Instrument panel

[fishnmaine]

Hello again,



This is kinda an extension from my previous post on the VSS. Now I think its something else. Before my speedo problem a few weeks back I had a fuel gauge issue and still do...When filled reads correctly. when it goes down to half then the gauge goes nuts. it'll go below E . turn the key off and on then it works. sometimes the needle flutters on E like when you have a dead battery. but then stops. then it reads normal etc etc. Then the speedo issue. it works 80 percent of the time. Yesterday it was stuck on 20 miles per hour while driving. then I shut it off. and stayed on 20. Started driving again slowly goes back down to 0 then all of the sudden back to normal. Now for these two things to happen in a matter of weeks something tells me panel failure.

Maybe not...diagnosing this I bet is trying to find a needle in a hay stack. What do you guys think. I didn't replace any sensors yet.

 

[Vic Sorlie]

Speaking of dead batteries, what's condition of yours? I'd get it checked first, along with inspecting the battery cables.

 

[fishnmaine]

Battery is a few years old and cables are fine and it cranks over fine. That was the first thing I checked.

 

[Lloyd Ledford]

sounds like a bad cluster

 

[EddieS'04]

Did you actually have the battery load tested.?

If not do it. Some of our gen 1 tracs are very sensative to electrical gremlins. With a slightly weak batteries. Iam on my 3rd battery, on my '04, counting the factory one.. Both times it sounded good while cranking. I was getting gremlins though. Door locks, radio various lights, etc. Then one day I noticed the cranking speed had barely droped. Load tested the battery, and it was going bad. Both times the gremlins stoped, with a new battery. So dont go by battery age. Odd thing for me, is. The gremlins are never the same. So it makes it hard to say. The cluster is one gremlin, I didnt' have from a weak battery or dirty cable on mine. I think we have had a couple of members did though.



Also were the cables visualy ok, or did you clean them. It can be the silly little things. It may not be pannel failure. Might be the harness connection on the pannel. Loose or a ground wire in the jack. Maybe the pannel fuse is not tight or good contact. Hopeully not the the whole cluster, but you never know until verifying the simples. From what you have reported I dont suspect sensors. I have been wrong though. Just dont repeat I said that...LOL....GL

 

[fishnmaine]

But while your driving low battery or not doesn't the Alt make up the difference. Would your gauges be normal.

 

[Yardsale]

The alternator doesn't really make-up the difference - the vehicle runs off the alternator and it charges the battery (from use starting the engine and whatever else it powered when the engine wasn't running, or didn't have high enough RPMs to fully power).



If your alternator is functioning properly, then it will provide enough power for the gauges, etc.



Have you cleaned the battery connections (just do it - it's cheap, easy and fast) and looked for shorts or a bad ground?

 

[fishnmaine]

I did clean them. it seemed to reset the fuel gauge works fine then acts up again. The speedo worked fine today. But just drove for 5 minutes. I'll check the other end of the ground cable tomorrow.

 

[Yardsale]

Gremlins!

 

[fishnmaine]

Well gas gauge still acts up and speedo was fine this morning but the afternoon it was 7 mph off. when I stop the needle stops at 10 give or take. turn the truck off still sits at 10 turn the ignition on gas gauge needle flutters....I did this a couple of times is I disconnect the battery cable reset it back and all is good its like it resets the panel...drive off all good shut truck off when it sits for a while acts up again until i disconnect the battery cable rests again all fine. and on and on.....and i see no signs of corrosion on the cable ends.

 

[Bruce Looney]

I recently had similar problems with my '04 cluster. Erratic fuel gauge, no temp, tach, speedo, odo and a CEL. Smack the dash and everything worked again, well for about a month or two. Then it stopped altogether. $900 and some change later I have a new cluster installed.