my 97 f150 single cab short box 4.2 v-6 5 speed 4x4 with a 6 inch fabtech lift and 37 inch tires the odometer quit working i went to reset the tripometer and the odometer and tripometer quit working all my gauges still work but its stuck at 87000 miles and i need to find out if its gonna be alot of work to fix or should i take it to a mechanic. because i could probley replace a cable or the gauge cluster if i had to. cause i dont kno if its just something as simple as a blow fuse of a broken cable. so if ya have an idea what my problem is please help me

 

I have heard of this before. Someone actually fixed it by resoldering the joints on the circuit board for the cluster.


http://www.odometer-repair.com/

 

I bought a used 2001 F150 that had an intermittent odometer problem. The characteristics were typical of a broken wire or cold solder joint, so I decided to give it a try.

Using the disassembly instructions from Alldatadyi.com, I removed the instrument cluster. (Be careful with the shift indicator. It must be unlatched and slid out from the instrument cluster before you can rotate and unplug the electrical connections)

Once removed, the following steps were done to make the repair.

1- With the front glass on a soft surface, remove screws from the back of the instrument cluster.
2- Remove back panel of the instrument cluster.
3- Remove the insulation displacement connector with the ribbon cable. This is the connector and ribbon cable that connects to the vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) for the odometer. This is the connector that may have broken solder joints, resulting in the intermittent operation.
4- Remove the circuit board. Pins from the gauges are inserted through the circuit board, so be careful to pull the board off evenly. (Also, as with handling any modern electrical circuits, you should take standard ESD precautions. Otherwise, handle the circuit board only by the edges or insulated areas. As with any DIY repair, handle at your own risk.)
5- With the circuit board removed, turn it over so that you can see the light bulbs. Locate the BACK of the VFD header (pin connector from which you unplugged the ribbon cable). You will see a row of pins and may notice that the typical smooth solder fillet is cracked.
6- Using a soldering iron, repair each of the solder joints. This may be done by either applying rosin flux to the joints and reheating. Or, even better, wick up the old solder and resolder each of the pins.
7 - Reassemble with care.

I took the time to remove the front glass and clean the instrument panel.

I was please with the relative simplicity of extracting the instrument cluster. I was expecting to have to pull the steering wheel. Good Job Ford Engineers!!

Eugene B

 

I think the last 2 posts have you fixing a different problem.... If im reading it right your odometer is still lit up just not rolling miles... The 97-98's are different from the 99 and up they used a mechanical speedo gear for the mileage so youve got a problem with that not the soldering of the connections which only affect the lighting..
Good luck with your problem hope you get it fixed

 

99's went to an electronic odometer - yours is mechanical. You likely damaged or stripped a gear when you hit the reset button, I've had that happen to me on older cars. If the speedo works, the cable is fine. Try tapping the reset button a few times - it may just be partially stuck in the reset position.

 

its stuck at 87000... **** drive the hell out of it and fix this problem right before you sell it or trade it and no one will no. will be selling it with low mileage then. in essence it will be making you money the longer it stays at 87,000 lol...
no jk jk dont take that idea

 

Yeah, what he said. You probably tried to reset that trip meter while moving.

Welcome to the club, one that many a mid-90s Ford owner has dealt with. Panther cars? Check. Mustang? Check. Ranger? Check...

 

It's a common problem afaik. Like many other 97-98 owners, I had to replace a small plastic gear inside the odometer. I bought a replacement gear for about $10 from an automotive AC repair shop that had a plastic gear molding machine. I am sure Ford will sell a little higher.