Driver Information Cluster

[jonnevilleSSEi]

Wow, Nick! That was the summary I was seeking. You are an answer to my prayers, thank you. At least now I know what it can or can not be and that limits it to several items. I feel like I did see a "Check Engine" light (orange) in the warning light cluster and it illuminates during ignition then immediately goes out (that is by design and intended) Maybe it says Service Engine, I'll pay attention to that next startup though that isn't even an issue. You noted:

an overheating engine, overvolting/undervolting alternator, and insufficient oil pressure reading will also cause 'check gauges' and light the engine icon.

has me wondering if it's the alternator. The oil pressure and engine temp gages both read fine, there is no voltage gage and if that would illuminate both the (check gages and engine icon) that sounds like a potential focal point. The gas gage has issues only if the tank is very low (goes from 1/4 indicated to "e" almost instantly and man this beast likes to carry a LOT of COSTLY fuel). Thanks for giving me something on which to focus my interest. Luckily I have a friend who specializes in alternators so this may be an easy fix for me. I had no need to brave the cold today so I didn't look for the sensor 00Beast mentioned but since there is a gage for that I think the alternator is looking more likely. Thank you very much, I'll report in when I check it out.

PS: I became curious, the DIC says "Gages" which I'd always thought was "Gauges" according to my DIC-tionary, gages is an alternative spelling for Gauges, I guess they use that to compensate for limited space. Who knew?

[jonnevilleSSEi]

...and then I read back through the post and see that Sonoma suggested that on the first day this was posted!! OK, just to give me SOME (maybe undeserved) leeway, I was away for 2 or more months since that post. And Nick's post was chock full of useful detail too. I'll look into those things this week, but then on the 23rd. I'm out of town again for a while.

It could be coolant temp/level, oil pressure, or voltage(alternator). There is a low coolant light that should come on if it low. If the oil pressure gauge looks "normal", I would get the alternator and battery checked.

[haro1225]

I don't know about when the volts are high, but when the voltage is too low there is a red volt warning light with a picture of a battery that comes on as well.

[nickdalzell1]

according to the 1994 manual on the SSE (includes SSEi and i am unsure of the year making a diff) the battery warning light is only available on cars with the Systems Monitor (without the DIC) . without a volt gauge though it is possible. my volt gauge has red bands on the high and low sides of the gauge so i guess any reading in red would cause the same DIC alert. overcharging won't cause a dead battery (if you drive high tech cars like these too far the engine quits. doubtful it's alternator related) but can cause a problem later on with a baked set of battery plates or leaking acid. check under the hood and see if acid is leaking from the top of the battery or if the battery is warm--indications of overcharging.

i'm more likely leaning on a malfunctioning DIC (given the lamp monitor is not working right, plus the Washer Fluid with the lack of a MSD outline in the windshield area). mine falsely claims i got a tail lamp and brake lamp burned out, but i can clear it by removing the battery Negative post for a short time and reconnecting it, and it works fine for a bit. if you have a multimeter, voltmeter, check the battery at the battery posts while the car is running. also, be mindful even a tiny bit of looseness in side-post batteries can not only throw gauges and the DIC haywire, it can cause other issues like false codes stored in the OBD.

Also, at least on my car ('92 SSE) it won't chime three times over and over. it only does it when a warning is displayed while driving, or an already stored warning is still present on engine startup. it should only ding three times rapidly and stop. a nagging warning may be another case of a bad or problematic DIC

[jonnevilleSSEi]

I was driving again today and the problem was hardly noticeable. Maybe if its a slow charge, now that I'm back and driving regularly it's becoming less of an issue (I say that and then next time I get in the car it proves me wrong!)

With the other DIC related issues I'm leaning again in that direction but thanks for the detailed info on what and how to check this. I'll be visiting someone with a multi-tester experienced at that type of diagnosis on Tuesday AM so I may simply ask them to take a look with me (and benefit from learning hands on from a pro d(^_^) . Meanwhile like you said and with the other malfunctions in the DIC it is logical that is a root of the problem.

[nickdalzell1]

Many auto parts stores (such as Autozone) have free alternator and battery checks. but if it is not doing it now, try turning on a high drain accessory (like your headlights) at idle. if you hear ding ding ding and see the engine icon reappear, your alternator is probably weak. probably a regulator issue, and on these cars (i think) it is inside the alternator and not a separate part like on old cars.

