2003 tahoe PIC/DIC Cluster battery drain

[Derek Pontius]

My 2003 tahoe has developed a battery drain. I have traced it to the PIC/DIC fuse and the to the cluster. I did a draw test and it is drawing 2.2 amps.

But it cycles about every 20 seconds. acts like it is going to sleep and draw almost zeros out and then jumps back to 2.2 amps. Whn i pulled out the gauge cluster the constant draw goes away.

The only isse i have noticed with the cluster is that it will flash all of the indicator light and you can hear the stepper motors when the key is turned on. this doesnt happen all the time. just random.

 

I have opened up the cluster and everything appears to look ok. Will replacing the stepper motors fix this?

Any other ideas or areas i should look at?

Thank you!!

[shakenfake]

Just put in a new cluster for the easy fix. I don't think it is a stepper motor issue, I think it would be something inside the cluster that is causing the stepper motors to activate. 

 

My first thought would have been like the LCD screen not shutting off all the way or something. Some sort of malfunction like that

[Derek Pontius]

ok. Thank you! ill see if I can find a new one

[shakenfake]

Get a Denali cluster

 

 

Also let me roll back that previous statement, I would think a new cluster would fix it but if it does not then there is something wrong somewhere in the wiring or somewhere else in the truck. Get a known good cluster and just do a test

[Derek Pontius]

Good idea. I really appreciate the help.

[shakenfake]

If I had my cluster bench tester set up I could work on it for you but I don't

[Derek Pontius]

Dang it. Thats ok

[Jsdirt]

Don't buy a new one. Have it rebuilt.

 

Get in touch with this guy here. His name is Jeff - he does tons of these for a very reasonable cost. Just tell him your symptoms when you get in touch with him, ship your unit to him, and you'll end up alot richer than buying a new one, if they're even available. It will be like brand new when he's done: 

 

FYI - If the problem goes away when you unplug the cluster, it's not a wiring issue.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Jsdirt

[shakenfake]

But if he plugs in a known good cluster and the problem persists I would say it could be a wiring/other issue.

 

Also rebuilding a cluster costs more than buying a used one and then there is the down time on top of that. Hence why I recommended buying a used one.

[txab]

Buying a used one, you have no idea what shape it's in. Something may fail on it 20 miles after installing. Downtime? You can drive without the cluster with no issues. Use GPS for speed

[shakenfake]

Sure that is true. Again I'm mainly talking buy a used one to test to see if it works. Obviously find one that has been working previously or not. They are like 50 bucks. I have bought and sold used clusters and other car parts. I know how used works lol 

My current Denali cluster I bought used and after a couple months I needed to resolder all the main pins back on the board. My other Denali cluster I had worked perfect but I flipped it for some extra cash. Just luck of the draw, that is why you gotta go see it work in person first lol

 

Hey sometimes I like to keep an eye on my oil pressure etc. If your cluster is gone for a week you can't see that. Normally I am not a nervous nancy, and I have drove without a cluster for a few days plus, but I do prefer to have all my monitors active just in case.