Dashboard Meter Fogging

half_a_tiger

half_a_tiger

Joined
Apr 17, 2006
Messages
76
Location
Philippines
Just noticed this last Wednesday when I brought the bike out on a short run... There's a small oval medallion-shape haze forming on the meter as per attached photo.

Is that a leakage of the LCD or what, as evidenced by the amber color of the affected portion?

That aside, the bike is running normally, as is the rest of the dashboard meters.

I'm certain this has nothing to do w/ the dashboard "magnifying glass" burn phenomenon caused by parking under the sun on certain times of the day.

Any opinions or ideas?
 

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On LCDs such 'disfigurement' normally origins from someone/thing applying pressure... methinks a replacement is due if it doesn't vanish with temperature changes...
 
Have you opened up the dash recently, or otherwise impacted or put force on the front end area? I fear you may need a new LCD display-

Looks like they don't spare just the LCD, and the cluster is around $700 US!!
Time to hit a junkyard or ebay. Good luck!
 
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The looks like the liquid part of the liquid crystal display spreading (damage).
You'd be lucky if it cleared up on it's own.
 
I've never had any reason to fiddle around w/ the dashboard or even attempted to remove the windshield or plastic on top of it.

I can still run the bike but it's so irritating to have such a smear or an otherwise clean dashboard. Guess I'll have to live w/ it for the time being. I'll have to do my sourcing from nearby Hongkong, Singapore, Japan, or Australia should I decide to have the whole thing replaced.
 
Keep in mind, if you replace that whole cluster, your total mileage will no longer be accurate since the mileage stays with the cluster. I guess it doesn't matter if you can't read it due to the leak, but it's just something to keep in mind.
 
I'd roam Ebay and part breakers for a decent unit from a crashed bike and swap only the LCD once the hunt was successful.
 
I will never understand why they don't manage the mileage history in the ECM rather than the electronic cluster... but that's another discussion.
 
Most if not all don't. It would be more complicated to have the ECM talk to the cluster to update the readout.
Might also be because it's easier to swap an ECM to play games with the ODO than the cluster.
 
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As if I have any other choice for the meantime..... Well, as long as the LCD leak doesn't affect the rest of the cluster meters & performance of the bike, I'll keep on riding and, hopefully, eventually get use to the "blemish" until a replacement becomes available, if at all. Thank y'all for the inputs!
 
That looks a lot like the polarizing filter that sits in front of the LCD may be heat damaged.

BlueGauges has a modification available that reverses the polarization of the filter so you get dark digits on a light background, which is a good indication that the filter may be removable and therefore replaecable. You might want to drop them a note and ask if they'd sell you a filter and how difficult it is to replace it. They may have some old OEM ones they've pulled out available, too, so you could put things as they were from the factory.

This reminds me a lot of the "dash branding" problem that people used to have, where the windshield would catch and focus the sun just the right way and it would burn a hole in the dash housing. Nobody's complained about that recently, so maybe Honda corrected something so that doesn't happen anymore. :shrug1:

--Mark
 
Bike is always parked in the shade, under its covers. And when parked under the sun, I always make sure to cover the dashboard w/ a piece of cloth to prevent direct sunlight exposure on the meter cluster.

At any rate, from this Australian link http://www.lingshondaparts.com/hond...ck_01=13MCS801&block_02=F__0200&block_03=4947, there is hope that I would not need to get the whole dashboard cluster as replacement. Item #11 is the suspect part damaged, if at all, & the cost is tolerable.

What I need to find out further is if there's a plastic or glass film on part #10 to w/c item #11 is attached. Could it be that item # 11 is still ok & the hazy portion could just possible be condensation on the glass or plastic film on part #10? Looking at the enlarged photo that I attached, I could still legibly read the km readings on both trip & total indicators.....
 
Dashboard Meter Fogging Part II

Took the bike out for a spin again this morning, then took another photo of the meter cluster. For whatever reason, the mileage LCD cluster is still registering, a.k.a working.

Attached are the 2 photos for comparison..
Initial (1st) photo taken last week : trip - 670.9 km
total - 39548 km

Updated photo taken this a.m. : trip - 710.4 km
total - 39587 km

The mileage cluster is obviously working! Makes me wonder where the problem is really coming from? If there's an LCD leakage in the digital cluster as is the common sentiment in the initial thread that I had posted a week ago, should the trip/total mileage meters be providing new updated information still?

