Hey everyone, I've done some searching on this subject but mine seems to be a little different. I've had my G for a few weeks now and love it. When I test drove it I noticed the area around the 6 on the tach was dark. Then after I bought it, it was back on. Originally I figured it was bulb but it randomly goes off and on and now the 4 and 5 do it too, randomly. Could this be an electrical issue? Maybe like some plug that isn't completely fastened? I've been thinking of getting a grounding kit anyway so also wondering if that might help any. Thanks guys.

 

Possibly but it's more likely that the entire gauge cluster is starting to fail. The PCB only lasts so long before components start to degrade or detatch.

 

Whats the PCB? Granted the car is 10 years old but only has 78k. I would hope that isnt enough for the gauge cluster to fail. If the only fix is taking the dash apart for a cluster swap then im willing to live with it lol

 

Printed Circuit Board. Mileage doesn't really matter because it's the expansion/contraction of the solder and adhesive on the board that usually fails and that's related to how many seasons it's gone through.

 

Well shoot. Oh well, I'll just live with it then and if the grounding kit works some magic then all the better. Thanks for the help.

 

The grounding kit should be a required install because it corrects and helps alleviate so many.problems that could pop up in the future so it's not like you're wasting money or anything

 

 

Basically ANY vehicle that uses the chassis as the main bonding point between core systems like the G does can benefit greatly in the long term by installing actual bonding jumpers back to the battery. On these sophisticated computer systems all it takes is a LITTLE electrical resistance to cause things to either malfunction or to work inefficiently. Open the battery compartment sometime and look at the negative battery wire, it's about 12" long and just attaches to the chassis right next to the battery, every other system basically does the same thing, engine control bonds below the coolant reservoir, ECU/BCM control bonds behind the air conditioner controller. Most grounding kits don't include an ECU bonding wire but if you ever have to take the dash apart I HIGHLY recommend adding one, you can easily route a wire from the negative battery terminal into the cabin by going right through the side of the plastic housing where the cabin air filter is located.

10+ years of weather and electrical system corrosion causes everything to run a little worse than it should, engine sensors send a slightly different signal, engine controls sends a slightly different signal, transmission controls sends a slightly different signal, and so on. Reduced economy, poor shifting, reduced power output, eventually leading to possible system damage because things aren't operating optimally.

When you install the grounding kit use a wire brush (or dremel with a wire brush if you're lazy like me) to clean the existing wire terminal, the mating surface, the threads and shoulder of the bolt or fastener, and the NEW WIRE till everything is shiny metal. Next apply a very light coating of electrical anti-oxidation grease like Ilsco DE-OX to ALL those components including the bolt threads and fasten everything back together. DE-OX lasts for decades and does an excellent job preventing corrosion in nearly all situations. Any electrical supply house will have DE-OX.

Be aware that anti-oxidation grease like DE-OX is NOT the same as dielectric grease, in fact they are the EXACT OPPOSITE. De-ox is electrically conductive, dielectric grease is electrically insulating, basically the de-ox is like liquid solder where the dielectric completely BLOCKS the transfer of electricity. Both are used in automotive use but for different reasons, De-ox is applied directly to an electrical connection like your battery terminals, be very careful however using it on multi-pin wire harnesses because if you just slather it on you will conduct electricity from one pin to the next and can short out systems. Dielectric is used after a connection is made as a surface protectant (usually for highly corrosive or salt water spray applications) and you can just paint on as much as you need because the electrical connection is already made and you are just protecting the surface of it.

Auto parts houses usually have both available and almost NEVER know which is actually used for which. I've seen dielectric used for the wrong application for as long as I've been working on cars. A very small packet of anti-oxidation grease is all you need, sometimes your local auto parts house will have a small packet available.

 

 

 

I don't really have any recommendation on which kit to buy, I've never used vendor-made ones because I'm an electrician and just make my own stuff like that. I can't be of any help about the headlights either unfortunately but if you make another post about that issue I'm sure you'll get some responses, there are some folks that work with the headlights regularly here that are active.