Heads up display

[bonnieandclyde]

i know this is a newbie question, but i am still learning about my car. 03 bonneville SSEi. i see the controls on the left side of the steering wheel for it, but i push the button in and i adjust it up and down button and i don't see it in the windshield. does it mean i dont have this option or is something else wrong like a fuse or something? if its the fuse, where is it located. thanks

[mthedude]

if it's in the daylight even with the brightness all the way up it's almost impossible to see...of course if it's dark out and you can't see, make sure the brightness is all the way up...if you can't see it then, it's probably not working.

[bonnieandclyde]

well i can't see it at night. could it be something else thats wrong with it?

[bonnieandclyde]

is there a fuse for the HID or a bulb that i might need to change out for it to get it to work.
any suggestions?

[Archon]

During the day, or with a flashlight, stand outside and look down into the HUD while someone pushes the up and down buttons for the display. Can you see the mirror move?

When it is dark, again while outside the car, look down into the HUD and see if you can see any lighting. If so, does it change with the dimmer control?

There are 2 fuses that supply power to the unit and control. IGN3 (fuse 34) and IP (fuse 30), both in the rear fuse block.

[bonnieandclyde]

ok i will check the fuses and let ya know what i found. thanks

[bonnieandclyde]

well i checked the fuses, they are good. i looked down into the HID and i pressed the up and down button for it and it is working. just can't get it to display. just puzzled at this point. i assume that maybe theres a bulb out? not sure.

[Archon]

What did you see working? The mirror, the lighting or both? It's a fluorescent display, so it won't have separate lighting.

[01bonneSC]

Is the brightness knob turned all the way up?

[bonnieandclyde]

i saw the mirror move and the brightness was turned all the way up.

[Archon]

Can you see any light in there?

[bonnieandclyde]

nope. dont see any light

[Archon]

Then is sounds as if the HUD unit, or the associated wiring is defective.

[bonnieandclyde]

i am assuming it is the unit because the mirror works and moves probably just the unit. i saw one on ebay i might just get.

[bonnieandclyde]

is there anywhere on the site to uninstall the HUD unit?
thanks

[Archon]

I'm not aware of one. I think you'll have to remove the dash bezel, the covers on the A pillars, the defrost grill and then the dash pad.

If you are going to do serious work on your car, a factory service manual or a subscription to something like All Data, where you can get step by step information is the way to go.

[bonnieandclyde]

Thanks, i will do that. yeah i guess i will have to replace the unit then.

[bc21]

I have taken my dash board apart several times. The one problem that I have learned that happens is the wire connector on the back of the HUD control will not be plugged in all the way. It will cause the same issue that you are experiencing. I will use a small flat head screw driver to pryoff the 4" face plate off where the hud controls are next to the steering wheel. I will unplug it and plug it back in. Let me know if that the fix. If you decide to replace it. I can walk you through where all the screws are to remove the dash to get to it.

[00Beast]

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=318

That is going to be extremely similar, if not identical to how your dash will come off.

[bc21]

@ 00beast thanks thats a great write up. It would take a long time to type that all up w/o pics.

I have had a very similar issue for years with mine, where you can see it good at night but very faded during the day. It is stuck in night mode. Such as the light sensor that detects day or night is not working. If i shine a bright flashlight down in there it will brighten up. Now it has been about 2 years since I have pulled the HUD out to check it and i believe that the light sensor is built in to the entire circuit board of the HUD. The last time I took the dash board apart I turned the car on before putting the dash back together, so the thin clear plastic lens that is in attached to the dashboard was not covering the HUD. It worked fine. So I figured it was the clear plastic was dirty but that did not clear things up.(I only put this in so you know what I have done so far)

My next step is to install a small little LED directly over top of the sensor itself with black electrical tape so it does not show up in the image. I was going to connect it up to the lighting system of the car such as the day time running lights so it would be on during the day and off at night. At least it would be functioning at 100% again.


Do you know if there is a fix, or has anyone had this issue before.
I thought maybe this was a common issue since it is happening in both of my bonneville.