Ok...its an 85 Berlinetta, and the digital dash doesnt work...i went out and bought a Chilton book, and went through all the steps, fuses, relay box...took the dash off and followed the wires....everything seems fine....so what could it be?? ....my friend suggested there might be a Chip that needs replaced, cause the Speedometer, gas gauge...etc doenst work....any suggestions ?? thanks greatly.....Cathy

Cathy,

Are you using a any kind of meter or tester to verify your circuits and continuity? A visual check by itself will not do it. You need to locate the main power feed to the dash and proceed from there... By the way, do any other keyed accessories such the radio work when the key is turned on? If not, then start there. If other keyed accessories are working, then you must determine where the dash receives it's power from...also check for a possible ground interrupt.

No i didnt use a tester of any sort....but the radio and most other things work except whats in the dash part....but is there a chip or something?? Thanks Cathy

With a tester, you can definitely tell whether a circuit isdead or alive, and you can test continuity....tell whether or not a circuit or wire is conducting ...I am not aware of a chip...if you can read a schematic, if it's included in your book, you should be able to identify where current flows to your dash and the multi-tester will let you verify that. when multiple things go out at once, it is usually a fuse or relay ( can also be broken wire ) ... sometime you have to pull the fuse to be sure... Anyway, Sears has a multimeter on sale for about $32 ... It is a good investment and a safe way to test electrical circuits. Even if I could point you to a chip, you need to be able to test it... other than fuses, it is hard to visually diagnose electrical failure unless it is an obvious break or it is smoking http://www.camaros.net/forum/smile.gif. The tester can save you from making electical snafu's...

I have found the biggest problem in digital dashes is bad solders/connections.Look at each solder very carefully(your eyes will go crossed if you do it for long. he he!)If you see a very small ring around the solder,it's bad.Sometimes they have the main LED board connections made with connectors that are not soldered,but kinda like a spring.The ball of solder that the "spring's" touch wear down,and don't make good contact.
good luck!

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68 z28 ,68 rs 327 ,73 454 vette, 2 goofy kids

Cathy,
If you have done all the correct roubleshooting and it leads to the dash being bad, they are usually available, rebuilt, exchange. Ask your local Chevy dealer who they send thiers to and give the company a call. That is usually the best way to go.

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Bill Koustenis
Owner
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
1971 Chevelle "Heavy Chevy" original owner
1973 Z-28 ..one family car...Brother bought it new in 73

One thing to check. Most of these use a backlight lcd display. Shine a flashlight on the display and see if the gauges are actually reading or indicating but the lighting is out. Really narrow it down if so.