Odometer problems
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Joined: Feb 2007
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Odometer problems
My 96 B3000 has 176,000 miles on it and I have been looking forward to reaching the 200k milestone. Unfortunately my odometer quit working on a recent road trip. It stopped with around 54 miles on the trip meter. The next day it started working again. A week later it stopped again, and the next day began working again. It seems like it fouls up when I drive for around 50 miles at once. I can hear a clicking sound coming from the instrument panel when it is not working. It sounds like a gear is slipping or something. The speedometer has worked throughout all of the problems. Is there any way to fix this problem? I use the odometer a lot for figuring out my gas mileage, or keeping track of maintainence intervals, and would hate for it to stop working completely. Thanks for any help or advice anyone can give me.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 765
Likes: 11
From: Moneta, VA
Sounds like the little gears that turn the odometer are worn and binding. The tripmeter is turned by an electric motor, and gears from the tripmeter turn the odometer. When these gears get in any kind of bind, the electric motor won't be able to turn the tripmeter and both it and the odometer will stop working.
Unfortunatly for this case, Ford designed the '95+ speedometer in such a way to make the odometer almost tamper proof. It's virtually impossible for the odometer gears and electric motor to be changed by anyone other than Ford. Yes, you can take it out if you are careful, but the chances of getting it back in without the gears binding again are very slim.
You have two options here: Take it to Ford or find a junkyard instrument cluster.
The Ford route may not be too bad pricewise if you remove the cluster and take it separate from the truck.
The junkyard route has several options within it. The best thing is to find a junkyard cluster with your mileage - any '96-'97 Ranger/B-Series/Explorer/Mountaineer will work. Unfortunatly, that is pretty hard to do. Car-part.com can help, and keep your eyes peeled on eBay. The second option is to get a junkyard cluster with the odometer reading different that what your truck says. Document it with pictures, maybe have the DMV or police office document it as well. The odometer wouldn't be correct, but it would work. This will show up on a carfax as odometer modification, but anyone who buys the truck in the future should trust governement documentation.
Unfortunatly for this case, Ford designed the '95+ speedometer in such a way to make the odometer almost tamper proof. It's virtually impossible for the odometer gears and electric motor to be changed by anyone other than Ford. Yes, you can take it out if you are careful, but the chances of getting it back in without the gears binding again are very slim.
You have two options here: Take it to Ford or find a junkyard instrument cluster.
The Ford route may not be too bad pricewise if you remove the cluster and take it separate from the truck.
The junkyard route has several options within it. The best thing is to find a junkyard cluster with your mileage - any '96-'97 Ranger/B-Series/Explorer/Mountaineer will work. Unfortunatly, that is pretty hard to do. Car-part.com can help, and keep your eyes peeled on eBay. The second option is to get a junkyard cluster with the odometer reading different that what your truck says. Document it with pictures, maybe have the DMV or police office document it as well. The odometer wouldn't be correct, but it would work. This will show up on a carfax as odometer modification, but anyone who buys the truck in the future should trust governement documentation.
