Hello all,

The truck is a 95 F-150 with the straight 6, 49k miles. Being an XL, it didn't have a tach. I wanted a tach. I got a cluster from a junkyard with a tach. I was told it was from a 94, which should have work. However, after installation, I don't have the air bag light anymore. So it must have been from a 93.

Anyway, as I was swapping the cluster in, I plugged the new cluster in to be sure it worked proir to swapping my speedo/odometer over to the new cluster. At various points of checking the operation of lights, I noticed the truck starting to start slower. After I had everything together I tried to start one more time with click click.

Now, I don't drive this truck often so I thought it was just the battery needing charged. I charged the battery and over the next few weeks it started with no issues. Then I decided it was dirty and headed to the car wash. After I was done, I hopped in and click click. Luckly it's a stick and with some help I got it going. So I'm thinking battery, but the green eye is nice and brite days after the battery is charged. I took the altenator to advanced to get it tested. It tested at 4 volts output. I didn't get their altenator, but I ended up with a reman somewhere else. I charged the battery and installed the new altenator. The truck started fine over a couple of weeks. Then when moving it to mow, click click. Charged the battery again. This time with the truck running, I removed the positive battery cable and the truck died right away. Take the altenator back for a new one. Charged the battery, installed the new altenator, and after running for a bit, shut it off and tried to restart with click click.

A few questions. Could this be related to the cluster being for a different year? Is there an external regulator I should be looking at? If so, where's it at and how to know if it's the issue? What else can I do to figure out what is causing the charging issue? Thanks in advanced for assistance.

 

Yes it is the cluster.
The 94 or 95 will not charge with the 92-93 cluster.
You have to swap two wires from plug to plug of the two plugs behind the cluster.







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Well crap! Thank you subford for your apparent electrical knowledge. I don't think I'll be switching the wires. I just try to find a proper cluster to install.

Anyone want to buy a used 92-93 cluster with a tach? Seems I have one to sale now. Or even trading for a 94-95, if someone out there has done the opposite as me. Dirty, but all gauges work, just need to swap a few light bulbs around.

 

I did something similar. The two wires have to be crossed up. I think one is green with black stripe. They go to the Alt. to excite the field, i think.

 

I'd switch the wires around, its not hard to do. Just make a note about what was done and attach it to the wires so the next victim(owner) will know what was done.
Finding a correct year cluster my take some time to locate.

I have installed a tach cluster in my 95 E350 bus(E-series never had tachs in that years), and had to rewire just about all of them as the F-series and E-series cluster wireing were diffrent.

 

SUBFORD,HAVING THIS PROBLEM NOW,CANT SEE THE PICS OF THE WIRES TO SWAP,CAN YOU TELL ME WHICH ONES TO SWAP,1993 TACH TO 1995F150,THANKS

 

Email me your email address and I will email them to you.
My email address is at the bottom of this post.

 

Sending you a email in hopes of getting pics of wires to swap, I'm having this problem in my 93 F-150 5.0 but i had pulled the cluster out of a 93 Bronco, Noticed my Radar Detector showing 11.8 V after the swap when it usually has 14V

 

could you show me the wires to swap to get it charging thanks
nick

 

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Photo #2 in post #2:


Photo #3 in post #2:


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thank you do I just need to put a jumper wire between the two not sure I understand thanks for your patience
nick

 

Deleted........

 

No, you do not use a jumper wire.
You just move the wires around.

 

thank you for your help

 

anyone have the wiring diagram for a tach dash for a1997 Ford F-350 or the pin connector for the back of the tach