Dash LCD Fail

Greetings gents!

I have just had the LCD dash do the intermittent fail dance.
After a rousing Cabal at the Budgie, the day after returning home, my bro-in-law borrowed Big Red to - this is a long story, those at the Budgie have some of Mikes back story, he also destroyed his chain and sprockets (apparently its an important part of the drive train???) to go borrow a chain breaker (I offered my Fleetwood Mac collection, but was refused...), and upon his late return (he got lost...nessuna sorpresa  ) and says "your dash just went blank." 

Mmm. Turn on and off, all working as it should. Go for a lap around, all good.
Fast forward to today, dash went blank as we went off for a blat around the hinterland.
Came back on at stop /start, but disappeared after 2 or 3 minutes. 
Repeated this all day.
It's holding the information between hiccups, and the backlight is still glowing.
I know I'm not the first for this, but what is the consensus gents??


-and yes Tony, I know, don't let Mike (aka Jonah) ride my bike.... oh, and he managed to break the breaker.... 

That explains it - Mike parked next to me at the Budgie, and on the way back the Engine Management System light (orange) goes on, then off occasionally. And last night the shift lever came off the the gear selector spline. It's all Mike's doing. And that just being in his vicinity. I don't know what your sister would say if the root cause was removed/eliminated.

Quote :

I know I'm not the first for this, but what is the consensus gents??

It's a witch! Burn it!

Ha ha, I shall consult with the sister, I believe he is quite heavily over-insured!!!! 

hope you get those gremlins out Mal.

Aaaaand Beetle, do you mean we should burn the 'Scarlet Putta' (also known as Aprilia RST Futura), or are you alluding to..... 

You know what to do....


...especially if the Sport starts by itself....

Sport is alive and well, and actually starting to transform into a GRiSO!!! -well, she now has GRiSO rear brakes... post pending.
She has also recently morphed from a Goose into a Toucan... post also pending.
Just has a blank expression on her face 

On a more serious note, the dash (I prefer to call them 'instruments'), has multiple power connections and several ground connections. It would be worthwhile to pull the connectors to reseat them, plus check for corrosion.

let me go and check my instrument... 
and her connections 

update: pulled all the connection plugs at the back of the dash, sprayed contact cleaner into the holes, and polished the spades with 1200 w&d, and put a dab of dielectric grease on them, same with all the auxiliary fuses and the 2 main fuses. No corrosion noticed.
Went for a 15 minute hillside tour 

Result.
= Same. 

LCD comes on with key and start up dance, and lasts for a few minutes before going blank, but comes back on with key off/on with change in time and distance done.... so it is functioning as it should, just goes to sleep whilst underway.
next move...???

-maybe go back in and look for these ground connectors of which you speak... I pulled reseated the 'master' plug, and clipped the cable tie holding the bunch on the LHS and sorted those - is/are there others??
might also pull the ECU plug....

Mayhap the LCD module is rooted.

Grounds are on pins 17, 19, 20 & 29.

thanks, hopefully I got them in the general clean up  

mmm si, but why would it work on start-up, be happy at idle, then disappear when rolling....
I've just pulled/cleaned/replaced the speed sensor, am off for another blat...

well, speedo still works 

If the LCD module connections inside the instrument cluster are loose or dirty, it could be causing the problem. Unless it's soldered directly to the circuit board. You might be looking at a dry joint. I've not seen inside a Guzzi instrument cluster, so it's all speculation.

These are repairable, and others have had issues with itinerant moisture. Not done it myself mind...

Come to think of it, there are ants in mine that maybe should not be. Spose I could pull it apart while waiting for my other bits to arrive (first I need to strip and determine what is needed to get the oil leak to not), but, as always, requires some planning and thought...

Google is our friend. Turns out, wet speedo sensor can cause blank dash. There's even a couple of threads on the Ghetto about it.

Yeah, that's why I did a number on that. It's currently very clean and by no means wet...
I'm agreeing with Tony on the dry joint idea. LCD happy on key on and idle, but when you are rolling it disappears... vibration driven?
Currently doing wind tunnel testing to see if it's time or bump related.

