1994 SSEi gauge problems

[Hoganct]

The gauges power up when starting the car but when running they freeze, the driver info screen and compass go blank.
The speedometer and tachometer continue to work. I have gone through batteries and radios in the car over the years too.

I have read posting on pulling the instrument panel and checking the plug and to check the ground bus by the driver rocker panel. I pulled the rug back and saw the wiring harness that runs along the rocker. I did not see the ground bus with back wires? Does the 1994 SSEi have one? Where will I find it? What does it look like it?

[J Wikoff]

The buss is usually bound in tape to the rest of the harness. It just looks like a kinda rectangular bulge.

[Hoganct]

I reviewed the manuals and found the four main grounds, one on the fender by the battery to the engine block and the three to the engine block, I found one these was attached to the aluminum coil pack bracket that I moved and the two interior grounds under the kick panels. After I moved the one from the coil pack the compass, info center, and odometer will stay on now but the oil pressure, water temp, and boost gauge still ping when the car is running. When I pulled the rug back by the rocker panel I did see the rectangular bulge but it seemed to be a sheet metal guard that was taped around the harness and was not attached to the chassis.

So I need to remove the tape from this bulge to find the ground buss?
I sounds easier that pulling the instrument panel to check the plugs which was next on my list.

[J Wikoff]

Yeah, the grounds attach to that buss bar under the tape that is grounded elsewhere.

[Hoganct]

I pulled the carpet back again from the drivers side rocker.
There is a large bundle of wires running along it, about at the midway point past he drivers seat there is a larger plastic guard that is attached to the floor the bundle or harness passes through it and it is wrapped in tape. I removed the tape from the large bundle but I still do not see and ground buss. These wires continue on to the power seats. Does this ground buss show up on the wiring diagrams? I have the factory shop manuals.

[J Wikoff]

If I remember right, it's a bit further forward, closer to the bottom of the a-pillar. It's not attached to the floor at all. It's skinny, rectangular, black plastic inside the tape. In the plastic is a "blade" with several terminals on it and black wires attached.

[willwren]

Perfect description, John. Both sides.

[Hoganct]

I found the ground bus it doesn't to bad.

[Mechanical Mike]

You need to remove the metal bar from the bus & clean both the male & female terminals. What's with the orange & white wires?

[Hoganct]

It did remove the terminals and clean the metal bar.
I think the white wire is for an after market alarm system that was installed in the car.
I found the broken orange wire where the white white wire was connected next to the ground bus.
I fixed the broken wire and assembled the cleaned ground bus but the gauges still jump all over?

[Mechanical Mike]

Did you check the bus on both sides of the car?

[jonnevilleSSEi]

Nice photos of the Buss, I'd love to know how this ends up. My '97 has similar wackiness in the compass and info panels whereby they seem to blink on and off. It appears thus far to be worse in warmth. Normally they are perfect, a couple of times I've had them fade on and off while driving and recently they didn't illuminate for a minute as the car was running a couple of minutes and then they were fine. Suggests to me it's probably a matter of time or the wrong conditions where they won't illuminate at all so I'll be checking back to see if you determine what fixes it. Good luck.

[PossessedPower]

My gauges did to same thing, i replaced the gauges everything works fine now.
Your compass and DIC might not come on cause your headlight switch might be messed up?

[Hoganct]

I didn't know there was a second buss on the passenger side!
I will check it out, I did replace the head light switch early in my quest hoping that it would resolve the problem but no luck, I have also change the steering column. I am starting to wonder if it could the wires going fuel pump. I had it changes a few years back? When I start the car it sounds like there is a resistor switching on and off causing the gauges to bounce all over?

[PossessedPower]

I didn't know there was a second buss on the passenger side!
I will check it out, I did replace the head light switch early in my quest hoping that it would resolve the problem but no luck, I have also change the steering column. I am starting to wonder if it could the wires going fuel pump. I had it changes a few years back? When I start the car it sounds like there is a resistor switching on and off causing the gauges to bounce all over?

Go to the junk yard and get a different gauge cluster.

[willwren]

Check that other side before getting a new cluster. And for what it's worth, that grounding bar is among the worst I've ever seen.

[Hoganct]

I didn't know there was a second buss on the passenger side!
I will check it out, I did replace the head light switch early in my quest hoping that it would resolve the problem but no luck, I have also change the steering column. I am starting to wonder if it could the wires going fuel pump. I had it changes a few years back? When I start the car it sounds like there is a resistor switching on and off causing the gauges to bounce all over?

Go to the junk yard and get a different gauge cluster.

I have been looking but have had no luck finding a 1994 SSEi dash with HUD

[PossessedPower]

I didn't know there was a second buss on the passenger side!
I will check it out, I did replace the head light switch early in my quest hoping that it would resolve the problem but no luck, I have also change the steering column. I am starting to wonder if it could the wires going fuel pump. I had it changes a few years back? When I start the car it sounds like there is a resistor switching on and off causing the gauges to bounce all over?

Go to the junk yard and get a different gauge cluster.

I have been looking but have had no luck finding a 1994 SSEi dash with HUD

There are two gauge clusters at the bone yard here, not sure if they work.

[jonnevilleSSEi]

My concern on a used gauge cluster is not knowing if it works until it's installed. *May* be worth a shot but could be an exercise in futility. I know in my case the misbehavior is infrequent and insignificant enough I'm not going to risk spending time and money and making it worse. Mine currently appears to worsen from lack of use. I was out of town for 3 weeks and it started getting bad and has since improved a lot. Not sure what that means except "sigh" I don't drive a new vehicle under warranty.

My guess is gauge cluster or the connection between the cluster and the vehicle.

[jonnevilleSSEi]

Mine is becoming worse. Only issues I'm having are the DIC and Compass flashing on and off and fading in and out. Can't tell wether it's time or the humid warmer weather but the DIC and Compass are both becoming flakier. Otherwise the cluster seems fine. Normally once I've driven a bit the issue self remedies but not always. It's fine "most" of the time. My guesses are that most likely it's a loose connection within the cluster. A soldered point that will be nearly impossible to get to. My next guess is that it's simply a connection wire that will be relatively easy to get to. Beyond that suggestions I've seen include cleaning the Buss (are those grounding points?) and someone on the outside suggested as alternators age they can do flaky things like that. I'd prefer to not need to replace the cluster so I'm guessing I'll remove it and verify the wire connections as the first step.

It appears that once the main dashboard valance is removed that I'll need a "star tip" driver to remove the cluster. Am I correct? What size/spec drivers are needed to remove that? Is there more to it than that? Any surprises I can prepare for? Special removal techniques that might help? Other tools I should bring to the game? If anyone else has resolved a similar issue please share some notes.

@Hoganct: Did you get yours resolved or where are you with it? TIA.