my wifes 96 grand am w/ 3.1 v6, insturment panel gauges are not working. everything lights up, just none of the guages work... i checked the fuses inside the car near the driver side door. but my wife lost the owners manuel, so i dont know if there is anymore fuse boxes located somewere els in the car...

any help would be appreciated. thanks

 

wow az, same here!!! That is why I am on this site, looking for help with exact same issues. My '96 GA with a 3.1 is doing exactly what you described.....Guages do not move off 0, all sorts of warning lights stay on(low fuel, low coolant,high temperature,etc.) The only warning lights that work are oil pressure(goes out when motor started,) and seat belt warning. One thing I did notice --- A few monthes ago, the ignition switch began acting strange. For example, sometimes you could not turn the key all the way off to remove it from cylinder. I do wonder if a bad ignition switch could cause this because everything acts like it should(guages and lights) when the key is turned to the on position, but nothing much changes when the motor is started. Any experts out there have a clue? Thanks, Brad

 

Hey, have either of you guys found a fix for your problem? I have a 96 ga doing the same thing and I dont have a clue whats wrong! Thanks alot, Matt.

 

does anyone have an answer to this problem. It seems like it is a typical problem, hopefully I can fix this soon. Thanks, Matt

 

Hello Matt and Welcome. I knowI have gotten frustrated over this whole issue, but I feel I have it figured out. After much on-line research, it appears that these instrument clusters themselves are failing. One fella said he sent his to Southern Electronics in Virginia for repair. I called and got an estimate of around $225. GM parts direct wants $380 for oem new cluster. I have decided to take the cheap route and try to find one from a salvage yard or on Ebay. So far, the prices have ranged from $30 to $125. Obviously, I cannot prove this diagnoses yet, but if/when I do, I will post this info. P.S. Now don't go abiddin' against me on Ebay, I found it first! LOL. There are a few on Ebay right now. P.S.S. I still am not certain on the part interchange as far as years and motor size and transmission type. For now, I recommend a perfect match for your car(year,motorsize, and manual/autho transmission.) If you discover any thing in this area, please forward this info on here. Thanks, Brad

 

UPDATE!!! (overdue) I did indeed find a suitable gage cluster on ebay for $35, installed it into my GA, went thru a simple relearn procedure that I read about somewhere on the internet, and now my car is back in business!!!