And as per the suggestion of one forum member, I sent my problem to Scott Woodruff of bluegauges.com. His response was short: "Wow, that's nasty! Probably needs LCD meter replacement".

Another curious observation : w/ the ignition key in the "off" position & the meter amber lighting turned off, all I can see is a yellow-green blemish (similar in color to some types of oils) on the surface directly on top of the LCD meter cluster, and not on the large transparent plastic cover of the dashboard assembly.

I know..... The general advice or comment will probably lead to same course of action.... Start shopping on e-Bay or some junk shop and the likes..... I've found a source for the replacement of the LCD digital meter cluster only & not the whole dashboard assembly but am not confident that this will eliminate the medallion-size blemish....
 

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Even if the display Is damaged, you should be able to have the correct mileage taken from your unit and placed on a new or used one if you send it to Specmo. http://specmo.com/

I have worked for Acura and Honda for many years and they have been the company to take care of this problem for years with 3.5 rl instrument clusters. They are notorious for losing the display circuit which requires some expensive parts. To save customers money, we get junk yard clusters, clearly mark which is bad and which is the replacement, ship it to Specmo, wait a couple days then everything comes back and functions properly and the mileage stays accurate.
 
First off part 10 is the only part you would need. The LCD cluster is in this part of the dash. I have had this whole thing apart when I did my own LCD reversal. The LCD panel is held to the instrument panel with a metal cage. There are four metal tabs that are twisted at the very end once they pass through the circuit board. If you straighten these tabs then the whole LCD display can be removed. It makes contact to the circuit board via plastic ribbon type connector that just press agaisnt the LCD and the circuit board. There are no connection that involve any soldering.

I have some photos from when I did my conversation that I will try and post here. uploadfromtaptalk1375013336438.jpg
This is the instrument panel with the needles, background, and LCD removed.

uploadfromtaptalk1375013388571.jpg
This is the diffuser that goes on the back side of the LCD to cover LEDs seen in the first picture.

uploadfromtaptalk1375013426515.jpg
This is the back side of the LCD panel after is was removed. Minus the metal cage that attaches it to the board.

uploadfromtaptalk1375013466747.jpg
This is the LCD display after I changed the polarizing film on the back. All of the lines and information on are the film on the front on the LCD panel so you don't what to mess with that side.

All of your Milage information is stored in the bike's ECM. Changing out this LCD will not affect any of the functions or information.

Hope this helps.


Sent from my RAZR M using Tapatalk 2
 
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:yes: Great info Micheal! Presumably all that halfatiger needs to find and recover from another dash assembly is the LCD display?


As an aside, now I can see why there are some darker shadows around the perimeter of the speedo/tach.
 
Re: Dashboard Meter Fogging Part II

half_a_tiger said:
The mileage cluster is obviously working! Makes me wonder where the problem is really coming from? If there's an LCD leakage in the digital cluster as is the common sentiment in the initial thread that I had posted a week ago, should the trip/total mileage meters be providing new updated information still?
Click to expand...

Yes, it should. The LCD itself doesn't determine what it shows, and the damaged part only has to do with turning that information into something you can see. The damage to yours is only partial, so you can still tell what it's trying to display.

I don't think the LCD itself is leaking because all of the segments still work and gravity would have had some effect on the shape of the damage. It's pretty uniform and fades in all directions, which makes me think the polarizing filter on the front got too much sunlight and is damaged.

Another curious observation : w/ the ignition key in the "off" position & the meter amber lighting turned off, all I can see is a yellow-green blemish (similar in color to some types of oils) on the surface directly on top of the LCD meter cluster, and not on the large transparent plastic cover of the dashboard assembly.
Click to expand...


Based on that and the shape of the blemish, I'm leaning toward the plastic polarizing filter on the front of the panel having been damaged by heat. There's glass directly underneath, and you'd have to subject it to physical force or more heat than the rest of the dash could tolerate to damage it.

LCDs have two of those filters, one at the front above the glass and the other sandwiched into the rear of the assembly. (See diagram here.) Pull the instrument panel and examine the LCD area closely and you should be able to see or feel damage to the surface, in which case it's probably just the front polarizer. BlueGauges has to replace (or just flip) the polarizer for its "reverse" service, so they may be able to replace yours if that's what's damaged.

--Mark
 
The front polarizing screen has all of the permanent information on it. If it is damaged then the whole LCD will need to be replaced. To reverse the LCD they are changing the back film. See my previous post and pictures.

Sent from my RAZR M using Tapatalk 2
 
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