There are 3 types of LCD: transmissive that rely on a backlight, reflective that rely on reflection of ambient light, and transflective that allows it to be seen by either or both: https://caltronind.com/articles/transmissive-transflective-reflective-lcd-displays

Since yours does not have a backlight it is reflective or transflective. That's why it needs a mirror surface.

LCD elements, be they pixels or bars, cannot be seen without light. LED's can be seen without additional light.

There are 3 leds on the board behind the lcd, so it sounds like transflective is the way to go. I never knew lcds had so much going on.

 

Update: I have received the reflective film but the polarizing film delivery seems to have been delayed due to the fires in California, where it was being shipped from. Looking forward to the next step in this project.

 

Alright, so I was finally able to replace the polarizing film and transflective film. I tested the polarizing film before applying to make sure it was correctly oriented. I successfully soldered the lcd to the board and cleaned up any remaining solder. The good news is that the display is working better than before. I can see the active segments better, not perfect but better. The bad news is that there are enough segments that will not activate which continues to make it unreadable. This is a display that is used to show hours. I think from time to time I will be able to make out what hours are showing but most of the time I will not. I'm afraid the display has been previously exposed to heat to the point of permanent damage. The only other option I can think of is replacing the lcd itself; I just can't seem to find one that fits.

I want to thank each of you for your time, patience, and knowledge. I still can't get over the intelligence I have seen on this forum. It's amazing. It's not all for nothing though as I have learned a great deal.

I am open to suggestions and willing to learn if there are any other ideas.

Attached is the best picture I could get of the display. It looks a little better in person.

 

Glad it worked a little. I would install an aftermarket Hobbs meter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbs_meter). Google shows some for about $13. I do not use any of my implements that much in a single year. My mower may be an exception. So, I track all the hours religiously, and change oil every 50 to 75 hours or 2 years, whichever comes first. Your manual may say 100 hours, but that is for a machine that is used regularly.

 

Bummer! I thought we might have a winner.. Well done to drill down this far. Someone else might find this thread and have success. Thanks for the feedback.