Instrument Cluster showing worm/spider on LCD display of speedometer

[golfguykgb]

I've seen the previous posts about this anomaly but I was hoping it wouldn't happen. I left my 986 parked overnight outside in the Las Vegas Winter and woke up to the following morning to this on my instrument cluster.

My only question is do I try to wait until the summertime weather for it to fix itself or is the LCD display bad for good or is the cable ribbon only bad.

I found the cable ribbon available for sale but not sure that will fix it permanently.

Don't know if I should just bite the bullet and get the display repaired or look for a used cluster on eBay and then pay to get the mileage adjusted accordingly.

[KevinH1990]

https://www.design911shop.com/p/display-set-for-instrument-cluster-right-porsche-996---986-boxster/

If (more likely when) this happens to my cluster, my first choice would be to buy a replacement LCD like the one in this link. There may be other products available that are less expensive or better. I posted a link to the first one I found.

I've done some work on my cluster before, and I was surprised that a DIY effort was possible. You can see how to take the gauge cluster apart in this thread: https://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/43017-carrera-gauge-swap.html

Good luck.

[golfguykgb]

Thank you for the information. Hopefully another member will chime in down the road before I start this DIY project in the future.

[KevinH1990]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zClqdYWB-9s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1N9TdLCFGo&t=3s

There are videos on YouTube showing how to do the work. The presenter uses a 996 cluster, but the process will be the same for a 986 cluster.

Good luck.

[clickman]

Mine worms did partially disappear last summer, and fortunately they’re not in the way of anything important. Does anyone know what the magic temperature is that creates the worms?

[golfguykgb]

Thanks for the info on the repair video. I would love to get more feedback from other owners on this anomaly.

[997_986]

I wouldn't think too long and replace the display or have it repaired, I wouldn't speculate on a self-healing. On the other hand, it's only a cosmetic problem and if it doesn't bother you too much you can always do it after the summer. Afaik they are more robust to higher temperatures than cold.

Edit: To be honest, I like the LCtree ;-)

[Smallblock454]

It's a flower.

[997_986]

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

It's a flower.

.... trust me, it will be a tree ;-)

[clickman]

Last summer, the first after the worms having showed up, they got a bit smaller with the summer heat. But with the return of winter cold and the vehicle in storage, they really took off. So, in an effort to at least slow them down, while the garage temp hovered around lows of -5C I heated the interior from around 8am to 11pm (didn’t check temp). The worms slowly - very slowly - disappeared. It took around a week. During this process, overnight, while the heat was turned off, the worms would rebuild somewhat. Apparently once a pixel is stuck, it’s easier for the ones adjacent to do the same, hence the creation of what looks like worms.

Once they were completely gone, the garage temp went down to a low of around -7C with no return of the worms. Based on the exterior temps we had when this all started, if it got to -10 to -15C the pixels would probably have started to stick again, igniting new worms. I’ll be watching very closely next winter when the temps drop to see what the critical temp is. (Probably the older the display, the easier the pixels stick.)

The simplest way to kill worms is to leave the buttoned-up car in the summer sun for a few days.

[KevinH1990]

Originally Posted by clickman

I heated the interior from around 8am to 11pm (didn’t check temp). The worms slowly - very slowly - disappeared. It took around a week. During this process, overnight, while the heat was turned off, the worms would rebuild somewhat. Apparently once a pixel is stuck, it’s easier for the ones adjacent to do the same, hence the creation of what looks like worms.

This is a valuable piece of information. Over 10-years ago, I installed a Carrera gauge cluster in my Boxster. https://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/43017-carrera-gauge-swap.html

The cluster I used had damaged pixels which enabled me to buy it for about $150. (I think the seller was a Porsche dealer technician who obtained the cluster when it was replaced under warranty.) The damaged pixels were located on the clock/oil lcd screen beneath the fuel and temperature gauge on the right:



I had seen threads that suggested heat was a potential remedy. I spent several hours warming the damaged gauge face with a hair dryer and stored the cluster inside for a few days. I didn't notice any improvement.

I'm wondering whether heat is effective on certain patterns of damaged pixels, (e.g. long thins strands of defective pixels) and not on others. On the cluster I bought, the damaged pixels formed a dense group that made up a fairly large blotch. Perhaps the shape of the blotch prevented efficient heat transfer from "recovering" pixels to the adjacent damaged pixels. Put another way, if a recovering pixel was adjacent to only one damaged pixel, the heat transfer would be greater than if the recovering pixel had to share heat with several adjacent damaged pixels.

[clickman]

FWIW here is what my worms looked like before being exterminated.

[KevinH1990]

That seems similar to the worms on my cluster. I wonder why heat worked for you and not for me.

[clickman]

Originally Posted by KevinH1990

I spent several hours warming the damaged gauge face with a hair dryer and stored the cluster inside for a few days. I didn't notice any improvement.

Insufficient intensity and time. As I suggested, think of the heat inside the sealed cab with the summer sun.

[professorman]

Originally Posted by KevinH1990

https://www.design911shop.com/p/display-set-for-instrument-cluster-right-porsche-996---986-boxster/

If (more likely when) this happens to my cluster, my first choice would be to buy a replacement LCD like the one in this link. There may be other products available that are less expensive or better. I posted a link to the first one I found.

I've done some work on my cluster before, and I was surprised that a DIY effort was possible. You can see how to take the gauge cluster apart in this thread: https://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/43017-carrera-gauge-swap.html

Good luck.

Anyone found US suppliers of the LCDs? Or Chinese like ali express?

[Rob175]

Has anyone considered using a hair dryer pointed at the front of the dash?....or using a small ceramic space heater to heat the entire interior for hours?

Just thinking......
(my 26 yo Boxster isn't suffering this issue, but IF it were, I'd consider the above)

[Starter986]

Consider it a feature, not a bug.

Solved. For free.

[997_986]

https://986forum.com/forums/468136-post7.html

DIY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1N9TdLCFGo

[Rob175]

I certainly don't have the soldering skill that's demonstrated in the DIY video...so, while interesting to watch, I don't think I'd tackle that part myself......but impressed with those who can.

[clickman]

Originally Posted by Rob175

Has anyone considered using a hair dryer pointed at the front of the dash?....or using a small ceramic space heater to heat the entire interior for hours?

I tried a hair dryer first. There’s the plastic shield in front of the cluster not allowing the heat to get to where it needs to be. Assuming it worked without damaging the plastic it would probably take a lot longer than someone would want to spend on it.

I did the second method. (I was around while it was on and never did it overnight.) It took quite a while - about a week. That’s why I suggest to just leave the car buttoned up for a few days in the summer sun.