Possible Electrical Problem 1990 Trofeo

Hey everyone,

I am the proud new owner of a 1990 Toronado Trofeo and have experiencing some problems related to the VIC and the instrument cluster. The problem usually occurs in the morning when I am first strarting the car up for the day. Basically what happens is my instrument cluster (gas gage, speedometer, oil pressure, ect..) will cease to funtion save for the RPM gauge. Also, all warning lights will light up (Check Engine Soon, ABS, Security). However, after a short period of time I will see a message flash on the VIC and it happens so fast that the only thing I can see is something about Electrical then it goes away and the instrument cluster begins working again. I would also like to point out that the Air Conditioning and left side speakers arent working. I am not sure if this has anthing to do with the problem I am having, but figured extra information wouldnt hurt anything. Does anyone have any suggestions on what this might be?

Your cluster needs to be repaired. This is a common problem with the Toronados from the 1990-1992 era. they sell them on Ebay or you can contact one of the professionals to get yours repaired. The speaker is a separate issue.

I have a GM Yazaki rebuilt 90 Trofeo cluster if you are interested email me at trofeo92@msn.com I also have my own website at trofeoparts.com with 18 Trofeo parts cars! Yazaki was the original designer for the Trofeo instrument cluster!

Thanks for the response

Thanks for getting back to me. So your saying that the guage cluster needs to be replaced and this should take care of the problem? Also, do you have an Idea of what could be causing the problem with the speakers?

Fusible Link..

This thread sounds like what I had!

Once a gremlin gets in the dash cluster its hard to find. There are many parts running this system. The first is a transformer (under the center glove box) that is hard to get at unless you take out the center console followed by the dash cluster, VIC, BCM, etc.

The BCM could also be an issue and the VIC and VIC computer (radio controls). If your Cluster is going out then (from what I have seen and heard) the rest of the system seems to fail due to the wake up signal not working correctly (electrical issue).

I replaced the following parts in my 1990 Trofeo (at that time had the money);

1. BCM
2. ECM (not sure why)
3. VIC
4. Dash Cluster
5. Transformer
6. VIC Computer module

Nothing worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sure the car started and I had the RPM gauge and a front window defrost (default when there is dash issues as that is a safety issue).

I was very heated and ready to give up. I went into my shop manual, started trouble shooting the components and found they all worked. Well finally my last thought was maybe I am just not getting power to the components.

That's when I turned to the power source and found a handful of fusible links. So I test each one with my 35 dollar volt meter on the ends after the fuse and found one that had no power at all. I went to Auto Zone bought two pack of fusible links for 1.95 and installed it. I turned the key to on and the darn thing lit up like a Christmas tree. Holy crap! Spent over 1500 dollars in parts and it turned out to be a 1,95 part. Not saying that is your problem.

Mr Wizard in North Dakota repairs these clusters and can give you advice to trouble shoot your system if the dash is not the issue. He will only charge you to clean it up if that is the issue. He helped me with my 1987 Toronado dash. I sent him my dash and he told me that wasnt the issue and that the transformer was most likely the culprit. He cleaned it and helped me from banging my head against the wall.

I am not sure if anyone else is experiencing this issue but it helped me to determine what was wrong and I want others to avoid what I did with my 90 Toronado.

interior light stays on

Hello.............Wondering if anyone could tell what is wrong with my 1990 trofeo.... When I am driving down the road the interior lights stay on, I can pull the number 5 fuse in the glove box, but when I do that, it kills the heater,all the gauges, the twilight signal and the interior lights.. When I put the fuse back in I can hear a click, but it only clicks once.... Wondering if anybody knows what is wrong... Any help would be great Thanks