• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

Instrument cluster goes crazy Goldilocks issue


eddiep120

New Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
I've been putting up with this issue for over a year now, where the instrument cluster will go nuts after the truck has been on for about 30 minutes or so. What happens is, the gauges (spedo, tach, fuel, engine temp) will drop all the way down, all of the instrument lights will flash on, then the gauges will return to normal and the lights will go back off. Initially when it started happening it would only do this once or twice on an hour and a half drive, but became more and more frequent to the point where it looks like the needles are just bouncing and the lights are blinking.

I took note of when it started to occur and it seems to me that when the temperature inside the truck was warm or cold it would begin doing this. If its 40 degrees outside before you start the truck it wont do it until it heats up inside the truck. If it's 30 or 80 degrees outside it'll be doing it as soon as you turn the key in the ignition (even without starting the truck).

When the issue exists prior to starting the truck, when you turn the key it wont start unless you time it perfectly in-between when its flipping the lights on and off. (this is a newer development as this problem has gotten worse and worse). Additionally, when the car warms up for about 5 mins the issue goes away but comes back once it becomes warmer in the truck. When it does this while driving, it doesn't affect driveability or anything (cruise control, windows, locks, radio, lights all work).

I had been willing to live with this issue for a while but now that it's gotten so bad that I have issues starting the truck I've been trying to figure this out. After reading some forums I've checked the battery and alternator. The battery had full charge but tested bad at autozone so I bought a new one but that didn't fix the issue. The alternator tested good. I just got done checking for a parasitic draw but everything looks good (I waited 40 minutes or so to macke sure the antitheft and everything turned itself off and it came up 0s). I also tried jiggling the wires to the cluster and any other wires related to the ignition, tried jiggling the key cylinder as well and nothing seems to recreate the problem or resolve the problem.

Is there anything else that I should check out? At this point should I replace the cluster and see if that was the problem? Do I need to have the computer flashed if I install a new cluster? Is it necessary that I have a dealer reset the odometer on the new cluster?
 


ericbphoto

Overlander in development
TRS Event Staff
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
U.S. Military - Veteran
TRS 20th Anniversary
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
GMRS Radio License
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
15,200
Reaction score
16,339
Points
113
Age
59
Location
Wellford, SC
Vehicle Year
1993
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
3.0 V6
Engine Size
3.0L
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
6"
Tire Size
35"
My credo
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are different.
It sounds to me like a loose connection. The part regarding temperature makes it seem more specifically like a cold solder joint or loose connection on a circuit board in the cluster. There are people here who are more familiar with the newer vehicles. Just make sure you include vehicle info such as year and model. More info is better although I don't think engine and transmission info will matter in this problem.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 

eddiep120

New Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
Thanks for the reply!

The truck is a 2007 Ranger 2WD 2.3L, Manual trans.

I did try banging on the dash while it was doing this, it didn't seem to create any reaction but maybe I just didn't notice or maybe I didn't smack it hard enough.

I'm gonna pull the cluster back out and see if I can find any bad connections and report back.
 

eddiep120

New Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
okay, so I checked the connections on the circuit board and they seemed okay to me but I went ahead and re-soldered them anyway cause it was kind of hard to tell on a few.
I reinstalled the cluster and there was no change. It's cold out right now where I'm at, and as soon as I turned the key the lights were all flickering like I described earlier. They were flickering so frequently that I couldn't get the truck to start until I got a lucky turn of the key.
Any ideas?
 

eddiep120

New Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
Update:
Over the past few days I re-checked all the grounds with a multimeter, they tested fine but I did clean the connections where there was rust and stuff anyway. No change in the issue but with the grounds checking out in the multimeter test I wasn't too surprised.

I've gone ahead and purchased a used cluster on ebay and it should be coming by next week. Hopefully this resolves the issue but if not could this be caused by a relay or something?

I'll report back if anything changes or if the issue is resolved.
 

eddiep120

New Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2018
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
Problem solved...

I got the cluster off of ebay and plugged it in - no flashing lights. Plugged the old one back in - flashing lights. At that point it was clear the cluster was the cause of the issue.

I had to bring it to the mechanic down the street to reprogram the keys to the new cluster. If anyone is interested to know, a typical mechanic can't reset the mileage apparently only dealers can do that and it's pretty expensive. I just had the mechanic write down the mileage on the old cluster and the new cluster on the invoice so if I ever need to sell the car the customer will know the total miles.
 

ericbphoto

Overlander in development
TRS Event Staff
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
U.S. Military - Veteran
TRS 20th Anniversary
VAGABOND
TRS Event Participant
GMRS Radio License
Joined
Feb 7, 2016
Messages
15,200
Reaction score
16,339
Points
113
Age
59
Location
Wellford, SC
Vehicle Year
1993
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
3.0 V6
Engine Size
3.0L
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
6"
Tire Size
35"
My credo
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are different.
congratulations!
 

rdsrds123

New Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Messages
137
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Vehicle Year
2007
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
2.3
Transmission
Manual
Your problem with the dash cluster seems like a problem I'm having. Has your fix held up? You can see my problem in a post called" wacked out check engine light."
 

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Staff online

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Truck of The Month


Kirby N.
March Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Top