The temperature gauge on my '95 F-150 5.0l has been intermittent for most of its life. Every now and again it will come on and read normally, but spends most of its time to the far left (off the scale). When I got the truck 3 1/2 years ago, the gauge did not work and the dealer repaired/replaced it and it worked fine for about a year. I replaced the sending unit(s) and the wiring looks ok. All other gauges in the cluster work normally. I was going to look for a replacement at a salvage yard. New ones cost $150 at the local dealership and they say they are a dual unit that includes the oil pressure gauge. From previous posts, it sounds like removing/replacing the instrument cluster is not too hard.

Before I proceed, has anyone had a similar problem so they can confirm it is the gauge itself and not a wiring or connection problem? And do you know how to test the replacement gauge before I install it?

Thanks

 

I had the same problem with my 96 F150 300I6. Replacing the gauge corrected the malfunction. The temperature guage would sit on C when off and deflect to full left when the truck was started. Replacing the sensor had no effect so I used this as an excuse to get a new instrument cluster with a tachometer (the standard 6 cylinder truck did no include a tach). I put in the new instrument cluster today and now the oil pressure gauge does not work. It deflects to full right - I either have bad luck or a wiring problem somewhere.

Good luck!

 

>The temperature gauge on my '95 F-150 5.0l has been
>intermittent for most of its life. Every now and again it
>will come on and read normally, but spends most of its time
>to the far left (off the scale). When I got the truck 3 1/2
>years ago, the gauge did not work and the dealer
>repaired/replaced it and it worked fine for about a year. I
>replaced the sending unit(s) and the wiring looks ok. All
>other gauges in the cluster work normally. I was going to
>look for a replacement at a salvage yard. New ones cost
>$150 at the local dealership and they say they are a dual
>unit that includes the oil pressure gauge. From previous
>posts, it sounds like removing/replacing the instrument
>cluster is not too hard.
>
>Before I proceed, has anyone had a similar problem so they
>can confirm it is the gauge itself and not a wiring or
>connection problem? And do you know how to test the
>replacement gauge before I install it?
>
>Thanks

i do not know if your gauge is way off or just reading low. mine reads low consistantly since i replaced my thermostat with a 180 instead of the 196. don't forget that the thermostat plays a part in all this too. it may not be your problem but just wanted to throw that in. someone could have put in a 160 thermo in your truck or it might even be stuck open. something cheap and easy to look at anyway.
hope this helps,

Rusty.

 

the temp guage on my 95 is fubar as well. Sometimes it will read correctly, other times it reads totally wrong. Sometimes when I start my truck, it starts at cold and warms up to a normal reading. Other times it reads half-way across the guage when I first start the truck ( even if its 30* outside) and then peg out when the truck warms up. I've replaced the sender to no avail, there are no problems in the wiring, and I know for a fact the truck isnt overheating. I'm currently trying to find out if there is a way to rebuild the guage, If not I'll probably just use an aftermarket temp guage

 

I have had the same problem with my 1989 F150 for all of the time i´ve had it. I did measure the sensor and it seemed to work.
If I hit the the dash hard the temp gauge migth work for a while

 

I had a similar problem with my truck that I just purchased,1990,F150,XLT Lariat,302.
The Temp gauge would just sit all the way to the left(C reading) and would not move even after driving for some good time. I took it to two mechanics and they both told me that it was one of the coolant sensors. They showed me which one it was,it's located on the right side on top of the engine to the left of the valve cover. It's like a screw on type and looks like a bolt sticking up. I'm not a mechanic so bear with me!
To sum it all up the second mechanic since he was going to do my valve cover gaskets told me he would replace it, he told me it only would cost me $7 for the part. he showed me the old one when he took it out and it appeared to have been bent.
Once he replaced it my Temp gauge appears to be working fine! At least the gauge moves now! I hope this helps......

 

Does anyone know if the individual guages (meters) can be replaced by themselves, or does the whole instrument cluster need to be replaced?

 

I believe 1992 was the first year ford intergrated there instrument cluster.You have to buy them all.

 

 

My 91 F150 temp gauge became intermittent then quit. I tried the sender (right up front on the 300 six, the only one). Really expensive to get the cluster rebuilt but the tech guy mentioned that the temp gauge on those is usually fixed by soldering a cracked link on the board behind gauge. Will try it soon and report back.

 

You can test this by grounding the sender wire. If it pegs, the gauge is good. If it doesn't, then you need a gauge. You can probably buy a whole cluster used cheaper than get yours fixed.

 

Took out the instrument cluster today. Took it apart, removed temp and volt gauges as one unit. They're all labeled. I applied 12V and ground then touched another ground to signal. The gauge worked. Is there two sending units on the 300 six?

 

Yes. The sender for the temp gauge on the 300 six is on the side of the engine under the lower intake manifold (passenger side, near the rear exhaust manifold).

 

Thanks, I found it. Yes, there ARE two sensors. The (1 wire) gauge sender was on right side (300 six) near fire wall by trans dip tube. PITA to get to it. $10 at Advance and good to go! And, yes, grounding the wire DID peg the gauge. Now the speedo cable is screwed up thanks to pulling the cluster for no reason. Arghhh... Should have checked with you guys first. So, back out with the cluster to install a new cable also available at Advance.