This 2000 Chevrolet Suburban came in with the complaint that the instrument cluster does not work. I checked communication with my Tech 2 scan tool and found a communication problem with most modules. Including the instrument cluster.
Since my scan tool would power up, I knew that I had power to the DCL and at least enough ground to power the scan tool. I looked at a wiring diagram and saw that there are two grounds going to the DCL. Terminals 4 & 5.
Terminal #4 did have a ground signal present.
Terminal #5 did not have a ground signal on it.
Terminal #5 is connected to the black wire with a white stripe.
According to the wiring diagrams it terminates at the rear of the passenger side of the engine. I reached back into that location and found this broken wire. It is black with a white stripe.
A closer look at the broken wire.
The ring terminal and bolt that attaches to the rear of the engine. The bolt has 13 mm head.
I made an extension wire with a new ring terminal and spliced it into the original wire.
The repaired wire, crimped in place and sealed with heat shrink tubing. Notice the throttle cables to the right of the wire extension with ring terminal. If this vehicle had a Throttle Actuator Controller (TAC) it would have had a Reduced Power message displayed in the dash and would have had very poor acceleration, when this wire broke.
I took this picture of my ratchet and extension so that you could have a better idea of just where the bolt is located.
The new wire extension is bolted down and I twisted a loop into it so that the wire can move some without breaking.
Thank you very much for the detailed directions and pictures! I was able to fix the electrical problem plaguing my 2001 Suburban fuel gauge and cruise control. The grounding wires on the back of the engine were broken. I was able to fix the wires and get everything back working. Thank you thank you thank you!
Thanks for the post. this fixed my instrument cluster issue on our 2001 Suburban! The cluster would “reboot” every time a slight bump was hit along the roadway. Terminating the ground returned the operation to normal.
I had the same issue with a twist. Testing the grounds at the DCL showed good. Only while applying a small load would the ground become open. I found the wire connected to the back of the engine block still connected. It broke loose with a very light tug. After repairing the connection everything is functioning again without issue. This one has been plaguing me off and on for a year!