I am having problems with the cluster in a used 2003 Ford F150 that i recently bought as a second vehicle that i dont drive every day


i am having an inermittent no start relating to the PATS security system..when i turn the key to the on position all of the indicator lights (low fuel,brake,battery light,theft)...etc will flicker on and off like a strobe light much faster than the standard "theft" light flash and when this happens the truck will turnover but wont fire if i tap on the cluster sometimes the indicator lights will stop flickering and stay on steady that is when the truck will start and run ..


my second intermittent cluster problem is when i am driving the truck if i hit a bump the truck stays running and driving .however all the gauges (speedometer included) will Max Out and then go to Zero and stay at zero if i tap the cluster when this happens the gauges will begin operating normally and the indicator lights will come on steady low fuel even if the fuel gauge is reading battery light even if the charge gauge is reading and i have to tap it once or twice to make those lights go off


this is only a second vehicle that i drive maybe twice a month and i dont make a boatload of cash at my job {thats why i am buying used old vehicles} i cant afford to dump a load of money into fixing this truck ,,

i posted the question on a ford message board if i can just scavenge a used cluster from a junkyard truck and plug it in and run with it ...i was told the gauges wouldnt read the odometer wouldnt work and the PATS system would not allow the truck to start and was told i would have to pay the local ford "STEALER" $300+ to program this cluster to operate in my old truck


ANY INFO OR HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED

 

You most likely have a main power problem, both symptoms you describe can be caused by that. The newer clusters are very touchy when it comes to low voltage and will act crazy when it happens. And the blinking problem sounds just like a low battery or poor connection out at the battery. That's where I would look first. Make sure the battery is not intermittent, and make sure all the connections out near the battery and the starter relay are good and tight with no signs of corrosion or melting insulation.

 

Franklin2,

thanks for the reply i think i remember seeing your name when i used to wander this message board daily maybe early 2000s when i got my 92 ford...


good to see a familiar name ...


in any case the truck battery is 3 months old not corroded and tight ...

the flickering lights and all my problems respond directly to a knock or 2 on the guage cluster itself so the problem must be a badf connection/poor solder joint directly inside the cluster...i just need to find an option that i am ok with getting it corrected .... this is the original dash cluster to the truck and the truck only has 83k and is in good condition i dont want to put in a different cluster because even if i get a junkyard cluster i will lose out on my low mileage info and it will negatively affect the local resale of the truck if i stick a cluster that reads 150k+ in it

i dont want to look like one of these doofuses selling junk on craigslist trying to look a potential buyer in the eye and say it really has 83K when they are looking at 150+ on the odometer

 

If you change out the cluster with a junkyard unit, the dealer will put all the correct mileage stuff in it, and also activate it so it will talk with the rest of the truck. But of course they will charge you for this work but you can decide what would be the cheaper best route to take.

 

The dealer cannot change the mileage in a used cluster.

When a dealer replaces a cluster, they have to order it from their service center which presets that data before shipping the replacement to the servicing dealer.

They can, of course, reprogram the PATS system after the replacement cluster is installed.

 

Thanks for the correction.

 

My gauge cluster was doing something similar. It would work intermittently until it seemed to get hot then not work and the gauges would go to where gravity took them. It was a bad due to water damage(leaking windshield). I replaced it all with auto meter gauges. The junk yard one may give you a better idea of whats going on for a low fraction of the cost if you can get it through a local salvage yard that is more interested in recycling steel. Ford parts are quite expensive( I heard 800+ for my F350) and they stop providing parts for them after 12 years.