Gear indicator leds are out.

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Tonys87

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Hi guys, I’m new here and hoping you guys can point me towards the right direction. I recently bought a 99 tahoe and noticed that the gear indicator bulbs only turn on while in PRN. Completely off during D321. I originally thought the bulbs could be out but then I started thinking there might be other factors involved that tell the bulbs to turn on… I’m starting to think it might be something else, since it’s D321 and not just a 1 or 2 bulbs out. Unless this is a very common issue. I’m also wondering if the gear switch on the transmission could be the culprit… any help or thoughts are appreciated.
 

someotherguy

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For 95-up the gear indicators in the gauge cluster aren't bulbs, they're LED's. They almost never go out. It's possible the range switch on your transmission, or the harness connections are the issue. Sorry that I don't have any troubleshooting info on hand or in mind but I'd bet there may be something in the factory service manuals which you can find online links for here in the forums.

Edit - I realize you know they're LED's but when you said bulbs in the post it threw me off, which is why I mentioned it and that they rarely actually go bad. You gotta over-volt an LED in most cases to kill 'em and it doesn't sound likely in your scenario.

Richard
 
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Tonys87

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For 95-up the gear indicators in the gauge cluster aren't bulbs, they're LED's. They almost never go out. It's possible the range switch on your transmission, or the harness connections are the issue. Sorry that I don't have any troubleshooting info on hand or in mind but I'd bet there may be something in the factory service manuals which you can find online links for here in the forums.

Edit - I realize you know they're LED's but when you said bulbs in the post it threw me off, which is why I mentioned it and that they rarely actually go bad. You gotta over-volt an LED in most cases to kill 'em and it doesn't sound likely in your scenario.

Richard
Thanks for the reply. It helps to know the LEDs rarely go out. I’ll check out the range switch and connections this weekend.
 

someotherguy

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Thanks for the reply. It helps to know the LEDs rarely go out. I’ll check out the range switch and connections this weekend.
Yep, I'd expect if they'd seen over-voltage that you'd have more things out, like a bunch of the regular bulbs in the cluster. Another possibility is just a bad connection at the cluster itself, which could be remedied by simply popping it out, spraying the pins on the connector with DeOxit, then re-install.

Richard
 

Tonys87

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Yep, I'd expect if they'd seen over-voltage that you'd have more things out, like a bunch of the regular bulbs in the cluster. Another possibility is just a bad connection at the cluster itself, which could be remedied by simply popping it out, spraying the pins on the connector with DeOxit, then re-install.

Richard
I recently spoke to the previous owner.. who said all the LEDs worked till he recently had the transmission shifter shaft seal replaced. So I’m convinced that the neutral safety switch might have been damaged as it was removed to replace the seal. I’ve ordered a switch from Amazon. Hopefully this fixes the issue. I’ll move on to the 2 plugs next but the wires looked good. No funny discoloration or signs of damage. The switch and plugs look to be original as in has that glue holding them in. Luckily I saw a few videos explaining to use a heat gun to easily remove them. They came off with no issue.
 
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