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My wife called from the airport today saying that none of the dials in our '01 S4 instrument cluster were working--all at zero: gas, speedometer, battery, tachometer, etc.
My initial thought was that this had something to do with the battery. Searching the forums, I found:
When she brings the car back in a couple of days I'll check it with a new voltmeter I have. That said, I'm a newbie to voltmeters. I do not have a VAG tool. Any idea on the following?
Hunch that a plug has come lose from the instrument cluster. Pop the plastic cover that's right in front of the bottom of the cluster and there are 2 screws to remove. Use a good phillips head screwdriver. The screws are tight. Then the cluster slides right out so you can check the connectors. Un plug them all and check for corrosion. Maybe give each connector a shot of electronic parts cleaner. If that doesn't do it, you'll have to scan with vcds to find the fault.
Turns out I didn't have to go that far. The next day, the dials started working again.
I think the issue is that there's a lot of condensation building up in the car--this issue seems to have happened after we had a long spell of rain. I had seen a lot of condensation building up on the windshield when it was off and parked. I left the windows cracked for a couple of days after the rains stopped and when I started the car after the weekend, the dials were back working again.
That said, I suspect you're right and if this happens again, that's the next step I'll take. Thank you for the suggestion.
Check that your carpets are dry. You shouldn't have condensation in the car unless crazy temperature drop during rainy spell. You might have a sunroof drain clogged or disconnected, a clogged A/C drain, or clogged plenum drains.
01-22-2019, 04:31 PM
Dials in Instrument Cluster Dead
