instrument cluster gone blank - but it's working?

Hello all.
Range Rover. 2004. L322. 4.4 V8 (yes, sounds amazing and lovely to drive).

Have decided to give her TLC. Diamond cut the wheels, Install DVD player in roof, a nicer front grill and possibly a pool...

Upfront, the instrument cluster had a broken LCD screen. I could just about work out the range of miles left on a tank and my average speed and all the good info I want at the touch of a switch. But it was a case of squinting my eyes and working out from other characters the remaining fuel... things should work. and I think and easy fix.

I bought a new cluster. ebay. and checked the correct serial number before ordering. Taken the dash apart, dropped in the new cluster and then took to local 4x4 garage to get calibrated/reset as the cluster ran with most of the lights on and my air suspension wasn't active. Figured things needed to be 'told' they were now connected.

Have picked up the car. Runs perfectly as usual. Dash back on. Cluster lights all off... but so is the LCD band where I'd see 'range of miles to go' info etc. also the temp gauge says -40. I know it's been cold, but it's not that cold! Garage said they'd reset things and found the temp gauge was bust and I needed a new one as the reading (-40). but that wasn't' the case on the old cluster as it was working fine before and I don't believe the gauge breaks co-incidentally.

Pressing the "i" button on the steering stalk doesn't give me any changes.

I wondered if the "i" button had a fuse of it's own and figured fuse 8 and 49 (on board computer) would be worth a check. I checked. all okay.

The joy of YouTube allowed me to find the 'cluster test'. I pressed the buttons in the right order and I can see the cluster dials move all over a few times and ALL the lights and ALL the LCD screen has power. I can see each cell of the LCD screen go black/grey. Therefore the LCD ribbon is good and connected and power is available when needed; great.


I also noticed on the YouTube videos that these cluster demos also help temp at -40...

so...
1. Have I missed the obvious? A simple press of a switch or a 'take the battery off'? something that gets things going?
2. Is the reset process not complete? if so can I finish it?
3. is -40 and indication that the LCD screen and cluster not quite completed in its calibration?
4. Anything else?

I'm happy to go back to the garage ad say "hey, c'mon? this is essentially worse than the status quo I started with", but again, more time and money and I like the idea of fixing things on my drive.

Over to you.

Thanks. sorry for the long post, I hadn't time for a short one.

Andy
Berkshire.
Not posh.

p.s.
2002, not a 2004 - my bad.
and the cluster is YAC501220PVA

If the original cluster just had a bad lcd display then that is a a fairly easy fix that some have done themselves but i removed my cluster and sent it off and for £100 they were fixed. The instrument cluster is matched to your vehicle i believe as an anti theft or anti mileage tamper device but that is not to say they can't be changed but i think you will have a dot showing in the display to say the mileage isn't original or something like that and also has to be matched to your vehicle i think..
The new cluster may be faulty and diagnostics may tell you that but if it was me i would have the original cluster repaired and replace it myself.

this is who did mine
https://cartronix.co.uk/product/ran...luster-panel-failing-speedometer-repair-l322/

Hello Holiday Chicken,

Many thanks for the reply; I appreciate it. Glad I also kept the original cluster (along with all spares). £100.00 is fair enough and I can send it away at my leisure... So I take off the dash (again) and drop the old one back in...will it need to be calibrated again? anyone?

The IKE (instrument Pack) acts as a gateway node for a lot of the car databuses and connects to the diagnostic interface.

The car stores mileage in separate ECU's and they all have to match. the LCM is one of them and so is the IKE. If you change out the IKE you need to read the vehicle information from the original, and then using the T4 Testbook system write this information to the 'new' IKE, else some functions may not be present and the tamper dot may show - this is a small dot in the trip mileage display that shows the mileage may not be correct as the IKE, LCM and other ECU's don't share the same mileage information.

Does the replacement message centre lamps work? if not, the LCD needs to be back lit to make it easier to read, but you should be able to read it in daylight!

I may suggest, that the replacement is not working or the system has become confused and the trip computer function has been switched off....does the message centre tell you other information? Such as lights left on, or you are moving the car with a door open? if it does then the message centre display actually works.....and it is the trip function has been deleted....if it doesn't even tell you that, then I would be looking at ensuring the garage who fitted it have indeed coded it correctly as a replacement, or the unit is not working and as such a refund should be sought.

