2.3L ('83-'97) SPEEDOMETER blowing #25 fuse

[jack frost]

having trouble solving this electrical issue ... here is where im at 1996 ford ranger 2.3 2wd man trans flare side.
#25 fuse continues to pop. traced wire to instrument cluster with 3 pig tails the one with 10 pins well # 7 goes to the speedometer bottom pin in the back. is it the whole speedometer needed to be replaced . i know wipers dont work and speedometer, interior light door chime,, unplug that 10 pin plug and fuse does not pop. HELP

 

[89Twincharge]

Speedo and gem module on that fuse... check engine light should be on. Gem is General electric module, computer for all the bells and wistles(wipers, power windows locks, day time running lights etc) these generally go bad before the speedo does. Believe its behind the dash passenger side, google a pic of one so you know what your looking for, start by checking the connections for corrosion or burning. Definitely get it scanned to help narrow down where the fault is... hope this helps!

 

[jack frost]

Speedo and gem module on that fuse... check engine light should be on. Gem is General electric module, computer for all the bells and wistles(wipers, power windows locks, day time running lights etc) these generally go bad before the speedo does. Believe its behind the dash passenger side, google a pic of one so you know what your looking for, start by checking the connections for corrosion or burning. Definitely get it scanned to help narrow down where the fault is... hope this helps!

here is what i done so far ,, disconnected the GEM and put in a new fuse the fuse blew again so i unplugged the 3 connector plugs in the back of cluster the fuse did not blow until i plugged in the 10 pin connector which goes to the speedometer. i took the cluster apart and changed the broke worm gear.still blows fuse but only when i plug in that connector.im not to good at this stuff but want to learn it. what do i need to do

 

[jack frost]

and no check engine light is on

 

[jack frost]

are we allowed to exchange numbers on here. i would really like to talk to someone to understand what to do better

 

[89Twincharge]

The red paper is circuit board, the areas I marked are where connectors go in, where the paper circuit folds over time can break... also if you see any burn or black areas the cluster should be replaced, also sense of smell helps because burned electronic smell is a long lasting stink so just give it a wiff

 

[jack frost]

The red paper is circuit board, the areas I marked are where connectors go in, where the paper circuit folds over time can break... also if you see any burn or black areas the cluster should be replaced, also sense of smell helps because burned electronic smell is a long lasting stink so just give it a wiff

only smelled a slight odor once. heres what i found and to my eyes i dont see a burnt spot. i removed the circut board to inspect again to me it looked ok here is some pics.

 

[jack frost]

i will back home monday if its good with you i can give you my phone number and we can talk.

 

[RonD]

Should be a white/yellow wire on pin 7 of the 10 pin connector

You will most likely have to replace the cluster, you can use a 1996-2003 cluster from any model Ranger, even one with a tach if you don't have that, wiring is there for it, plug and play

The wire is just held in place by a tab inside the connector, you can use a small screw driver or even paper clip to release pin and pull it out
Or use a piece of tape on the contact so pin 7 can't connect to metal strip then slide in connector, so you could use vehicle, without speedometer of course, until you decide what to do

It could be the motor is bad, but there is also a choke and a few resistor on the circuit, that could also be bad
Basically is a board level repair, and no one can talk you thru that, lol

Look at the 12 pin connector, pin 2, a black/white wire, thats the Ground for speedometer, test the OHMS between pin 7 and pin 2 on the cluster, that would be where the bad part is shorted to most likely

But in the long run, outside of the fun of diagnosing it, best plan is to find a replacement

 

[89Twincharge]

Almost looks like some solder has melted but hard to tell when zoomed... I'd call your local junkyard, around here there like 35- 45 beans. Car-part.com is a national junkyard database that I use alot