Instrument cluster help

[wingcmdr]

So I pulled my cluster out to do an LED mod and take the blue 'paint' off the back of the faces, which entails removing the needles. Got the blue off of the faces and the faces back on, lightly attached the needles and put the cluster back in the truck with the stock bulbs for now until my LEDs get here.

Here's the problem, with the cluster plugged up, none of the guages work, the tach will occasionally jump just a little bit if the engine is revved, it'll like snap up to about a 1000 higher rpm, then snap back down to where it was. Also, now all the backlights won't come on either, they check engine lights and all those still work though.

I need help figuring out how to fix this ASAP please, and I don't have the money to buy a new cluster, so please don't suggest that lol. I'm open to all ideas.

Oh, and no blown fuses either and it's a 1997 Merc Mounty

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Check the connector for broken solder joints, and the plug to see if there is paint inside.

 

[wingcmdr]

Thanks for the welcome! So I went back and pulled it back out of the truck and pulled the gauges out of the housing, checked everything on them, then reinstalled them in the housing making sure I had them fully and firmly seated and put it back in the truck and they're working now thankfully. Now I just have to calibrate everything.....fun fun yeehaw! Hahaha, glad I don't have to buy a new cluster

 

[wingcmdr]

And the backlights still won't come on but I think they all are blown now from messing around with it, which is fine since my red LEDs should be here Monday