Combination meter capacitor

Oh the humanity.

 

Textbook cold solder joints.

 

Yes, if you can do so without damaging the circuit board. You are using a through-hole capacitor on a board that was designed for surface mount capacitors. Use the shortest leads on the capacitor possible, so that the capacitor is not floating so high above the board. Heat the PCB pad and apply just a little solder. Then hold the capacitor lead on the pad and heat the lead so that the heat flows through the solder and to the pad. When you are done, the solder should have a smooth shiny finish and there should be no solder bits clinging to the lead above the board.

In summary, use less solder, and make sure the soldering iron adequately heats the capacitor lead and the PCB pad.

 

A soldering gun is the wrong tool for this job because the tip typically will be much too large. Ideally you would use a 25W soldering iron with a very sharp tip so that you can precisely apply heat.

 

it helps to clean the tip, dip it in flux and pre solder it.

 

Soldering is a kind of art, it takes the right tools and practice. I learned to solder when I was in the service on aircraft electrical connectors.
It doesn't always go the way you plan.
I just hope what you did works and you can move on. You saved yourself some money.

 

You want to clip the leads as short as you are comfortable with, then make a 90 degree bend on the end of each lead so that it has "feet". Solder feet to the pads of the board, this will give you a lot more surface area and strength to the joint.

Make sure the solder flows through the joint before taking the heat away. You also want to tin the pads, tin the "feet" on the ends of the leads and tin the tip of that iron. The way it looks in the picture, it looks like it won't work at all. Turn it off, sand the cone area with sand paper until you see shiny metal, turn it on and when it's hot apply solder to it until it is all covered with solder that flows all over the cone of the tip. then and only then attempt to solder. Otherwise you'll be fighting an uphill battle.

Once the tip of the iron is tinned (covered with solder without spots that are black and won't take solder), then tin the leads of your cap on the ends (the "feet") and clean up and tin the pads on the board. By this I mean apply solder to the leads away from the board. Just apply a small amount of solder to the part that is going to be soldered. Heat it up with an iron and touch the solder to the lead. It will melt and flow all over the lead. Less is more. You don't want a glob, just an even thin coat. Do the same for the pads without the cap. Just load them with solder and let cool.

Then with a clean solder tip (still tinned, but without junk on it. Use a damp sponge to wipe it clean before using) melt a tiny piece of solder onto the tip, place the cap on its pads and touch the tip to the tinned "foot" hold it there until you see the solder flow and liquefy completely, then remove the tip of the iron and continue to hold the cap in place for a few seconds. After it cools repeat for the other "foot".

 

Excellent write-up!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Why aren't a moderator Bisco? It's obvious you and Sam Spade think you run the show and should be moderators. I reported your comment because it offended me and it wasn't helpful to the OP. All the best!

LG-M153 using PriusChat mobile app

 

You've done a great job. Do not let the spectators spoil your day. Most of the people commenting couldn't even get to the combo meter, let alone get it out, and they would have paid to have it done. Welcome to Prius Chat and thanks for the great topic and including pics. Idk where or how to post things yet either. I'm sure reporting you was not the best way to redirect you. Any Prius could need this repair and I found your post to be helpful and informative. Car to share the resources you used to get your dash out and how you identified the cap that needed changed? Thanks in advance. -Derek

LG-M153 using PriusChat mobile app

 

You may want to cool your jets, there. The original post was originally posted in the Gen 1 section, which was a mistake. The post was reported to bring that to attention of moderators and move it to the Gen 2 section. Being reported like that was not an act of aggression or reprisal. This combination meter issue is particular to Gen 2 cars and is a well known issue with lots of threads describing the process of repair. OP most likely used those resources to do his repair and post about it. That's great and I am very happy for the OP's success in this, but I fail to see what was so offensive in Bisco's action of moving the post to the appropriate forum.

Put the safety on and holster it, please. This is a perfectly peaceful discussion here.

 

i think you are confuse. i reported the post so a moderator would move it to the proper forum, so that gen2 owners would see it. i stated the reason in the post you quoted, and move it to the proper forum. then the o/p got help from many experts, why is that offensive to you?

 

I'm aware that we will be reported if we don't know where and how to post. A moderator explained it to me. Thanks

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I didn't know that's how things are done here. I personally won't post anymore until I know how and where to post. My apologies.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

It's not a punishment, it's just to keep things organized.