Fixing overhead console

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Pat in RI

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2024
Messages
29
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21
What engine do you have?
V6 engine
What year is your Sport Trac?
2003
What Generation is your Sport Trac?
1st Gen Owner
I've replaced the hood struts, the instrument cluster lights, the cruise control switches and decided to try and fix the temp and direction display. I found a video on YouTube and, with my shaky hands did a poor but serviceable job soldering the pair of 510 pancake resistors. It was easy to detach the console and the display is working properly. You need a 2 mm torx head to undo all of the screws behind the shroud. Here is a before and after
 

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Nice work, but I think you need to get the soldering gun a little hotter. The globs that are not smooth are the give away. A little more heat and the glob will flow, has nothing to do with shaky hands, you did keep the solder with the resistors, so nice work.

Common Soldering Problems | Adafruit Guide To Excellent Soldering |  Adafruit Learning System
 
I've replaced the hood struts, the instrument cluster lights, the cruise control switches and decided to try and fix the temp and direction display. I found a video on YouTube and, with my shaky hands did a poor but serviceable job soldering the pair of 510 pancake resistors. It was easy to detach the console and the display is working properly. You need a 2 mm torx head to undo all of the screws behind the shroud. Here is a before and after
i will try this.
 
Hey Pat, good job. This is what I guess I need to do with my 2004 trac as it no longer works.
Thanks
Good luck. Apply a little flux to the ends of the510 resistors before you apply the rosin core solder. Take a pic if it works. Mine is still up and running. It's a fun truck to work on.
 
Chucksos, when you remove the console from the truck to repair it, be careful. When mine failed, one of the resistors had completely fallen off the board, and was loose in the enclosure. The resister is small enough to fall out of the plastic enclosure. When I repaired mine, when I opened up the enclosure, the resistor was gone. I got real lucky, found it on the garage floor. Real lucky!
 
Ive fixed a bunch.... Once you do it, its like riding a bike...
 
Chucksos. What temp is it when you drive your ST to the NE. Did you fix it and then drive around in circles( to calibrate it, of course).
Hope you got it fixed.
 
I went to open my console to see if the resistors were the problem since the display would not come on at all. I got the board out and sure enough one of the 510 resistors was hanging on and when I got the board out it broke off, it looked completely burnt anyway so I was going to have to replace it. But a bigger problem was the lightbulbs in the console had burned the receptacles, so I have to replace those as well. Anybody know where I can find upper console light connectors/receptacles?
 
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