When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Afterthought - After a cold start, I normally have to drive the truck a couple of minutes before the needle on the temp gauge moves. Maybe I did not get a response on the oil gauge after the cross connect because the temp sensor had not "heated up". What do you think?
You are going to have to do something about your substandard mind-reading skills. How else will you be able to understand what I was thinking, despite what I typed?
I was concerned about running the engine without any oil pressure indication in case of actual low pressure. That's why I suggested only running the engine briefly. However, I forgot to mention in that case, you'd only want to swap the circuits after the engine has warmed up. That way, you can monitor the oil pressure during warm up. And then when you shut the engine off, crossed the wires, and then restarted, the known good temp sender would be reporting to the suspect oil pressure gauge. The suspect oil pressure sender would report to the known good temp gauge. You'd know quickly what's at fault, but only if the engine was already warm so the known good temp sender was reporting a value somewhere in the middle of the normal range. A cold temp sender would not move the needle, so a test on a cold engine would be no help.
But it also sounds like you've already figured this out. You can also do the " touch the block" test, but I'm not a big fan of that. It works fine, but drives the needle beyond the end of the scale, so you should only do it long enough to see the needle move.
You are going to have to do something about your substandard mind-reading skills. How else will you be able to understand what I was thinking, despite what I typed?
But it also sounds like you've already figured this out. You can also do the " touch the block" test, but I'm not a big fan of that. It works fine, but drives the needle beyond the end of the scale, so you should only do it long enough to see the needle move.
That is why you do the block touch then turn the key on.
The gauges move slowly so you can turn the key off when they hit about half way.
All you want to see is the gauges to move so you know the gauge(s) & wiring is good. No need to go to max with the needles.
Now I don't know if the Ford FSM shows this or not but my AMC FSM does, you can use resistors to limit the sweep of the needle. With different amounts of ohms you can see if the gauge hits the right marks or if you need to adjust the gauge sweep.
So if you are worried about the gauges maxing out on the block touch test use resistors.
Dave ----
I have never ruined a gauge by pegging it. It's just a heating coil wrapped around a bi-metal strip. I am pulling this out of the air, but possibly a gauge wire being bare and rubbing against ground may have been a failure mode they designed for?
The gauges in my truck now work. The problem was me. I had either plugged the instrument cluster connector in partially or pulled the connector part-way out when I reassembled the dash. Note the connector is not fully seated in the first photo and is seated in the second photo. Third photo is the gauges after startup - note tach and oil pressure (engine was cold so temp gauge has not yet responded).
Again, many thanks to those who guided me through this.
Dave -
The fuel gauge reads near empty as the fuel level in that tank is getting low.
I drove the truck after posting, switched to the other tank, then filled up the tank that was low. No problem. Thanks again.
T
This Hennessey Takes the Expedition Tremor's Off-Roading Capability to the Next Level
Slideshow: The VelociRaptor Expedition gains a lift, upgraded suspension, Brembo brakes, and trail-ready equipment while retaining the stock 440-horsepower EcoBoost V6.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
