i was wondering is there any product out there that lets us fix our circut boards on the instrument cluster.

 

There is a conductive "marker" that will let you draw traces where some variance in resistance isn't an issue and load is low.

I'd say try radioshack, but that useless crap store doesn't sell anything good anymore.
something like this:
http://www.elexp.com/pro_3scp.htm

 

thanks ,i wondered because i've seen alot of these boards w / one or two bad spots seemed a waste throwing them away.

 

A small-wattage small-tip soldering iron is a good tool and costs only a few dollars. And a soldered point holds up much longer.

Lou

 

how small wattage and where do you think i can one?

 

any home depot or lowes or maybe even radio shack will have one. Practice a bit on non-crucial things. you'll need some solder, flux, and some solid core thin wire. maybe tweezers or something to hold it in place while you work.

 

i will check it out tomorrow, at lowes

 

I'd recommend an iron around 30 Watts (heats up decently fast, unlike the 15W model) but the crucial point for small boards is a fine tip. If your tip gets blunt and rounded, just take a grinder/file to it and turn it into a nice sharp tip, just like an old-fashioned pencil.

Hope this helps.
Lou

 

I have to disagree, you should never file or grind on a soldering tip. That's a BIG NO-NO. If it's screwed up, replace it. At $5 for a typical 15-30 watt iron, they cost less than just a tip for a decent soldering station (I just bought a 30 watt iron for $5 and bought five different tips for my Hakko soldering station for $6-$9 a piece). There is a lot of good info on soldering and soldering iron maintenance from professionals on the internet. Try searching.

As for soldering iron wattage it depends on what you are soldering. A 30 watt iron in inexperienced hands can lift traces and pads quicker than you can say it. If a 15 watt will do then that's what should be used. MUCH better yet is to buy a temperature controlled soldering station. There are much better units out there but you can get a digital station from Radio Shack for $40-$80.

As for repairing the instrument cluster, do these have the flexible plastic sheets or am I thinking about a different GM car? The flexible plastic jobs can't be soldered but the conductive marker pens may work on them.