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(Note the dead 'Scarlet  Putta' in the background....)

doesn't appear to be time related...
tank off, did upper end of speed sensor. ride tomoz.

Oz1200Guzzi wrote:

These are repairable, and others have had issues with itinerant moisture. Not done it myself mind...
Come to think of it, there are ants in mine that maybe should not be. Spose I could pull it apart while waiting for my other bits to arrive

yes, yes you could   and do a yootoob vid, or at least a photo expose' while you're at it!!!!

or I can blindly pull mine apart and really screw the pooch   

I do think the dry joint is the likely the fault.

Hate to say it, but start with a known good sensor. Don't ask me how I know...

soooo, does that mean you now have a "known good sensor'???



and I'll bite, how do you know 

Fitted and staying that way. The original one I recently threw out at work as I was unable to get into it - potted too well to pull apart, but not enough to allow moisture ingress. Just costs $$

ok, status update....
spoke to a 'local' MG dealer who informed me that my dash "is fooked, and a new one is about $1000, six weeks to get"
spoke to a non-local wizard who said, "mmm, maybe buggered, but pull and clean every connection. If the computer is working (it is) then it sounds like a connection issue."
so did that, with help of spare parts harness pics, pulled and cleaned every plug. 
there are a lot of plugs.
no change to issue, but all my plugs are like new  
Further studies noticed the dash fail at +/- 3000rpm... regardless of speed.
More googling, found photo expose' of dash pull apart, so, armed with that and fresh shiraz (well, 2014) and a couple of screwdrivers...
chrome bezel = easy off.
dig out silicone sealant surrounding perspex 'glass' = easy enough.
lever and prise glass off the base.... mmm not so good. 3/4 lifted easy, top row across idiot lights would not budge.
put tools down, refilled shiraz after tiny crack appeared mystically above tach...   reassembled dash and back on bike, all as it was, kinda almost.

Stewed for a day, then contacted Carmo Electronics in Holland. 
"The LCD is a weak part of the Moto Guzzi dashboards.
I could test it for you but in 99 of the 100 times it is the LCD itself, what is defect. 
We have searched many hours to find a supplier of the LCD's. But still without any success. "

So I'll be sending my dash to them, and they'll recode a refurbished dash to my code and mileage, with a 3 day turn-around (plus postage time) for about AUD$200....
Sounds like a plan.



or I could save my 200, and ride like the old days, without the new-fangled time teller (I could wear a watch), and fuel burn calculator (pencil and paper at fuel up) and player comfort metre (shit its cold/hot)...

EDIT: we'll see what the Koen the tech says, but it seems that Beetle may have been on the money...
"Mayhap the LCD module is rooted" 




I hate that.

If Carmo can't fix it I can get you one for about $800

Pete

post script edit...

All CARMO will do is try find another one off a wreck and swap it into yours for a healthy fee.....
There, as of early last year, no intel as to where Guzzi sourced its LCDs (please correct me if something has surfaced since) could be found.
But I did find a gentlemen from a time when they didn't have 'click purchase', and they so fixed things rather than replace them....
He saw my dash work, then not work, and he gave me a 50/50 chance.
I printed out what I could find, pictures from others delving in, and from the parts cat.

He fixed it.
Its been a while, and its still going strong (touch wood). Storms, hours riding in the rain, wash downs...

Apparently, the ribbon cable that connects the circuit board to the LCD has a ridiculously sharp bend as it enters the LCD, and he described the fix as "like acupressure". If he pushed "here" it worked.... so he basically packed the cable against the side of the housing so that it is constantly "pushed here"... He was not keen to attempt to replace the ribbon cable, it is basically part of the LCD, and not really repairable. His guess was that there was/is a break in a wire, and the pressure connected the circuit. He gave me his ATC* warranty...

The gentleman works with scientific instruments, and importantly, LCD dashboards in BMW, Audis, Rollers, Jags, Astin Martins, in fact any $$$$$ vehicles...he could not locate a matching LCD anywhere.

Definitely worth the $140 labour charge.





*Around The Corner. Said it might last a day, a week, possibly 5 years.Maybe more.

So, sort of a win, eh Pat.