Cavalier Odometer Light

Alright i know that this is a big issue. We have had many going out after various types of installs. We let the customers know for every cavalier we bring in. Not really an issue because most customers don't care. However, recently they have become annoying. We brought one in for a deck(everything normal), and the installer started on the drivers side(taking the panel off). The odometer light worked when we pulled it in. He popped off the far left panel and decided to put the key to try to find out when the light actually goes out. To our amazment the light went out. Just from popping the one panel. We couldn't believe it. My question is why does this happen. I understand that it's caused from vibration, but not to sure why the littlest tap would make it go out. What has everyone been doing to prevent this.

The light can go out for two reasons. The likely cause in your example is that the filament in the bulb broke. It is a small bulb that backlights the odometer and as we all know bulbs do wear out. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is unfortunate that you seem to encounter it too often. I have the smae problem with customer's Pontiac radios. They blow display bulbs all the time. The other reason may be due to an incorrect radio or data module in the vehicle. If the lamp lead isn't correctly wired it could cause the backlighting circuit in the dash to stop working.

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sparky

Its pretty common in the Cavaliers...Ive heard that a swift smack to the gauges makes it come back on for a while...