You have to be persistent. Just because one step in the diagnostic
process does not solve things doesn't mean you go off in some other
direction. The cluster ground is still likely the issue. Did you look
closely at pin 3 and how it touches the blue foil? And when you say the
exact same symptoms do you mean EVERY single one of them or just some?
It is possible to have more than one problem at the same time and if
that is the case you need to chase them down in turn.

The 85 cluster is 99% the same as 86. The tiny difference is not related
to all of the symptoms you mentioned.

Mark

James Ballen wrote:
> So I finished up splicing in a new ground wire from #3 on my cluster.
> I put a female spade connector on the other end and plugged it into a
> spare terminal on one of the circular ground rings above the fusebox.
>
> Plugged the cluster back in and fired up the van.
>
> No change!!!
> Same exact symptoms.
>
> So frustrating!
>
> Do you think that finding a cluster from an actual '86 van would make
> any difference?
> ...both the ones I've been trying are from '85's.
>
>