Ford Windstar Instrument cluster repair dancing needles F150
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- Опубликовано: 19 май 2015
- this is how I fixed the dancing gauges problem on a ford Windstar 99. will also work on ford f150 with similar dash. cracked solder joints on the board is all it is. also don't put a used cluster in. it has to be programed and your vehicle will now start. just re solder the connections and your good to go.
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I would like to say that I took the dash out of my 2002 Ford Windstar after watching your video. I am proud to say that after I soldered the joints on the cluster board my gauges are no longer dancing. I thank you for the information. It worked great for me.
great. glad it worked out for you.
I thank you for the info, I pulled the instrument cluster, soldered all the pins..... Put it together and even super glued the broken RPM meter needle back on and slammed it back into the car with only two extra screws and turned the key.... everything works! No dancing guages! yes!!! Thank you for the video. The whole job took about two hours.
GREAT. This was REALLY helpful. We just fixed our 03 Windstar with same problem. It was exactly as you said. Little tricky getting the cluster around the steering wheel, but it was a easy fix once it was out. No more banging on the dash now. The dealer wanted hundreds to fix this. Thanks so much.
My instrument cluster seems to be keeping the beat to an AC/DC song! Thanks so much for putting this online!
Your repair worked perfectly, thanks and I'm not used to internet solutions working so well
Very good video presentation. I was just about to buy an used cluster but your advice confirmed my doubts.
I will proceed to resolder my faulty one with confidence. Thanks for posting this video. Live long and prosper....!!!!
Thank you very much.
I just performed the repair, so far so good.
Again, great video, very useful.
Following the leads of others I also took apart my Windstar 2000's instrument panel but found no loose solder joints or connectors. Initial disassembly seemed to fix the problem but only temporarily. Subsequently I discovered that there were several connectors that connect the gauges to the motherboard that serve as electrical contacts between them and the board; they look like variable resistors but in fact they were more like spring loaded contacts.
Over time these contacts got oxidized and became intermittent. I simply applied some anti-oxidation grease on them and use a pair of pliers to twist them back and forth to renew the contacts. This time the fix seemed to last. It has been at least 6 months now and the problem never appeared again.
I hope this helps someone.
hmmm. good tip. thanks. don't forget to like and subscribe.
Nghi Nguyen oh my ours keeps blowing fuse out dang need help in AZ
Thank You After a trip to my local mechanics and they pulled it for me and I did the soldering they put it back in and its working fine
great.
This will be my project on my next day off, thanks for the info
I was a certified delco cluster reman center tech. Caton radio baltimore md. I.also fixed ford . delco and chrys. Radios
Inpected both boads. Did find a few bad connections. What I also found interesting is th fact u have go through a lengthy procedure just to replace. A cluster lamp too. All working now. Note mine would get really bad on hot days. Indicating faulty joint.
I did this very procedure this morning and the dancing needles seem to have gone away. Hope this holds up. Good video.
Markepling thanks. don't forget to like the video and subscribe.
This looked like what I needed to stop my dancing gauges on my 2000 Windstar. Close inspection by three people could find no cracks. I had noticed that whacking the dash would often restore normal function, which could indicate a loose connection. Noting that the large board came off the cluster quite easily, I pinched the sockets on the board that make the connection to the instruments and now have normal function again with no recurrence of dancing gauges. You might consider this approach if you can't find any cracks.
douglas christie yea clean the connections with contact cleaner.
It's a good precaution when working on all this hi-tech automotive electronics to disconnect the battery when unplugging and reconnecting the connectors into the cluster. Otherwise you might cause a voltage transient to be introduced into the cluster during unplugging or re-plugging, which could damage either the cluster itself or some associated electronics like the engine computer.
Also, when you solder this stuff you need to take precautions against static electricity being discharged into the electronics and damaging sensitive components. I use an inexpensive conductive static mat and a wrist band to ground the work surface, the soldering iron and myself to eliminate static electricity.
