My dash lights just started going dim to the point I can’t see the dash almost at all and my cruise control light will be lit when all else is almost dark 2003 SS Monte. I have had more small problems from this car than I would have thought I would, is that common for these cars?

My last Monte 1999 two door with the 3.1 V6. I put 399,940.00 miles on it with nothing but fuel pump, water pump type of things.

Thanks for any suggestions about the dash lights.

 

I'm sure you have tried adjusting the dimmer on the headlight switch. Sometimes overlooked because of the auto lights. Are all the bulbs good or has some burned out ?

 

Might be something with the switch or a loose connection in the feed.
What about the headlights and the running lights?
I had an 85 Monte do that once and the battery connection was corroded

 

I have checked the dimmer switch it doesn’t help the issue either way. I will check the battery connection though.

 

Originally Posted by Mike Palatka View Post
My dash lights just started going dim to the point I can’t see the dash almost at all and my cruise control light will be lit when all else is almost dark 2003 SS Monte. I have had more small problems from this car than I would have thought I would, is that common for these cars?
This forum is full of 6th Gen issues my son in law had a 2001 and he was always taking it to the Garage. I remember asking my daughter about buying is when I retired I wanted to make it into a #3 clone street car and she said they wouldn't sell it to me because of all the little issues they had.
One thing that seems to haunt some folks is when they remove the Radio and replace it with a after market stereo system. It will sometimes create other issues with the Car.
If you make that switch save the old radio so you can get it back to normal again.
I love the looks of the 6th Gen Monte Carlo but I would only get one if it had very low miles on it, there are a few of them left yet.

 

The headlights are fine. I have checked the battery connections they are good. It is a intermittent problem. They’re working fine right now.

 

I bought another ECM/ PCM hoping that would make my dash lights light up.

It didn’t make a difference. Car runs good 26 miles to a gallons. It doesn’t miss. It will run hot idling if my AC is on sitting still for a long time in traffic, not moving.

is there a ground wire on the dash cluster?

2003 SS Monte Carl, any ideals?

 

This is just a stab in the dark, but on my old Monte I noticed my odometer display was very dark and difficult to read similar to what you're describing with the other lights. I found a temporary fix (that sometimes worked) was hitting the plastic on the cluster, and the display would get brighter. Although none of the other lights dimmed, they could be related. Mine were fried resistors on the instrument cluster board. Hitting the plastic on the cluster would sometimes give the resistors better contact, which is why it sometimes temporarily fixed it. If nothing else works, this may be worth looking into although it's somewhat tedious to get to the resistors (have to remove the needles on the gauge, but easy to replace the resistors once you get to them).

 

Thanks, I wonder if these clusters come out and a new one just plugs in?

 

Getting the cluster out isn't difficult at all. Just have to take the front piece of the dash off, and there are four small screws in the corners of the cluster. And then an electrical connector on the back that's pretty easy to undo. The problem with switching a new cluster in is that you'll likely have to get your mileage programmed in (the mileage is typically stored in the cluster, not in the car's computer).

If you have any experience with a soldering iron, you can always try opening your cluster up to see if you can repair it (assuming the resistors are your problem). If you're open to buying a new cluster, then worst case scenario it's a bit of a learning experience for you should you not be able to get it back together. The only difficult part is putting the needles back on. When I did it, I wasn't smart enough to mark where the needles were in their "zero" position. So I had to manually re-calibrate based on speed sensor data and RPMs using a scan tool. Not impossible to do, but frustrating when you realize you're off by 2 mph.