1990 digital dash (ipc)

my problem, at only 40k on my 90 riv, is a completely dead digital dash. for the last few days, the digital dash has flashed on and off a few times, sometimes showing red lines throughout the display. today, i could smell electrical buring and a small puff of smoke came out of the dash above the steering wheel, and the digital dash went completely black.

my research has shown this to be a common problem, but most are described as having "00 error" on the dash, but mine is just completely black. does anyone have any experience in having this repaired? i have found two repair possibilities: http://www.mrwhizard.com/Repair%20Pricing.cfm#Start or http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270766655713&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en

does anyone have any experience with either of these, or does anyone have any other sources? what about replacement from another riviera? this seems more risky to me.

what about removal of the digital unit? any help is appreciated.

I have not had any experience with the two possibilities you've mentioned. BUT, if your IPC is totally black it could indicate that the wiring connection behind it is loose or dirty. Remove the few trim torx screws and gently pry off the trim around the IPC. There are more torx screws holding the IPC in place. Remove them and check/clean the electrical connection in back.

Ship wrote:

I have not had any experience with the two possibilities you've mentioned. BUT, if your IPC is totally black it could indicate that the wiring connection behind it is loose or dirty. Remove the few trim torx screws and gently pry off the trim around the IPC. There are more torx screws holding the IPC in place. Remove them and check/clean the electrical connection in back.

I don't have one of these cars so take all the following with at least a grain of salt...

You also may want to look at the IPC circuit board for telltale signs, such as a darkened area around a power plug or resistor. When the display in the '97-later HVAC unit fails it's almost always due to a resistor heating up enough to let the solder connection vibrate apart. When I repaired mine it became apparent why - GM used resistors that were *just at* spec for the current load. Had they spent another $1 or so on the problem resistors the problem would not have happened. However the approach they *did* use would in fact work somewhat beyond the warranty period.

When I rebuilt my HVAC head unit I swapped in higher-rated-power ceramic resistors I'd bought from Digi-Key, of the same values, installed them in place of the wirewound ones originally used.

If you find a "telltale" sign such as a browned (from heat) area near a component on the board, shipping it off to a rebuilder might be necessary.

Good luck...

Would it be possible to 'replace' the unit by installing a HUD speedometer from the later model Ultras?

Andysdorm wrote:

Would it be possible to 'replace' the unit by installing a HUD speedometer from the later model Ultras?

that cluster shows lots more than just ground speed, have you seen one working? I think there's a pic on this site in an old 'for sale' thread. Might want to have a look.

Albertj

It could be fried,they will usually say error ,going black, with a puff could happen, take the screws off and it pulls out.no wires to mess with just the prongs!!!

This happened to my dad's '90 Reatta. Flashing on and off for a few days, then that great burning smell and....nothing but black. We ended up replacing it from a unit on ebay and everything was great until we sold the car 4 years later.

Usually there IS a company or two that takes your old unit as a 'core' and will rebuild and sell it after they send you a new one.

EDIT: And flyineagle is right. The trim off the front pops off, there's a few screws (can't remember how many, it's been like 7 years) and it just pulls out.

well i pulled the unit out-it was very easy. neither of the electrical connectors (male or female) was burnt or black. i could see a small burnt (melted) area behind the cluster, but nothing on the cluster itself.

i hope this repair works! the guy on ebay does send a repaired and upgraded unit and takes the old one as a core.

Should be fine. Sounds almost identical to what happened to us. The couple guys on ebay are pretty trustworthy...just doublecheck their feedback and it shouldn't be a problem. Just waiting for the mail .

ok-i've narrowed it down to two options.

option 1: buy a used unit for $116 with 2 week warranty and 2 week return possibility. i like this option in case i plug it in and it does't work (i could return it for a refund) then maybe it's not the unit but something else in the dash? or maybe the used replacement unit is bad too? i don't like this option because the used unit could fail at any time and i would have to do this all over again. plus i'll never know the mileage of the used unit-not that it seems to matter, mine only had 40k but then again, it's 21 years old.

option 2: buy a repaired/upgraded unit for $150 (with approximately $15 charge for me to ship my old 'core' unit back) 90 day warranty but no returns. i like this option because the upgraded unit is less likely to fail in the future. i don't like this option because of the possibility of the problem not being the unit itself-then i'm out $165 but my problem is not fixed.

any thoughts?

Which of them sells you a unit on which you can reset the mileage to match your actual?

When you install the new unit it reads what that car has for miles and so on!!!

flyineagle96 wrote:

When you install the new unit it reads what that car has for miles and so on!!!

that's what i've found in my research too flyineagle96-thanks.

just because i was already at my buick dealer for another buick, i asked about my dash. they mentioned having to send it in for repair. when i told them about the service i found on ebay for around $150, they immediately stopped checking and said to do it-theirs would be $500 minimum. i guess i'm leaning towards the re-manufactured unit now instead of the used unit.

i already miss driving my riv...

I know many 7th gen Riv owners who had their digitals replaced the way you are about to do it and they have all had success. Go for it!

I have one 50.00

Mileage is kept on the Body Computer Module (BCM) and only displayed on the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC). So whenever the IPC is swapped, the car's correct mileage will be displayed on the replaced IPC.

Front pic back pic works great!!! $75.00!!!

above you said $50-now it's $75??? which is it? thank you.

Andysdorm wrote:

Would it be possible to 'replace' the unit by installing a HUD speedometer from the later model Ultras?

im wondering the same. you think it's at all possible? i wouldnt mind getting rid of the digital display.

RoughNecks17 wrote:

Andysdorm wrote:

Would it be possible to 'replace' the unit by installing a HUD speedometer from the later model Ultras?

im wondering the same. you think it's at all possible? i wouldnt mind getting rid of the digital display.

i also wonder if the analog ipc from the later toronados would plug in directly...

Ship wrote:

Mileage is kept on the Body Computer Module (BCM) and only displayed on the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC). So whenever the IPC is swapped, the car's correct mileage will be displayed on the replaced IPC.

Thanks!

(I shoulda kept quiet)

Albertj

Albertj,
With you having a merit of 93, I certainly would trust your car knowledge/experience! But, in this case I happen to own a 92 and owned and sold another 92 awhile back. So, I have on hand the FSM's and Parts Catalogs from this era Riv.

Ship wrote:

Albertj,
With you having a merit of 93, I certainly would trust your car knowledge/experience! But, in this case I happen to own a 92 and owned and sold another 92 awhile back. So, I have on hand the FSM's and Parts Catalogs from this era Riv.

2 alj!!! LOL p.s The price is goin up each day,i don't liked gettin played with only when she good lookin

so i received and installed my rebuilt ipc yesterday-it works great...BUT...now my climate control and radio lights don't work (when the headlights are on)??? any ideas anyone??? i guess i'm going to have to pull it out again and look at things, but just wondering if anyone had any thoughts...thanks.