1998 Dodge Caravan Instrument cluster

CARAVAN CARL

MEMBER
1998 DODGE CARAVAN
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
130,000 MILES

Hi 2CarPros,

My instrument cluster(temp, tach, speed, fuel) was having periodic black-outs.
Start the van and they would work for a while and then they would just drop out.
Fuse is good and I have 11.85volts at the fuse block.
I had a Dodge Dakota with "wacky gauges" and located a loose ground in the engine compartment.
My question is: Is there a "ground block" and where would I look for it at?
Also cruise control started accelerating on its own without being turned on and had to remove horn fuse. Horn would blow when I turned steering wheel.
Got LOTS of dirty looks from fellow motorists.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,859 POSTS

Hi Caravan Carl. Welcome to the forum. A common cause of cluster problems is loose connector pins on the back of it. They can be soldered to the copper circuits to eliminate the intermittent connections.

The horn and cruise control have one thing in common. That's the clock spring under the steering wheel. It's a wound up ribbon cable. That cable can break causing things to fail to operate, but once in a while they unravel and the wires can touch each other. That has the same effect as pressing a switch button. Eventually, as the cable continues to come apart, the Air Bag light will come on and the system will be disabled. That system also has a pair of wires going through the clock spring. A new clock spring will solve those problems.

Caradiodoc