Great job of diving in and finding then smoking gun. And best of all is the smoking gun is relatively easy to fix. That's a heck of a cold solder joint. The solder was probably never very stuck to the pin and the vibration of the truck worked it loose.

I didn't read all 329 posts so someone may have suggested this. I work with the repair of circuit boards and one suggestion I'd have to ensure the longevity of this repair would be to use solder wick to remove all of the old solder. Solder wick can be bought at Radio Shack for just a few buck. You just lay the wick over the joint and hit it with the iron. You may have to add a little solder to get everything heated enough. After all the old solder is gone it'll be a much better long lasting solder joint.

 

Mine has been out for the better part of a year on my 2002 Mercury Mountaineer AWD. Took me an hour from beginning to end. I had to figure out how to take the cluster trim out without ripping the vinyl material that connects the cluster trim to the steering column shroud. The vinyl material is riveted on at both the cluster trim and steering column shroud. Just take the shroud apart, the top piece will then come off with the cluster trim.



After that, it was cake. I just heated up each pin until the solder reset.



Thanks for the great post!

 

Excellent thread. I would have never found the problem. Saved me money and lots of time. Thanks again and Merry Christmas.

 

THANKS!!!!!!!

 

Today I tried the method of removing the gauge assembly to repair the solder joint that would repair my blinking odometer. I did not pay close enough attention to instructions (idiot) and proceeded to add a step that was not needed. I removed the gauge indicator arms to remove the whole board. Now my gauges are wrong. For example, I had a full tank of gas before now it reads 3/4 of a tank. Also the speedometer does not seem to be right. Help, how do you fix this??

 

At this point I would simply spend the $40 and get a used cluster off eBay or somewhere.

 

i have to remove my cluster to resolder it. Is there any issue with vehicle not starting after? I do hae the pats system. im not REPLACING IT BUT AM JUST FIXING IT. THANKS

 

No, removing and reinstalling the cluster should not affect starting at all.

 

K thanks. I know it is more involved if it is replaced have to reflash new one etc. Thanks again

 

All done about 1.5 hrs works ALL THE TIME NOW. Thanks for the great post.

 

Just to add to this thread, and it may have been mentioned somewhere in here, the instrument cluster cold solder joint failure could cause intermittent no starts. I had a crank but no start issue that had no codes and was a bugger to track down. I went through a bunch of suggestions IAC, Crank position sensor, Throttle position sensor, fuel pump, fuel filter, etc. But the problem was the power connections to the cluster, they were intermittently going out, and resulting in the no start. I pulled the cluster and checked all the solder joints to the main power supply and fixed a bunch. Now she starts like a gem. So if you have a cold start issue and your cluster has ever acted up, check there, a good test is a rap or two on the dash and try the start again. My cluster would go off, then come on, act crazy. So for anyone going crazy with a no start, no code, but cranks, this could be it.

 

Great article on cold solder joints! New to this forum, but my question is about a similar problem. While driving today, the entire instrument panel quit....all gauges, speedo, tach....everything. Engine kept running, lights, turn and brake lights, interior lights, all OK. What do I check? Spooky to still be driving with all instruments dead......thought I was gonna have to do a dead-stick landing! Any clues, greatly appreciated.

 

I have a 2006 F-150 that has been having the same issue as listed here of the odometer light intermittently blacking out. Does anyone know if the repair is the same for my 2006 as it is for the 97-03s.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

 

Back in post 324 someone with a 2005 F-150 did the repair and included additional notes. Click here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post11786387

 

The gift keeps on giving! I performed the odometer fix on a 2002 F150 XLT in about 2 hours today (took my time) after reading up on the posts last night. I was a little concerned about ruining the pin when soldering, but I just heated it up with a hot soldering pen, touched it with a little solder and the odometer is working great! Thanks for all the info and tips!