Info Center backlighting, but with no information

MartinP · Post by **MartinP** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:10 pm

Hi everybody!

I know this kind of problems are getting old, but I really can't seem to figure it out. I've searched the forum and the only thing I found that was related to my problem was the earth connector next to the alternator, which I've already checked.
Basically, what happened was that my info center stopped working about 1,5 weeks ago. Just like that. I stopped the car at a car lot and when I turned the engine back on, it went dead and it's been like that ever since.
I need your help guys. What could it be? And yes, I've checked all the cables at the back of the dashboard.

Thanks in advance!

MartinP

Bramdeman · Post by **Bramdeman** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:06 pm

first things first, have you checked the fuse? it shouldbe the same one as for the cigarette lighter

MartinP · Post by **MartinP** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 1:39 am

Yeah, I thought of that too a couple of hours ago so I checked them all and they're fine. Besides, a fuse would mean that the lights on the info center would go out aswell, which isn't the case here.

MartinP · Post by **MartinP** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:17 pm

Ok, I think I just figured it out.

I was reading the "instrument panel" thread here on the forum and saw that bad solderings behind the switch could cause the problem when I realized that I had been taking the switch in and out a couple of times during these past weeks so I went to look at it and sure, one cable was loose! I bent them a little bit and another two went off!

I sure hope that this is it..I'll post back in a few hours when I've resoldered it and plugged it back in.

MartinP · Post by **MartinP** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:57 pm

....

Guess what? I resoldered all the spots, but it didn't make any difference. I unplugged the switch completely, but the info center was still dead. What could it be? Could the ICU have crapped out? I've already changed the ICU once a couple of months ago, but back then only some of the options didn't work. Now, it seems as if it's something else.

MartinP · Post by **MartinP** » Fri Jan 05, 2007 11:59 pm

Fixed it

! Actually, it fixed itself. Turned out to be the main Info Center cable (at the back of the dashboard, in my case the yellow one). There was a play in it which caused to not connect at all, meaning that I could disconnect it and I'd still get the same result. Well, I was ready to give up so I went to my 480 to mount the dashboard in it's place. Plugged in the cables and voilÃ¡! Imagine my suprise when it worked.. Oh, well that's how it goes sometimes. freakin' Volvo electronics..
Glad that one's over though.

Cheers,

MartinP

muddyfox470 · Post by **muddyfox470** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 10:24 am

MartinP wrote:Fixed it ! Actually, it fixed itself. Turned out to be the main Info Center cable (at the back of the dashboard, in my case the yellow one). There was a play in it which caused to not connect at all, meaning that I could disconnect it and I'd still get the same result. Well, I was ready to give up so I went to my 480 to mount the dashboard in it's place. Plugged in the cables and voilÃ¡! Imagine my suprise when it worked.. Oh, well that's how it goes sometimes. freakin' Volvo electronics..
Glad that one's over though.

Cheers,

MartinP

Martin could you please describe to me where abouts this yellow wire is? Pretty detailed for me please

As my problems seem to be exactly the same as yours.

How much do you need to take out of the dashboard, and whereabouts is this wire located?

Thanks in anticipation

Ian

MartinP · Post by **MartinP** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:30 pm

You can't miss it. There are two main cables attached to the dashboard at the back (they are thick compared to the other ones). One's blue and the other one's yellow (if your ES is a -87). The yellow one is the one that I unplugged and replugged.

Does that sound clear enough for you?

muddyfox470 · Post by **muddyfox470** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:33 pm

Yes, sorry I thought there might have been a smaller one that you were tlking about that may have been lost down the back.

Both the large masses of wires go into the back of my infocentre... i dont know whats wrong

Ian

MartinP · Post by **MartinP** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:45 pm

Have you tried wiggling the cables to see if that helps any? How about hitting the dashboard with something like a screwdriver in different spots to see if that triggers anything?

muddyfox470 · Post by **muddyfox470** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:48 pm

ill have a try but it is really awkward as those cables dont have much give in them, they dont go too far form the main loom.

ill try some hitting and taking apart tomorrow. i found it really awkward getting the console/unit out which I thought was weird, but the foam stuff didn't help.

Cheers

Ian

muddyfox470 · Post by **muddyfox470** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:43 am

Sorry for bringing this up again, I am going to try a different unit in to see if that fixes the problem.

But anyway I was looking at Suddy's pictures and noticed this one here:

What does the warning light to the left of the windscreen wiper fluid one mean? As mine shows up most the time, but other times it doesn't show up at all. Looked in the manual and it mentions the bulb or something.

Any ideas, or is this another electrical quirk? lol

Ian

1900sr · Post by **1900sr** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 12:07 pm

That's the brakelight bulb warning light. It's supposed (on later cars at least) to come on with the ignition, and go out when you first press the brakes. I think it's quite common for it to come on randomly, I suspect the cure is to find the dry joint and resolder it, the bodge is to remove the bulb!

I've just checked, and on earlier cars it operates the same way, but also warns of dipped beam, day running light and taillight failure as well as brake lights.

muddyfox470 · Post by **muddyfox470** » Mon Apr 09, 2007 12:30 pm

Awesome well I'll leave that one.

Anyway took out the dash console and managed to find a t10 for the drill and took it apart, and looked at the PCB for the info centre (I think) and everything looked absolutely fine!

However i did see this (on the otherside of where the grey info ribbon connects):
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g17/m ... 7_13-1.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g17/m ... -07_13.jpg

The 'gunk' crosses the solder, however I think it is just non-conductie gunk, but could I be wrong and could this be causing shorts? SOrry for poor picture quality, it is still on my mobile

I'm amazed at how many of the bulbs have gone on the back of my unit. Anyway I'm having a donor dash console being sent to me, so I'm going to try swap some parts (and bulbs to see what happens)...

Is there anything much of interest underneath the brown layer, i.e. ive only got to the info centre PCB at the moment and don't really want to undo everything for no reason, I undid all the torx screws but it must have been held down by the screws as well in the centre, so i just did them all back up again

Any ideas?

Cheers

Ian