....
This is what the guy told me.... i thought it might be a line of BS, but you never know with GM...



wait for it... wait for it... NOW GO!! ---> '02 LS Sport <---
Yahoo IM : buzz122 AIM : buzz122cav

How I about I was on the way home last night & I hit a bump in the road... All of a sudden the milage just jumped on as bright as day!! I hope it doesn' t jump back off if I hit another bump....

Hey Steven next sscc meet I'll trade hvac front panels with you.
I'll be glad to lose my hvac's red glow.

Hey that'll work!! You must've read my mind b/c I was just thinking about swapping HVAC panels!! I hope you know how to remove it...

hvacs arent hard to take apart. the face pops off and i think thats all we
will really need to swap.

Cool.....

Questions Here!!!!

ok i have a 99 cavalier and would love the sunfire cluster. but ive read that the mileage on cars from 98-99 was stored on the cluster itself. and that youd have to have the cluster reflashed with your mileage. is this correct or can i go buy a new cluster pop it in and still retain my mileage?

this question has been nagging me for a while and also i dont have rpm tach so that would be another great reason for me to buy a new cluster....

any help is appreciated.

im pretty sure the mileage is stored into the 99 cluster.
youd have to have your mileage put into the cluster so
id try to find a used one.