Help: dead clock?

[swzhao]

The clock in my Forester 2001 went dead two days ago. It became dark
and doesn't show anything.
This is weird as I never heard any car having a failed clock ~~~~~

My guess is that maybe there is a fuse for this clock and it melted?
But I don't know how to check and how to replace if it is the cause.

Please suggest. Thank you in advance!

 

[Yousuf Khan]

The clock in my Forester 2001 went dead two days ago. It became dark
and doesn't show anything.
This is weird as I never heard any car having a failed clock ~~~~~

My guess is that maybe there is a fuse for this clock and it melted?
But I don't know how to check and how to replace if it is the cause.

Please suggest. Thank you in advance!

It sounds like as if the LCD glass has broken on it. Just go to the
dealer and have it replaced, if it's important enough to you.

Yousuf Khan

 

[David Coggins]

I think this is a common problem - there have been many previous threads and
a repair method for this. Try doing a search. Here is one thread here -
http://groups.google.com.au/group/a...a997571a1bc/b121f5fafdbf5ba8#b121f5fafdbf5ba8

 

[Stefan]

I think this is a common problem - there have been many previous threads and

a repair method for this. Try doing a search. Here is one thread here -
http://groups.google.com.au/group/a...a997571a1bc/b121f5fafdbf5ba8#b121f5fafdbf5ba8

The reference above is excellent: the trouble is quite likely a failed
solder joint, either at the resistor mentioned in the link provided, or at
one of the solder pads at which provide power (and support) to the display
itself. I've had this problem as well and fixed it by resoldering the
failed joint.

 

[Tom Bavis]

The clock in my Forester 2001 went dead two days ago. It became dark
and doesn't show anything.
This is weird as I never heard any car having a failed clock ~~~~~

My guess is that maybe there is a fuse for this clock and it melted?
But I don't know how to check and how to replace if it is the cause.

Please suggest. Thank you in advance!

I repaired mine - it's apparently quite a common problem. There's a
resistor which breaks loose from the solder joint - you just need to
resolder it. Takes longer to get it out than to fix it. At worst
it's a $0-50 replacement - but you can fix it for free...

 

[ameuse]

The one in my 2002 Forester died last month. Dealer said the part was
$125 to replace it. Ouch

 

[David Buchner]

Hey! I don't suppose you have a picture of the clock showing which
resistor? Mine's been sitting on the workbench taken apart for a year
now. It would work when I ran power to the right pins -- but then
everytime I put it back together and plugged into the car it would quit
right away (after getting wiggled?) again. I recently gave up, and
bought a stick-on battery powered one, but that's not nearly as nice.

(How can a digital clock cost $50? When a mobile phone with a clock as a
screen saver costs $15? ;-)

 

[strchild]

(How can a digital clock cost $50? When a mobile phone with a clock as a
screen saver costs $15? ;-)

Because the mobile phone would look silly stuck to the roof of your car!
(-;

~Brian

 

[David Buchner]

Because the mobile phone would look silly stuck to the roof of your car!
(-;

Not *that* silly. Not $50 worth of silly (for the Impreza), and
definitely not the Forester-quoted silly. In an '02 Impreza, the clock
is a separate unit stuck in a panel in the top of the dash -- a panel I
believe was replaced with some kind of sunglasses-compartment in
Foresters of the same age. It's just yer basic green segmented-digital
clock.

But really: how long is this thing going to persist, where a "Digital
Clock!" is an expensive item treated like a super-special hi-tech
custom-fit high performance component ...just because it goes in your
car?

 

[strchild]

I'm sure the silly pricing game will continue until the rules somehow
change. If folks will pay it it'll be expensive, and if you can't get
volume sales why would the dealers lower the price! I agree that the prices
are exorbitant on most items and need adjusting, but don't know how to
remedy that, especially on import items. I usually run to the u-pull it
yard when I need something, but then, I don't drive the newer soobs, so at
least I can do just that.

~Brian

 

[Jase]

Its a pretty easy fix. I did it myself. I wrote about my experience
doing the fix on my blog. It has some pictures and information to help
you do it.

http://www.rowejason.com/2007/02/subaru-wrx-2002-digital-clock-fix.htm

 

[Jase]

Hey! I don't suppose you have a picture of the clock showing which
resistor? Mine's been sitting on the workbench taken apart for a year
now. It would work when I ran power to the right pins -- but then
everytime I put it back together and plugged into the car it would quit
right away (after getting wiggled?) again. I recently gave up, and
bought a stick-on battery powered one, but that's not nearly as nice.

(How can a digital clock cost $50? When a mobile phone with a clock as a
screen saver costs $15? ;-)






- Show quoted text -

Here is a picture.

http://www.rowejason.com/uploaded_images/broken_resister-730830.JPG

 

[David Buchner]

Here is a picture.

http://www.rowejason.com/uploaded_images/broken_resister-730830.JPG

Wow! Thanks, but... weird timing. After leaving it apart on the
workbench for months, I just happened to go and mess with it yesterday,
and it took all of 2 seconds with the soldering iron and now seems good
as new.
Except that I've lost the rubbery parts of the buttons -- the bits that
press on the circuit board...

And then, I go to look at the newsgroup after having ignored it for a
month too -- and here you are with a picture! Yep: that's the one.

Thanks to you and anybody else who posted about this. Now I can put the
cheapy battery-powered clock I bought in the pickup, instead.



Tell me -- here's a hypothesis: do you routinely drive with your
headlights on in daylight? Because we do, and that would have that
dimmer function activated all the time. Just a thought.

 

[David Buchner]

Hey. Another thought about the clock. The Foresters of the same year had
a little compartment in that spot, right? Is it the same dashboard? I
mean, would the clock module be interchangeable with the compartment?
And there was some kind of optional gauge package that could go there,
too.

By the way, and maybe I'm misunderstanding your directions, but I didn't
do any of that "take off any of the face around the radio" and such that
you show -- just pried around the seam of the clock module itself. It's
held in by four of those annoying plastic clippy deals. After the clock
failed again after the first time I messed with it, I filed those down
so it's easier to pop out. When I'm all done I'll just stick it back
down with double-faced tape or silicone or something else semipermanent.


Do you still have a link to the $6 clock on eBay? The main power in my
house is 12-volt, and these seem like they'd be nifty clock/night-lights
to put in various spots. I guess I should measure how much current it
draws while I still have it on the workbench...