Guages fluctuating 1992 3.8l se
#11
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it is a pontiac dealer and your right, this cluster controls everything on the entire dash. they said they had to reprogram the mileage in and all that carp. probably to prepare me for the labor bill.
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Originally Posted by Nytro67
Alan, would getting a new one do any good? I am going into the shop tommorow to get a new one for $356.00! IS the design better or am i going to get the same thing?
acg_ssei
Good article! The only thing I would add is that you can use a 7mm socket too instead of that Torx driver. I've got my time to R&I down to less than 10mins now!
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I wouldnt doubt it if it just needed cleaned and reseated. Unfortunately my tranny took did a belly flop pulling into my driveway last night so i had to have it towed to the dealership this morning! (i originally had the appointment today to get the cluster replaced so theres no backing out now). When it rains it pours! Now that $356 is a drop in the bucket compared to what I'm getting myself into now (4T60-E HD Performance transaxle from ASG) If my tranny IS completey roached. Which, when you look at it, really isnt a bad thing at all! ALthough my wife would diasagree. LOL
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One thing to check before you take her out of the hands of the garage after the cluster replacement..........make sure your rpm still registers the same at idle. Check it before you take her in. I replaced mine many years ago and my rpm showed about 200 rpm higher after the replacement. I just learned to live with it.
If you were to do it yourself you can get a reman cluster w/ trade for about $110. That is here in Ohio anyway.
If you were to do it yourself you can get a reman cluster w/ trade for about $110. That is here in Ohio anyway.
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I lived with my heat gauge at 280+ for almost 2 years! and the boost just goes crazy when ever it wants. idle RPMs were 900, i'll give 'er an eyeball after thier done, thanks... they got a week to get it right now!
#16
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Originally Posted by Nytro67
I wouldnt doubt it if it just needed cleaned and reseated. Unfortunately my tranny took did a belly flop pulling into my driveway last night so i had to have it towed to the dealership this morning!
Well, keep us informed about how it goes, and remember to get the old cluster returned to you. The consensus here is that there'* probably nothing wrong with it that a little reassembly won't cure, and thus you can recoup a small amount of your investment by maybe reselling it on eBay. After all, the people bidding on it will be familiar with it already; they'll know what it'* worth and what it needs.
(I have gauge clusters from a 1950 Pontiac and a 1977 Firebird in storage. The 1950 cluster is a gorgeous chrome thing that I had as a decoration over a fireplace for many years. The Firebird cluster is way too big for that, but one of these days I'm going to mount it on a nice walnut base and run a power supply to the clock and the backlighting so I can use it here in the office... )
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I'll give them a call today to make sure they dont throw it out. Its just sitting there til my tranny comes in, so im not sure which day they are going to replace it or if they done it already.
that firebird cluster would be an awesome conversation piece! i cant even picture what a 1950 cluster would look like, im sure very kewl.
that firebird cluster would be an awesome conversation piece! i cant even picture what a 1950 cluster would look like, im sure very kewl.
#18
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Originally Posted by Nytro67
I'll give them a call today to make sure they dont throw it out.
Originally Posted by Nytro67
It'* just sitting there til my tranny comes in, so im not sure which day they are going to replace it or if they done it already.
Funny you should mention the trans: When I was deciding whether to buy my '93 SSEi with 58K on it, the first thing I noticed was that it had a factory-rebuilt trans in it. Finally decided not to worry about that, and it has in fact been problem-free ever since.
Originally Posted by Nytro67
that firebird cluster would be an awesome conversation piece!
Originally Posted by Nytro67
I cant even picture what a 1950 cluster would look like, im sure very kewl.
-- Andy
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OMG!! I called the dealer and is a $1200 core charge? Is that inhuman or what? I've never heard of a core charge that was 1000% more then the actual part. Its only costing 360 for the part AND labor! (and thats mostly labor! I need to talk to DeathRat and see if there is any truth to that core charge. I just wnat proof that i got a new one and they just didnt clean the dust bunnies out and button it back up.
#20
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Originally Posted by Nytro67
OMG!! I called the dealer and is a $1200 core charge? Is that inhuman or what? I've never heard of a core charge that was 1000% more then the actual part. Its only costing 360 for the part AND labor! (and thats mostly labor! I need to talk to DeathRat and see if there is any truth to that core charge. I just wnat proof that i got a new one and they just didnt clean the dust bunnies out and button it back up.
I think you might want to forget about the gauges anyway until you get your transmission sorted out. Does the phrase "rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic" mean anything to you?
Once you get yourself back on the road, you can take the time and do the gauge thing yourself. We can step you through it, and the worst that could happen is that it doesn't fix the problem, but (1) I think that'* pretty unlikely, and (2) at least then you'll be paying a chunk of change to the dealer later on without agonizing over whether you really needed to or not.