Hey guys, I have a '95 F-250 HD with the 351. The build date is 07/95. According to research an F4TF tach gauge cluster for a 94-95 gasoline engine should swap right into my truck and give me a working tachometer. I bought a red board, F4TF cluster off eBay, and when I took my dash apart I found my non tach cluster has a green circuit board that starts with F5TF. I swapped my speedometer into the new cluster, replaced all the bulbs with LED and when I fired up the truck the ABS stays lit and the tach doesn't work. Does anyone have any suggestions as to why my original circuit board was an F5TF? I can't even find any information on them using a Google search. I thought 96 was the only oddball year and that should be an F6TF. Any suggestions would be most appreciated! Thanks.

 

Sounds like you have a bad Tachometer or you need to run a wire from the Ignition Coil to the cluster plug. Had to this when I put a 1992 cluster into my 1995 F53 as it did not have a wire for the Tachometer.

You may need a resister around the ABS lamp or replace it with an incandescent bulb.

The F4TF & F5TF are just the start of a drawing/engineering number. A part number would have a "Z" in it like F4TZ-XXXX-XX.
Ford does not put part numbers on parts.

 

I am not sure why you are switching only the boards. I sold a few on ebay and repaired one in my 92, I believe you pull out your current speedo and replace into the new cluster, gauges are all rearranged in a tach cluster but will worked if using proper year when all assembled and plugged back in .... I happen to have a couple that I need to complete as time allows ...

 

I also forgot to mention some sellers ebay sellers indicate that many years interchange when the reality is that only about 2 years of each style (wiring pinout) work with each other for plug and play ....

 

I didn't switch the printed board, I swapped my speedometer into the new cluster.


Anyway, here's an update and end to the story. I spoke to the guy who sold me the '94-'95 cluster and he was baffled as well. He believed my '95 truck has a '96 gauge cluster in it. I guess since it was built so late in the '95 model year Ford made the change early? So I sent the cluster back and he sent me a '96 tachometer cluster. I swapped my speedometer into the new '96 cluster, plugged it in and everything works. I did have to use regular 194 bulbs in the ABS socket, parking brake indicator socket, and also the 4x4 indicators for them to work correctly. I used LEDs everywhere else.


The camera in my phone makes the color look a little distorted but the color from the LEDs is completely uniform, and it looks awesome.

 

Nice job.
I've been contemplating a switch in my '95 but I want to pull my cluster first to make sure I don't run into the same problem.

 

Just happen to talk to dealership today, the parts guy was able to give me my cluster number from my VIN. Don't have to pull it apart now. Nice.