[jonnevilleSSEi]

Thanks again Nick! I was driving today and think it may be material that when the car went from driving on flat terrain into hilly terrain the chiming became more of an issue. It is hard to say as it could be sheer coincidence. It does make me think that if I can't find any voltage irregularity that a fault fuel level sensor may be part of this. I'm not sure what other effects could be related to voltage inconsistencies but I suppose anything in the car with a short (and these cars have lots of electronics) could possibly be causing an issue. A shame that the SSEi doesn't have a voltage charge, I was wondering what the non-supercharged cars would have in the place where my boost gauge sits, I'm not guessing that's where you have an amps gauge and I must default to this stupid idiot light. It would be nice to have a gauge and if I did this issue might be utterly transparent!

[nickdalzell1]

if it were my car the boost gauge would sit where the voltmeter sits now.

[jonnevilleSSEi]

mini update. Had the system voltage tested yesterday and my mechanic showed me how the voltmeter indicated the battery was not supplying a full charge! (yay!). Strange since the car always started and I didn't see slow turnovers even on really cold days and no other symptoms were apparent but, the needle went into the 4th. step on the yellow zone when starting the engine and he said "Battery is going!". My challenge is fixing it and then rushing back to the office for deadlines and not knowing how things pan out. When the car started up again the symptom of the check gage was not gone yet. It did go out quickly and I thought (maybe the new battery needs to be driven to charge up first?"), also my *dang* Radio is locked though I think I have all the code info I need form the last time that happened. Next challenge is leaving on Monday for more than a month so hopefully I'll be confident that the new battery resolved the problem before I go. Once I know it's resolved I'll confirm that here.

[jonnevilleSSEi]

mini update #2, changed the battery, still getting the (*dang*) chimes. The Mechanic told me the battery was going bad AND that the alternator was fine. Anyway so at least that is resolved but the car wasn't having any notable symptoms of a bad battery (yet). Leaving PA on Monday and must spend the weekend focused on family so it looks like this will remain dormant again for a couple of months. I'm eager to try 00Beasts suggestion of disconnecting a sensor from the radiator to see if that is the issue. I'm annoyed at GM engineers right now for having this type of "idiot alert" if there isn't anything seriously wrong why does my car need to chime at me constantly. I don't plan to sell but if I did, I know potential buyers would be chopping my heart to shreds over that. Who wants a car that's constantly dinging at you? (grrr)

[jonnevilleSSEi]

Stupid Conflagdnabbit BLANK-ing DIC! (ahem)
OK, so it still unsettled. I have not yet done what Beast suggested which was to take a sensor out of the radiator. I haven't actually looked for it yet, hope it's easy to find and that it works instantly. Evidence does support cooling system related because what I'm seeing is that within 15 ~ 30 seconds of starting the engine, the check gages appears and stays on. After a few minutes (maybe less) it starts going on and off, sometimes blinking and chiming and eliciting an annoyed response from me. Within a few minutes (maybe less) it stops and usually stays silent on the remaining drive though I haven't taken long enough drives to be sure. Out of town on Monday for a while so I guess I may not have this one figured out this trip. Darn conflagnab check gages light & chimes!

[Silverjet]

Hi everyone! Does anyone know how to reset the DIC?
The display continuously shows all messages as when you turn on the ignition.
This is after repairing the DIC, but it just is not in him. I have 2 serviceable monitors, and both show the same thing. I disconnect the battery terminal, but the DIC did not reset. It may be necessary to disconnect ECM plug?

[jonnevilleSSEi]

I think the issue with the DIC's is often the "brains" behind them. They are like old people brains and while the body may still be operating, if the brain's getting wacky, not much we can do. I think the ECM for it is also pricey and not the easiest thing to access. (anyone here experienced in replacing it?) which then raises the issue of cost.) I think that new they are about $500, used may be a lot less, but can used be trusted once you go through all the labor of getting it in there? Is there a good way to test a used one or is it only tested once installed?

I had the washer fluid illuminated, replaced the sensor in that tank but unless the other sensor (used) was also bad, then it's the ecm. Same with the light monitors. If anyone has replacement brains for these please let us know more about them and how much they go for.