Wow! thanks, Saint V8

I've taken this reply and had another look.
Yes, there is a dot in the trip mileage. It's before the actual trip reading; a slightly bigger full stop than a decimal "." in "8.5"

The car has also miraculously lost 6000 miles on its odometer.

I drove up the road with the tailgate loose and opened the drivers door and no alarm 'gong' or warning came up on the LCD screen message centre.
depending if lights are off or on and/or in P or D, the lcd screen message centre lights up or not.

so, a phone call on Monday to the garage... ggggrrrrr..

been thinking about this... (of all the things I could be thinking of). A question to @Saint.V8 really...

If the old instrument pack (IKE) was fixed - i.e. I sent it away for the ribbon to be fixed - then I dropped it back in, would the car go "hey, I recognise you, you match my codes" and then it all work okay?

Warning message does come up. If I raise her to off road and then drive at 30mph, I get the warning about off-road speed. Nice and clearly so the screen is okay; its a sure fire coding issue.

awaiting your learn'ed reply.


Andy

Putting the original IKE back in should indeed remove the tamper dot and the ECUs will all recognise themselves.

If the mileage has gone up while the original IKE has been out, when you put it back it should read the correct mileage from one of the other ECUs and correct itself.

thanks, @Saint.V8 I now have a plan...

Ring garage and suggest it's not properly synched. I've a good relationship with them, so i'll lean in...
if that fails, I'll parcel off the old cluster to cartronix (thanks @holidaychicken ) get it fixed for £100 and drop it back in my car.
i'll then ebay the cluster I bought as a replacement for a few quid less than I bought it for, then go down the pub with the money and raise a glass to a learning experience.

Andy

Hopefully all goes well, let us know how you get on

Andy Reid said:

Wow! thanks, Saint V8

I've taken this reply and had another look.
Yes, there is a dot in the trip mileage. It's before the actual trip reading; a slightly bigger full stop than a decimal "." in "8.5"

.....................

Click to expand...

A photo of this unusual dot will help.

kapilamuni said:

A photo of this unusual dot will help.

Click to expand...

.

I think this is the same

kapilamuni said:

A photo of this unusual dot will help.

Click to expand...

From the BMW version of the IKE....



Copyright of image is as watermorked...

Thanks.

@Saint.V8 @holidaychicken @kapilamuni

Hi guys.
THE AMAZING cartronix. thanks HolidayChicken. I sent the cluster off Monday, they rang me Tuesday at lunch to say it was fixed and I got it back today. brilliant. £100.00

I've taken apart the dash (again) and dropped back the cluster. Everything back to normal. no dot, the correct mileage and 13degrees and not -40 (which I so, KNEW wasn't a broken temp gauge).

the LCD message centre scrolls through perfectly and for the first time, I can actually see the info about mileage, range etc.

so I assume all ECU's are shaking hands again.

The only thing that came up was AIR SUSPENSION INACTIVE.

"ah I thought. take off battery, leave for a moment and then reconnect and turn the steering from lock to lock to clear" but no joy.

any ideas?

Andy

Andy Reid said:

@Saint.V8 @holidaychicken @kapilamuni

Hi guys.
THE AMAZING cartronix. thanks HolidayChicken. I sent the cluster off Monday, they rang me Tuesday at lunch to say it was fixed and I got it back today. brilliant. £100.00

I've taken apart the dash (again) and dropped back the cluster. Everything back to normal. no dot, the correct mileage and 13degrees and not -40 (which I so, KNEW wasn't a broken temp gauge).

the LCD message centre scrolls through perfectly and for the first time, I can actually see the info about mileage, range etc.

so I assume all ECU's are shaking hands again.

The only thing that came up was AIR SUSPENSION INACTIVE.

"ah I thought. take off battery, leave for a moment and then reconnect and turn the steering from lock to lock to clear" but no joy.

any ideas?

Andy

Click to expand...

buy a p38.

Ha, buy a P38 as you will have so many other problems that the suspension not working would be the least of your worries!!!

Do you have any lights on the height control switch for the suspension ?

Had a P38. God I miss that car it was awesome...

Anyhow. Yes. I had lights. I had the one 'on' in the centre of the button itself and one 'on' to the left of the rotating dial. It's recently had a new air pump fitted (last month) and was working super well until 'clustergate'.