Ford trucks are one of the best-selling trucks out there. “Built to last.” However, they have one small problem that can become a major problem. They goofed when it came to creating an instrument cluster for any of the 2002-2007 Ford super duty trucks. This includes the Ford F250, F350, F450 and the F550 as well as 2002-2005 Ford Excursion trucks.
When Ford designed the instrument cluster, they ran all of the accessories through it. This means if your instrument cluster begins to fail, so does everything else. It also means that if you unplug the cluster, you cannot drive the truck and that the cluster could actually create a battery drain issue if not resolved.
A common symptom of a failing instrument cluster includes intermittent power to the cluster itself. When this happens, the gauges may begin to read incorrectly or not at all. Don’t confuse this with a faulty sensor. If you have a fuel gauge that is giving you trouble, your best bet is to check your fuel pump and the sending unit that is located on that. It likely may need to be replaced. If you have done that and still have issues, then let’s look at the cluster.
With the intermittent power, you may also lose all of the gauges at once and then they may come back on. Other symptoms might include a loss of power to your radio, door switches, and interior lights. If these begin to happen, you need to look at your speedometer cluster as the culprit. Because of failing internal components on the circuit board, all of these problems can begin to occur in your super duty truck.
Another issue that you may experience is a battery drain. If you are having issues with not being able to keep your battery charged, then you will want to look at a few items.
- Your instrument cluster can cause a battery drain when it begins to fail. However, it is typically associated with one of the above-stated issues as well, not necessarily by itself.
- If you own a 2007 or similar model, check your radio. The CD player is known to also cause a pretty hefty draw on the battery if it fails.
- Your ignition can also go bad occasionally, which would continue to tell the truck to stay on and keep your battery working when you have assumed it to be shut off.
- Door switches. In some vehicles, if your door switch goes bad it will allow the accessories and lights to stay on, not telling the truck that the door has been shut.
Please note that if your radio and lights STAY ON after the truck has been turned off, this is likely not the cluster. The instrument cluster will cause the opposite effect, not allowing you to turn on your radio or work your door switches and lights.
Any of this sound familiar to you? No worries. Auto Tech Rescue can fix these issues in just a day. We specialize in the repairs of instrument clusters and other vehicle components such as the trailer brake module on the dash and overhead message centers that contain your compass and outdoor temperature for Ford trucks. While Ford is “built to last,” they did leave some room for error when it came to electronics. That is where we come into play. Send your faulty equipment to us. We will repair it with a one day turn around and send it right back.
If you have any question, please feel free to contact our customer support anytime to ask about our services that we offer. We are happy to help however we can!
2002-2004 Ford Super Duty Cluster Repair
2005-2007 Ford Super Duty Cluster Repair
2002-2005 Ford Excursion Cluster Repair
Trailer Brake Module Repair
Overhead Message Center Repair