Instruments go blank with left turn signal
 

Hi,

Great Board.

I have a 1991 500sl with 113,000 miles. Lately, when I click the left turn signal. the whole dash goes blank for a half a second, the comes back on with seat belt light flashing and other idiot lights flashing -- as if car was just started.

I have a feeling that its a connection rather than the dash -- but I wanted to see if anyone else had a similar experience.

I think the biggest clue is that the dash is acting as if the car has just been started. Is that control in the dash cluster, or somewhere else?

Any help would really be appreciated.

Mike G

turn signal
 

mike g I have the same problem in my 1991 300sli

Mine did it too, and it drove me crazy until I read a post on this site that told me what I needed to do to fix it.

There is a capacitor in the instrument cluster that needs replacing.
A search on this board should reveal the exact details.

The capacitor needed is a 470uf Electrolytic capacitor
(Radio Shack - 272-1030) I believe it is the largest capacitor on the board, and certainly the only 450uf so it should be easy to find if you can't find the other post.

The cluster has to be taken apart pretty far to get to the back of the PC Board to solder the new part in. Also, it takes a fairly high wattage Iron because the PCB is pretty thick in that spot.

If you want to do it yourself and are not experienced in soldering electronic components I recommend pulling the cluster and finding an electronics technician willing to do the detail work for you.

FWIW, the newer clusters with the non-mechanical odometers do not have the problem.

I had the same problem on my 92 500sl last year. I followed the same
advise stated in the previous post; replaced the capacitor
and it is fixed. My shop charged me about $100 to remove the
cluster, make the repair, and re install the cluster. The capacitor
from radio shack was less than $5.