4 broken guages... coincidence?

[jbreitz]

Recently bought a 92 2.3l 5spd in running but dubious condition. The main thing that annoys me is that all 4 gauges, (excluding the speedometer) haven't worked since day one. is this a coincidence, and all 4 sending units are toast? doesnt seem likely, but i havent found anything that would make me think otherwise. any thoughts?

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Usually there is a regulator that supplies voltage to all the guages it puts out about 8 pulsing volts. With the key on run check for power to all the sending units if power is there it is the sending units. If no power maybe there is a blown fuse but the regulator supplies voltage to the guages and goes thru the guage to the sending units. The sending units provide the ground to the guages. If you dont have a volt meter just take the wire to each sending unit and touch it to ground the guage for it should go max. A good schematic will tell you the wires you need to test for power to the regulator. On older vehicles the regulator is mounted on the circuit board for the guage cluster. Someone here should know for sure where to point you. Look for any blown fuses and replace them if another one blows you will need to trace down the short.

 

[jbreitz]

its not worth popping the whole cluster out... i dont need it that much.
i did check fuses, but nothing seemed to power the actual cluster, just the illumination.

 

[jbreitz]

the logical solution to this would be a faulty ground to the gauges. is there a single ground, and if so, where could i find it?

 

[Earl43P]

You'll find the grounds on the inside of each fender
2 by the starter solenoid, I believe
One on the other fender behind the reservoirs,
one on the inner radiator support, driver side by the charcoal cannister, but higher up,
one from the head to the windshield wiper motor bolt
and two at the end of the battery cable (small one is important too) the big one goes to block and frame, should be good if starter cranks and it runs.

Might also find some in the cab, below the fuse panel, behind the outer kick panels and not sure about inside the dash. My 2000 has one on the floor under the driver seat, invisible unless you remove the carpet.

The thing about Ford grounds is, they use 3 dimples in the sheetmetal. Just remove the bolt and hit those dimples with sandpaper, no need to get crazy taking paint off. Hit the terminal rings and make them bright, retighten.

 

[jbreitz]

Thanks! ill look those over when i get a free minute. its most likely the one by the fuse panel, or at least close to it. ill clean off whatever i can find and see if that helps. i'm not getting the 5v to the sending units, so this is seeming like the most likely situation.

 

[Earl43P]

Could be the ignition switch.

 

[jbreitz]

I was close with the grounding... it was a broken hot wire instead.
Alot of trouble for a simple fix. all in all, its fixed and i'm happy, thanks for the help!