How to repair my display?

**Rick Lee** · 06-20-2007, 06:25 PM

I have an 8500 X50, blue display. I mounted it on my motorcycle for a roundtrip ride to Cleveland this past weekend. Yesterday I got caught in a torrential downpour of Biblical proportions. I got rained on so hard, my boots filled up with water in under 5 min. Anyway, my RD went dead. I had an earpiece and heard it make some funny noises. When I stopped to get myself together after it stopped raining, my RD was just fine, except there was no more display. Since I got a ticket on the way out to OH, I really wanted my RD for the ride back, so I kept it running. It saved me once or twice more too. So is there anyway I can bring my display back to life? It's totally dark.

**insidercw3** · 06-21-2007, 03:17 AM

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I have an 8500 X50, blue display. I mounted it on my motorcycle for a roundtrip ride to Cleveland this past weekend. Yesterday I got caught in a torrential downpour of Biblical proportions. I got rained on so hard, my boots filled up with water in under 5 min. Anyway, my RD went dead. I had an earpiece and heard it make some funny noises. When I stopped to get myself together after it stopped raining, my RD was just fine, except there was no more display. Since I got a ticket on the way out to OH, I really wanted my RD for the ride back, so I kept it running. It saved me once or twice more too. So is there anyway I can bring my display back to life? It's totally dark.

Open up the unit, remove the case, and let it air dry for a day. The Display should be hermetically sealed, though life on a bike may in fact break that seal. Anyway, once you've removed the case just inspect the solder joints at the display pins. A Q-tip and some denatured alcohol can be used to clean corrosion, or flux residue from the pins. If air drying, cleaning away noted corrosion doesn't do it, it's off to Escort for repair.

**Stealth 795** · 06-21-2007, 03:11 PM

The heck with all that, it may have still worked ok to your knowledge, but I would send it in with a letter stating what happened, Might be more to it than you think !!

**Rick Lee** · 06-21-2007, 06:24 PM

Just took it apart and there is a lot of crud around the solder joints behind the display and in one corner near it. I noticed no wetness at all though. I used a magnifying glass and exacto knife to chip some of it away and them rubbed some more away with a q-tip and isopropyl alcohol, which is all I had handy. Hope it works.

**Stealth 795** · 06-21-2007, 07:44 PM

If it doesnt I hope you didnt void your warranty bye opeing it up

**Rick Lee** · 06-21-2007, 08:16 PM

I doubt it's still under warranty. I've had it at least two yrs.

**TSi+WRX** · 06-22-2007, 05:19 AM

http://www.radardetector.net/viewtop...39&highlight=#

^ I honestly don't know if this'll help much or not.

In any case, though I'm not a motorcycle rider ( I've always wanted a bike, but the wife would kill me :P ), as a Clevelander, I feel that I should at least say "sorry" for the storm that you got caught in.

That was *some* rain!

Best of luck on your fix!

If you're un-successful, you might want to give Escort a call. Some repair costs are outrageous, others, though, quite reasonable.

Again, best of luck!

**insidercw3** · 06-22-2007, 05:37 AM

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I doubt it's still under warranty. I've had it at least two yrs.

It's not under warranty, the Escort warranty is 1 year, besides that, unless you can sweet talk CS, water damage isn't typically covered anyway.

Unfortunately for you, it is most likely that the rain water shorted out the supply V for the display and you'll have to send it in for repair.