cluster gauges not working

[red_ranger50]

So today in auto class. I pulled my cluster to put some led lights in for better lighting. And in then process of doing so I managed to make all my gauges not work anymore. All the lights work and all the signals and indicators work. It not a single gauge works. The oil temp gauge started working but swung backwards and stopped working also. I can't seem to find any issues. Can anyone point me in the direction to possibly trouble shoot this? Please help me real soon.

 

[RonD]

As the signal wire for each gauge is unique, I would suspect an blown fuse or a common ground wire was disconnected.

This is a link to the different wiring on Rangers
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/EDiagrams/index.htm

maybe you can find a wire or fuse they all have in common.

 

[red_ranger50]

I checked the fuses and couldn't find d anything. I was thinking a common ground but saw nothing. I'll have to take a another look thanks for the input

 

[red_ranger50]

Totally forgot to add this. My truck is a 1996 ford ranger chassis with 1998 forms ranger 3.0 motor and trans and I'm assuming wiring and dash. Everything worked fine (minus the temp gauge. Always read super high.) I don't know a ton on the trucks history due to buying it from a guy who bought it from a guy who did the swap stuff. So is there a common ground for most or all of the gauges. Cuz all my illumination lights turn signals high beam indicator battery light all work. But no gauges. No check engine light none or the other little lights.

 

[RonD]

My temp and oil pressure gauges would read high and then low, was an odd duck.
Turned out to be a loose ground strap on the firewall, strap ran from firewall to the head on the drivers side.

Temp gauge and sender are pretty easy to test, when gauges are working.
Remove the 1 wire on the sender, usually near the t-stat housing.
Turn on key, gauge should go all the way up or all the way down, either is fine.
With key still on, ground that 1 wire to engine or any near by ground.
Gauge should do the opposite of disconnected wire, so all the way up or all the way down.
If gauge doesn't do this then gauge or wiring is at fault.
If the gauge does this then sending unit is bad, if gauge wasn't working right, or sending unit is the wrong one for the gauge.
The sending unit is a resistor that changes resistance with temperature, the gauge is matched to that change, so to work correctly the changing resistance must be what the gauge is setup for.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

On the earlier models there is a voltage governor that is mounted on the back of the guage cluster. It provides about 8 pulsing volts to all the guages. The sending units are just grounds to the guages. Did you diconnect the battery before messing with the guage cluster you should get about 8 volts pulsing at all the sending units?

 

[kimcrwbr1]

I couldnt find a pic of the back of your year cluster I couldnt see a voltage govenor on the 1998 tho or a 94. They all basically work the same I think the sender provides a ground to the guage. You never know what someone did on the conversion the key provides power to the guage it goes thru the guage to ground. The senders provide resistance to ground depending on temp, pressure or level. My guess is a loose hot to the guages or a bad fuse being all the guages are not working?

 

[red_ranger50]

Yea thanks for all the input guys. Yea I checked fuses but I'll check again. Its just weird how all the illumination lights work I think. It made me think unscrewed up something on the printed circuit bored but then thought no that can be Cuz all the lights work. I'll check for loose power wires. And the ground strap on the engine block. I don't think there's one there. And no I didn't undo the battery because I was taking everything apart to test the led setup in the back. Key was off then I took it out tho.

 

[RonD]

Dash Light wiring is totally separate from gauges, otherwise you couldn't dim them
The lights not the gauges, lol.

 

[red_ranger50]

Yea I was just thinking it might be weird due to the light working and the gauges not working. Thisbisnso confusing its so dumb.