I've had my 2001 Cadillac Deville DHS in for a couple of repairs which have now culminated into an electrical problem with the dashboard display. I'm hoping I can get some info on this forum to help me make some decisions on what to do.

Background:

- Have noted from time to time at night that the headlights and interior dash lights will dim slightly and quickly. It's never gone black. Almost seems like something drawing a current load is kicking in and temporarily and quickly dimming everything, then going back to normal. Might be a connection issue.

- Got the 'low coolant level' warning and noted a significant coolant leak. Had the water pump and ancillary components replaced ... ~$759

- Left rear window became disengaged. Had the regulator replaced. Door panel mounts incurred damage during disassembly, but was reassembled MacGyver style. ~$350

- While still at the shop, coolant leak discovered at hose clamps to the heater core. Shop had to "remove some A/C lines in order to get at the clamps". Leak repaired. ~$280

Now, the shop tells me that some of the sensor lights come on when they start the car, but the dash display is generally black and incomplete. I have not looked at it myself.

Question 1: Can this maybe be rectified by a 'reboot'? I've read on this forum that you can leave the + and - off the battery for 20 to 30 minutes to reboot.

Question 2: Could it be an electrical contact issue, i.e. a bad plug / receptacle somewhere? If so, where would be the likely places (physically in the car and what size/color/shape) to look?

Thanks for any and all help. I've trusted this shop for almost 10 years now with all my vehicles and they're extraordinarily trustworthy and friendly. They're a small, family operation though and maybe dont have the brightest bulbs out on the shop floor. My only thought from here is to pay them what I owe them and tow the car to the Cadillac delaership .... gulp!!!

Brendan

 

yes the "reboot" is the first thing i would try. you'll need only take (-) neg off for that period. though i hope it works, ???? dont think it will. that being said, sounds like a short some place. question: is there any other gremlins running thru the interior electrics? ie, gague going wacky, door trim panel back lights fade and come back, radio, or climate control in and out?? keep the Forum posted.....
rickyd

 

See was is on and is inop. see if on board will display codes. If on board is inop ask shop what codes are stored with scanner. repost results. Also what repair was done just prior to this condition occurring.

 

So it turns out all it needed was a reboot with regard to the dash issue. The shop did the recommended "remove + and - and touch them together" routine. They reattached the battery leads and it came up fine. Interestingly, they called some sort of help-line to figure it out that they get charged $34 for. I guess it's a cheap education that I probably in turn got charged for. Oh well.

This forum is a big help. I'm definitely going to contribute where I can. Thanks for the help everyone!