Car not starting cluster issue *FIXED* VERY EASY!!

J

joshtammi

New Member
Ok so i had the intermittent fault problem with my cluster, common accross all CE Lancers, no biggie, went to wrecker and bought another dash.

plugged it in, didnt work... (for the back history, tacho speedo and odo were not working)

so i talked to wrecker and he said check my relays in the fuse box, we had a look and they were rusted as hell. replaced them, put new cluster in, worked, old cluster in, also worked no worries,

drove home and 10km in, gauges die and pick up quickly for 5 seconds then completely die.

took out the gauge to see if there was anything wrong on the circuit board, i assume there is a crack but nothing i can do cause i cant find any wire and dont really have the spare time.

put it back in all correctly, and tried to start the car - turned over but no start.

took it out, turns on fine, put it back in, no start.

fiddled with it, took it out and put it back again, and it started. thought id turn off ignition and restart without moving cluster. NO START.

dunnooo wtf to do, i basically have to drive with the whole cluster out. or start car with cluster out then plug back in.

it seems like a serious problem to me? or could just be a dodgy earth, but i'm training to be a pilot, not an auto elec....

any ideas? or should i cut my losses and go to mitsu and lighten my wallet by a few hundred?
 
Re: Car not starting cluster issue

sounds very odd, sorry bud no idea
 
Re: Car not starting cluster issue

ok update,

you know how i said it will only start once, i.e if it starts and i turn it off, it will not start again without not moving the gauge in and out.

If i disconnect battery for 3 seconds it will reset so i can start without taking out the cluster, but once again, it will ONLY start once, no matter how long i wait inbetween starts.
 
Re: Car not starting cluster issue

very odd... take to auto elec

@tm34... dont rely on me for answers on electrical, i dont even bother without me being there, too much can go wacky that may not be noticed by the poster
but it does sound like a problem to give to an actual auto elec wwhen you have exhuasted all ur ideas and options to test
 
Re: Car not starting cluster issue

kk cheers will do,

just bloody annoying cause being in the ADF i work mon - fri 6 - 6 so seeing a mechanic is not easy to organise :(
 
Re: Car not starting cluster issue

When you say it won't start, is it trying to start (i.e. starter motor going but it's not catching) or is it just dead?
 
Re: Car not starting cluster issue

yeah starter motor just keeps turning over and it sounds as if there is zero fuel or no spark etc. no small coughs of ignition, just straight cranking.

luckily this issue has rectified itself the past few days, however cluster still broken.
 
Re: Car not starting cluster issue

what engine? sounds like a short circuit to the CAS.

check ANY wiring in and around the CAS in the engine bay.

thinking that the loom that goes to the ecu has been 'stretched' a bit, and the plug is now sensitive to movement perhaps?

would also check loom going to key barrel. check ecu for any damaged wiring or plugs.
 
Re: Car not starting cluster issue

Hey VAT, i just read your post about you changing your odo over onto a new cluster, was it difficult to do? i can solder fine and I am not too bad mechanically wise.

I'll have a look at the sensor tomorrow and the wiring. Cheers
 
Re: Car not starting cluster issue

Nah, it was fairly easy. You just need to work out where to connect the earth lead, and how to run it through the firewall to an earthing point. The guy I bought it off (Ebay) was pretty helpful. Don't need to solder, just crimp a ring lug on to a decent earth lead. You'll need a decent run of cable.

I was able to retain my original speedo mechanism and swap it over, so I've got my original odo mileage as well.
 
Re: Car not starting cluster issue

res said:
@tm34... dont rely on me for answers on electrical,
Click to expand...

relaxx i was kidding.. and with the electrical.. im an electrician, so ill never have to rely on you for that field :p
 
So remeber this issue, puzzled a few, and I was actually going to an Auto Elec tomorrow as i finally got time off work, but what do you know, the almighty hand of lancer has done me some good.

So i was driving (yep still had the one start issue) home and i opened my door with the car running and lights on to notice something particular.... the Headlight warning noise came on. But hang on the car was on? ohwell, to get rid of that annoying noise, i decide to rev my engine, and then take my foot and place it RHS of accelerator, no biggie, except i was wearing clown dress shoes (and my size 13 makes for a large boot) and i pressed down on the fuse box. holy mother of god, the noise turned off, revs jump up. (hooray) then it dies again.

I immediately got hard from excitement but then went softer than Mr Whippy on a 40 degree day in less than about 3 seconds....

So in true brute fashion, i repetitively beat the crap out of every single fuse in there, and let my assure you, it was a fierce battle, but your OP fought the good fight, and my car will now start, turn off, start again, not make annoying door noises, and THE GUAGE WORKS!

Moral of the story, check your fuses, or pay someone else $300 to do it for you.

Thanks for all the original help guys =]
 
Sweet man, few months ago my speedo odometer and the signal that lets you know yor headlights are on stopped working
one new small fuse fixed the problem
 
this sounds like my current issure, the odo, speedo, tacho and some warning lights stop working randomly. some days its all good, some days it wont work, some days it turns off and on and off again while driving. tomorrow i will be checking all relays and fuses which should hopefully fix this issue. i am however not having issues with the car not starting or power etc, only the dash. will update with what i find :D
 
damn, its a pain in the arse, my problem was solved by nudging the whole fuse box next to pedals under dash into the wall more.

see if your headlight alert noise comes on when your car is ON and your door is open with lights on, if so we have identical problem.
 
no after some fiddling it seems my problem is a little more difficult :( also i was able to duplicate that noise, by pulling the fuse with the tacho symbol on it, 3rd from left, 3nd from bottom. but everything was still working even when i pulled the fuse, but the dash stopped working randomly again and nothing i could do i.e. pulling fuses/relays or wiggling wires etc would fix it. i gave up and on my way out it just decided to come back alive while on the freeway. so at this stage im stumped and will keep you informed.
 
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