Cluster LCD pulsing

[Stingray1967]

Paul, wow. THANKS!! One more thing to add. I had to replace my antenna on the radio a few months ago because the old one wouldn't go all the way down anymore. Yes I tried the ribbon cable only first, and that didn't work, so I bought the whole unit. I did that buy purchasing a replacement antenna from Mirrock. When I put that in, started the car, and turned on the radio, there was a significant buzzing over the speakers. I believe that a ground somewhere got screwed up, but I was VERY careful putting it back together. I haven't spent the time yet to put the rear wheel well out again and check the grounds. The LCD pulsing happens with the radio on or off. When I select the voltage display on the LCD screen, the NUMBER moves around quite a bit. From 13.0 to 14.5. Maybe that's ok, I've never really looked at the voltage this closely. The analog gauge needle doesn't move an inch. And the pulsing is not related to the turn signal or stepping on the brakes, or any other "driver input" electrical load I can think of.

[rush91]

Mine did this about a month ago...Sitting at a light, if the fans would kick on the volts would drop and the LCD screen flickered. I cleaned the wire connections on the battery cables with a wire brush, pulsing / flickering gone. And my connections looked just fine before cleaning them.

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by rush91

Mine did this about a month ago...Sitting at a light, if the fans would kick on the volts would drop and the LCD screen flickered. I cleaned the wire connections on the battery cables with a wire brush, pulsing / flickering gone. And my connections looked just fine before cleaning them.

Yes! Very good point! The corrosion film on the connectors starts out as almost CLEAR. One cannot always see the film, but once the connector is wire brushed, suddenly all is well!

Another tip to keep in mind: Next time you start your car - especially if it acts like the battery my be low, feel the battery terminals with the palm of you hand. If the battery connector is warm to the touch, that is a dead giveaway that the connector needs to be serviced* asap.

* wire brushing followed by smearing some dielectric grease on the connector contacts (which will retard the further formation of corrosion).

[Stingray1967]

I'm happy to report that I checked the battery terminals and one of them was only finger tight. I swapped the connecting hardware and tightened it up, and the pulsing is gone. Also the voltage display number is MUCH more stable. The car seems to start easier too. Thanks rush91 for the suggestion to check the battery connection. I wire brushed the connections prior to reassembly too, but they looked fantastic.