Have 2006 F150 Installed Hid lamps 2 months ago. Not sure if problem is linked. Once and awhile, All instruments go to zero and stay , No radio, No power windows, Push the trip meter button, Instruments come back to live, airbag light comes on... Turn truck off, Dash resets...:::

 

When it does it, try a flat hand slap (or two) on the right side dash (above the instrument cluster). See if it comes back to life. Let us know what happens. There's a reason why I ask.

 

Tried your Slap idea, It seemed to work , Still going stupid but the slap works for short term, Not long before my hand is giong to get sore... Whats the fix? Appreciate your time and knowledge for this rather frustrating problem.. Thanks Kev

 

Kev, when I find out, I'll definitely let you know. Seems as though a replacement of the instrument cluster is the only KNOWN fix so far. (at least I haven't read of anyone who has replaced the inst. cluster that has come back and said "nope, my problem is back") I have thought several times (in the course of the many things I have done to correct it) that I had it corrected, only to have it return even as much as 2 or 3 weeks later, and with a different combination of symptoms (or MAYBE) the same. So far the hand slap has always corrected it and fortunately, infrequently enough that no problem with sore hand!

 

When the problem happens, There,s a definite click in the fuse box on the passenger front under the glove box, Like a relay resetting, Possible weak relay? Or grasping at straws? My problem is becoming more and more frequent.: Thanks Kev.

 

Kev, I've done automotive electrical work (in the course of my work) my whole life, and this bugger has me stumped. I have the cluster out now for the 4th time and going over it again for the 4th time with a fine tooth comb. (actually with a 10 power lighted magnifier) and have yet to find anything whatsoever that LOOKS abnormal. I have spent quite a bit of time researching and have not found a single speedo repairer in the U.S. that repairs ANYTHING other than the odometer (info window) on Ford F-150 PU's. It is always specified "this repair is for the intermittent or defective (Liquid crystal?) ONLY" on late Ford F-150's. It has (in mine anyway, and most others I've read of) manifested itself in SO MANY different combinations of failures that's it's hard to even remember them all. Because it responds to the "flat hand slap", I'm pretty sure it has to be IN the cluster, not elsewhere. It could well be that the relay clicking in the main fuse box is part of it in your truck, but I don't remember ever hearing a clicking in mine. My A/C would always go out (with a bunch of other things) initially, but that hasn't happened for a while (this IS ca. and we do use the A/C here in the winter quite a bit) I fear that ultimately a cluster will be the only answer, but not until I've closed every other door. Would love to know which relay is clicking, though I doubt that would actually lead to a fix, with SO MANY different symptoms at different times.

If I do find any other answers I'll let you know.

 

not sure if this will help or not, but it's a stab at it. i had one kinda doing the same thing and the lights in the cluster quit working as well. can't remember exactly what vehicle i was working on (another Ford product), but there were some diode looking things that were soldered to the back of the cluster. when it was cold outside, the cluster wouldn't work until after i hit the dash, i guess arking inside and making contact. i used a jumper wire to bypass the diode to find out which one(s) were bad. not sure if Ford uses the same setup on the newer vehicles.

 

Sorry, post deleted

 

Appreciate the input. Do you remember at all approximately what year that cluster was? The '04-up does seem to be different than the earlier ones (meaning they run a whole lot more through it) Would love to find out what the problem is and fix it. I know I'm not the only one who would prefer not to pay $500. for a new cluster, and then have to have it programed (odometer) Also, were there more than 1 diode that was bad? So far, the flat hand slap has set everything right with the world, but there have been so MANY things affected, in different combinations, all at one time, that I would prefer to return to normal. Don't feel I'd like to take it on any trips the way it is.

Also, how did the jumper wire determine what was bad or not? Would think if a diode is a one way gate, and it's gate is broken (allowing juice to flow both ways) that the jumper wire would act the same way as the bad diode, unless you're saying the diode was BURNED inside so that it would make or break contact. Guess I'll have to break a diode apart one day to see if I can actually see anything in there, or if it is all in the invisible world.

 

i wanna say the cluster was around mid to late '90's. the clusters do get a little expensive and even if one comes out of a bone yard, you still have to get it programmed through the dealer. i think it had 3 or 4 "diodes or resistors", (i do remember that they were black), and on the back of the board. and yes, they were broken inside. there were 2 on his that went out, we determined this by using an ohm meter and checking resistance. we could tap on them with the cluster hooked up and then they would work which made us believe they were shorted inside. this is where the "jumper" wire came in. we bypassed the 2 that were bad, plugged the cluster in and walaa, everything worked. we got a busted cluster out of a bone yard, removed the diodes and resoldered them back into his cluster. he had the vehicle for several years with no other problems. but with everything being so sophisticated now, it's just hard to say. hell, it could be something as simple as a ground wire loose causing everything to go out at once.

 

Yep, huge change from the 90's to now. I have pulled ALL of the grounds under the dash and thoroughly cleaned and put inside/outside star washers on and tightened good and tight. I will check the grounds in the cluster tomorrow when I re-install for the 4th time. Will do a little more checking before re-install. Electrical (electronic) gremlins can send you around the bend. I truly want to find out what the problem ACTUALLY is, rather than just sticking a cluster in.

 

Thanks for not putting my problem to the side, It seems to be getting worse everyday , But other than no guages and windows at times , I,m hanging in, Don,t want to drop a mint on a new cluster, Got to be a cheaper fix? Thanks much..... Kev

 

Kev, still working on it. The cluster is back in for now, but I confess, after spending hours on it THIS LAST TIME, I don't hold out a lot of hope for a solution such as they found for the '99- . I looked at the board on both sides with a 10 power head set until I was cross-eyed and there was absolutely NO VISIBLE sign of ANYTHING wrong. This is the 1st time I have pulled the needles and the face to get to the inside to examine it also. Not a trace of poor or cold solder joints. I will keep you updated on anything new at all.

Edit: Add. Kev, do you have loss of windows at THE SAME time you cluster goes spastic? Do you ever have loss of windows when your cluster is OK???

 

Thanks again for the interest in my problem, I bit the bullet and had a new instrument cluster installed.

 

Sounds like what was happening to my 09 Ranger. My tach, and spedo would both be working and then it would be on 0. The mileage would read -------

First time I took it to Ford and said my PCM wasn't responding so that got replaced. That seemed to help for a couple of weeks. Ford ended up replaceing the instrument cluster, and I haven't had the problem since, and its been almost a year.