So I took a chance on a clean looking Fluke 8840a that had the AC-09 and the GPIB options. Checked things over, powered it up and no display. Did the power transformer re-flow and went through the manual with a meter and a scope. All voltages and waveforms looked spot on. I did notice my 4.8vac supply to the VFD was at 5v. I read across the connector (J203, pins 1 & 2) going to the VFD board itself - wide open.
I then pulled the entire meter apart to get to the display and this is what I found...
The front panel looks clean and the unit does not look like it's been opened or worked on.
So - anyone have a display assembly they'd like to part with?