Joe knows, in my former life I was a Quality Engineer in a electronic mfg. company. Good advice.....don't make thing worse.
My speedo is bouncing / jumping around in my 04 e-350 van and my transmission shifts hard. Its intermittent. I scanned and got a P0721 OSS. I changed the sensor but still same issue. Possibly a solder joint? Thanks
Yeah, I have one doing the same thing.
Yup found the first four pins that you showed to be poor joints on my 2003 and have yet to put back in at this time...soldered them up and the rest of the main pins on that connector...very cheap on that pin section the rest are better designed...will finish tomorrow in the light...used epoxy to glue a black plastic block from a hard drive pinout about 5/16" from pivot button...for a stop point at 8k rpm so it never flops over again after the fix...still looks dressy......tested all the joints for isolation to target wires with beeper on multitester.. just to make sure we haven't overlapped solder somewhere...used di-electric gel on the mainpin section for the front panel if there is any issues I will repost...if not we're done...and happy...
Those black plastic blocks are called jumpers. Appreciate the info and any updates.
Hi. If the Tach needle is mechanically stuck all the way up is it possible to get it loose without breaking it?
the stepper motor that moves the needle probably failed. so moving it might not do anything.
It turns out that when the tach needle went all the way around and got stuck in the shift indicator it wasn't broken but it was bent and badly out of calibration. Once I freed it up I bent it back straight again and then I re-calibrated it and now it works fine. To calibrate it you basically have to hold the needle counterclockwise against the stop pin and turn the key on so the electronics in the cluster can learn where zero is.
Took out cluster panel to check solders and nothing was wrong. No cracks or anything, but the cluster panel still goes all wonky. Can I replace a cluster panel or no because of VIN and mileage?
im pretty sure it has to be programmed to the vehicle for it to start.
bam6972 I thought so. Thanks.
The pins are pretty small and there can be tiny cracks that won't be visible without a microscope. Is the problem happening all the time or just when it's hot inside the vehicle? Heat can expand the circuit boards and cause bad solder connections to intermittently open up. The best course of action is probably to automatically solder all the pins no matter how they look. Lots of people have had this exact same problem and soldering the pins is the most common fix.
You want to avoid replacing the cluster at all costs because of the odometer mileage issue and other programming and calibration issues. A cluster that's new or from another vehicle may have the exact same hardware but if the programming is different the vehicle may not even start with the replacement cluster installed.
Since you are not replacing the cluster, just repairing it; by disconnecting the the electrical connections, will there be any computer problems? Such as loss of information; the odometer, etc? Also, my tachometer needle is bent. If I try and straightening it and it breaks the end off, will it fall below the stop pin? BTW, your video is very helpful and hopefully, I will be able to fix the dancing needles.
no computer problems.
bam6972 where are you were in Az
it may go beyond the stop pin. also it wont lose any information. just as long as you use the same cluster it will be fine.
I repaired mine last weekend. There was no loss of information or programming. My needle was bent and I straightened it and it didn't break. I did have to recalibrate the tach needle again after that. Basically you hold the needle down against the mechanical stop and turn the key on so the electronics can re-learn the zero point.
would this fix a speedometer that only shows half the mph that you are going , My 02 star will show the right speed on some days but its usually on the away part of the trip coming back it goes back to showing only half the speed. THanks in advance.
that sounds like the speed sensor on the transmission working intermittently
mine dose this will not start now all lights come on
+cookie bowers if you replaced the dash with a used or new one then it needs to be programed to your vehicle. if not then it wont start.
I heard of this wont start thing but the cluster I put in my van was from a loaded van and my van is a cargo and it started right up.
You dont have to add solder rosin core liquid flux and a soldering iron. Not a gun
Can you fix mine?
if you ship it to me and 25 dollar labor plus return shipping. im in indiana
bam6972 is this offer still available?
@@Gnarwilly are you still looking for someone to solder your joints?
Tachtronics yeah that would be great I just need to take out the cluster first. You can email me at Williamhlawrie@gmail.com
bam6972 are you still doing this ?