2004 XC70 Instrument Cluster Issues

[abscate]

A “ board level “ type will have an array of tools ready to not do that…like:

A braided copper wire to wick up excesssolder
A little rubber bulb to suck up solder
Forceps or clamps to heat sink excess heat away from chips

My ham guy is also a fourth generation jeweler so he has all that gear and more

[BlackBart]

Nice. And probably fingers that don’t shake. I’ll pull out the cluster tomorrow and take a look.

[BlackBart]

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It looks like my 2004 XC70 board differs some from the second from the top video on Page 1 (Australian one, with just music). It doesn't have the coli spring connector pins. He points out specific spots to reflow, I'm not seeing the same ones here. Doesn't appear to ever have been open. Blue coating still on the chips.

Just FYI, the pins on the chips are very tiny. Consider your magnifying lamp and fine-tipped iron.
I studied this a while with a magnifying glass, and I'm not seeing any indication of cracks or separations anywhere.

Can anyone point to critical components to reflow on this particular version?

Oh, also.... on this version, all your gauge needles will fall off into the clear plastic front cover when you pull the circuit board off the mounts. I'll have to detach the front and place them all back on.

[BlackBart]

Hang on...this shows an '04 P2 cluster / DIM being reflowed / soldered. No words, but they clearly show where they soldered and then put it back together. They do the "drag solder" technique across all the chip pins.

[BlackBart]

REPORT:
This is much more difficult than it looks. Above the skill level of an amateur like me. I did the homework, I got the materials, I studied the video again and again.

My guess is that even the pencil point Weller iron I bought is just too big. These parts are microscopic, you're working through a magnifying lens and working one handed. And even at 30W, I think it may have been too hot, melts too fast. I cleaned with alcohol, removed the blue goo on the big chip, used liquid flux, and 1mm lead solder (I didn't actually use any). Followed the video above exactly.

I stopped before I made a total mess, but I don't know. As you drag solder across the big chip pins, even with zero added solder like I did, you pull a small bit of solder along the way and it stops at the last pins, joining them. 2 to 4 pins on a couple of sides of that big chip. I played with pulling it away, but I was afraid holding the heat there would do damage, so I stopped.

One of the tiny chips with 6 or 8 legs actually bumped loose...... They are not pinned though holes in the board, just set on the traces and soldered down. I used tweezers and a glass and adjusted it back into it's spot, but I don't know about the connections.

I'm heading this morning to a local electronics repair guy who gave me some good advice over the phone. If he can salvage it, we'll see what happens when I plug it in. Next steps would be ship it off to Xemodex or the other house in the US. I was hoping to be driving this car today.

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[BlackBart]

That video above that I used was made by these people, Automotive Circuit Solutions in Missouri.

https://www.automotivecircuitsolutions. ... 70~yr_2004

$170.

[Jonboy74]

That video above that I used was made by these people, Automotive Circuit Solutions in Missouri.

https://www.automotivecircuitsolutions. ... 70~yr_2004

$170.

Hey BlackBart, I feel your pain. My father was an electrical engineer and taught me how to solder at the age of 12. By the age of 14-15, I was getting paid decent money to do printed circuit board assembly and repair. When I was 20, I was using a $1400.00 Pace precision soldering and desoldering station to do bulk rework of hundreds of circuit cards. That was nearly 30 years ago. I've actually worked in manufacturing facilities with multi-million dollar pick and place machines, ovens, and flow soldering machines, all automated.

I say all of this to point out that when I diagnosed the problem with my DIM a few years ago, I didn't even attempt it myself, because I knew the risks if I slipped: $1,400 at the dealership, and an undrivable (legally) car until it was repaired.

Before you do anything else, I would encourage you to give my post on this topic a read. I'm still driving the same V70, and the DIM is still going strong.

Driver Information Module (Instrument Cluster) repair options?

All the best,

Jonboy

[BlackBart]

Thanks for this. I wish I had done some better searching first and found your post, and the one from this morning. You and Mrs BB could have a talk.

Xemodex is about $450 now. The other one in Toronto only a bit less.

[abscate]

I’ve done a bit of board level soldering but no way would I tackle that surface mount chip

One’s limitations should be known.

[Jonboy74]

I’ve done a bit of board level soldering but no way would I tackle that surface mount chip

One’s limitations should be known.

I've actually done a small amount of surface mount repair myself, but that was before my eyes required readers. I've done enough to know it just isn't something I enjoy...

Jonboy