Dash light issue

[miah66]

Hello friends,

I've had a dashlight problem for several years now and it's kind of frustrating. It started when the lights on the speedometer side of the dash would go out occasionally. Then it just stopped coming on altogether. Every blue moon, I'll be driving, sometimes for hours on end, when suddenly they speedometer will light up again for no real apparent reason, then it will be off next time I turn on the lights. What could be causing this? I thought it was the bulb, but it wouldnt come back on if that was the case. How can I go about tracing this problem down, and fixing it?

[Hawairish]

Had a similar problem on my Frontier...cause was the thin film circuit board on the gauge cluster. It was developing tiny hairline cracks on some of the copper circuits near the wiring harnesses. I replaced the circuit board with a new one and stopped having the problem.

[miah66]

Interesting. How did you identify the circuit board? Where can you get a new one?

[Hawairish]

It was a bit easier in my Frontier (98)...there was only one circuit board available I think. But, it was maybe 10+ years ago, and I pulled the part number from microfiche I have for the truck. Talk about antiquated...

It's a bit more complicated on a Pathfinder though. They had several flavors of gauge clusters depending on the transmission, drivetrain, 4wd system, and year of course. And I think some had a circuit film (like what I had on the Frontier) while others had true circuit board.

It's plausible that the clusters are plug-n-play despite the differences, but then to complicate things even further, if you bought a replacement gauge cluster, the vehicle's mileage is stored on the cluster, so you couldn't legally swap in a cluster with less miles.

If you have some downtime, there are plenty of shops that can service the cluster if you send it in; some list on eBay for flat-rate services. But, if you have the inclination, you could always pull the cluster and do a sanity check on the harnesses, bulbs, and what not. If you have the circuit board and not film, then you'd likely not have the problem I had on my Frontier, and maybe something's just loose.

[miah66]

Yea. Thanks for the response. There are lots and lots of Internet posts of people with similar problems, yet I haven't found a common or suitable solution on any of them. Most of the threads go unanswered

[Hawairish]

Troubleshooting these sorts of gremlins usually get generic or few responses, as you've noticed. It could just be a few things. I knew mine was some sort of loose/bad connection because when the cluster would go dark, and good smack on the dash would kick it back on.

If you've got a Phillips screwdriver, and a few minutes, that's all it takes to pull the gauge cluster out and inspect it. Perhaps a bulb just needs a little twist.