Cluster change
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Elder User
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From: Austin Texas (area)
Cluster change
'81 F100 with idiot lights for charge and oil
I'm intending to change cluster for one with factory tach. Not interested in oil gage or ammeter gage. Have mech oil gage. I'd rather have a Ford Voltmeter in place of Ammeter, but don't believe Ford had those.....right?
Question is: what can I do for charge indicator in tach cluster?
Thanks
Dave
I'm intending to change cluster for one with factory tach. Not interested in oil gage or ammeter gage. Have mech oil gage. I'd rather have a Ford Voltmeter in place of Ammeter, but don't believe Ford had those.....right?
Question is: what can I do for charge indicator in tach cluster?
Thanks
Dave
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From: Virginia
This is not a easy swap, since you have a idiot light cluster. I don't recommend you do it, since the charging system will not work afterward. The easiest thing for you to do is get a aftermarket tach.
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Elder User
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I've already proved the system with jumper wires, but can't install until I figure a out charge indicator....which is what I asked about. I never intended to use the ammeter.... thought I mentioned that.
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From: Virginia
This is how alternator is wired for the idiot light system. As you can see, you will need a light bulb in a plastic socket, one side hooked to the ignition switch power, and the other side hooked to the green/red wire that goes to the "i" terminal on the regulator. You don't need the resistor to make it work, but if you don't use the resistor and the "gen" light burns out, then it will quit charging.
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From: Virginia
This is all you need. Take two of these 1000 ohm resistors and twist them together so they are parallel, and you will have a 500 ohm resistor.
1K ohm 1/2W 5% Carbon Film Resistor pk/5 - RadioShack.com
1K ohm 1/2W 5% Carbon Film Resistor pk/5 - RadioShack.com
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Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2008
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Isnt the connector different on the back of the inst cluster?
Here is a good read
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...t-cluster.html
Here is a good read
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...t-cluster.html
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Elder User
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From: Austin Texas (area)
I don't see how that project can get past the problem of the attachment plug location. Warning light cluster attachment plug to circuit board is exactly where the tach mount is. He must be relocating the tach somewhere else.....?
Attachment plugs are different in that the gage cluster is 18 terminal where the light cluster is 14 terminal, but the wire terminals can be removed from one and plugged into the other at the correct place number for the gage circuit board.
With the exception of the ammeter/charge circuit, all wiring is same color, same circuit number and does the same thing. Just need to undo capture of wire terminal and plug into correct position on other attachment plug for all circuiting except the ammeter and oil gage which I'm not using...works just fine.
Attachment plugs are different in that the gage cluster is 18 terminal where the light cluster is 14 terminal, but the wire terminals can be removed from one and plugged into the other at the correct place number for the gage circuit board.
With the exception of the ammeter/charge circuit, all wiring is same color, same circuit number and does the same thing. Just need to undo capture of wire terminal and plug into correct position on other attachment plug for all circuiting except the ammeter and oil gage which I'm not using...works just fine.
Cargo Master
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From: Washington
'81 F100 with idiot lights for charge and oil
I'm intending to change cluster for one with factory tach. Not interested in oil gage or ammeter gage. Have mech oil gage. I'd rather have a Ford Voltmeter in place of Ammeter, but don't believe Ford had those.....right?
Question is: what can I do for charge indicator in tach cluster?
Thanks
Dave
I'm intending to change cluster for one with factory tach. Not interested in oil gage or ammeter gage. Have mech oil gage. I'd rather have a Ford Voltmeter in place of Ammeter, but don't believe Ford had those.....right?
Question is: what can I do for charge indicator in tach cluster?
Thanks
Dave
<O
</OI have never seen a voltmeter, original or after market, that would fit were the AMP meter currently is. If you could come up with something that would fit in the cluster, that would be the easiest.
<O
</OIt might be possible to add the ALT harness that has a shunt. The ALT harness plugs into the truck harness next to the starter solenoid. If you have the same 4 wire connector at this point it might be plug and play. The worst case would be running 2 more small gauge shunt wires to the cluster connector for the AMP meter.
<O
</OI would also change the oil pressure sender so the stock oil pressure gage would read something other than zero all the time.
<O
</OHere is a photo of an ALT wiring harness with the Shunt (just a black looking
resistor wire) shown between the 2 big black splice points. The 2 small wires of these splices are the ones that go to the AMP meter in the inst cluster.If you have any other questions, just ask. This picture is for a 2G ALT but should be the same for a 1G ALT.
.
.
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Elder User
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First thing I did back in '81 was to install a mech oil gage. Have no interest in having Amp gage....I can make the warning light work on gage cluster. I might do some look'in for volt gage that would fit, but no biggie. Too darn cold to do anything now!
