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I just repaired a cluster from a 2004 F450 with this problem. Granted if your not a tech with the proper tools it can be daunting. not sure what part of the repair did it but this should help a few out there. I resoldered the left and right side of the large 9s12 Micro and the left and right sides of the smaller IC to the right and all my problems were gone. I used regular fine rosin core solder, electronics grade solder station with a pencil tip. and solder wick. For the Micro, flood the pins with solder, use the solder wick to pull back the excess and use a magnifying glass to ensure there are no shorts. On the smaller IC I just re-flooded the pins and checked for shorts.
Supposedly this is often caused by a faulty battery saver relay which is part of the dash instrument cluster and not serviceable.
I have this problem about once a year (happen last week).
Turning on the headlights fixes this for me every time.
It seems the added power un-sticks the relay.
So, it's important to pay attention if you have your headlights in "auto" it CAN mask the problem by automatically putting on your headlights ..
I also tried the relay and circuit breaker in passenger side fuse box. No help. Next step for me is pulling out radio and seeing if another one works. If no go, I will update. Hoping its not cluster.
I also tried the relay and circuit breaker in passenger side fuse box. No help. Next step for me is pulling out radio and seeing if another one works. If no go, I will update. Hoping its not cluster.
Hey guys I have an update, it turned out to be the radio all along
I have a 2006 and it does the same thing. I am being told that it is the dash cluster. So, in the spring when I can be without the truck I am pulling the dash cluster and sending it to Circuit Board Medics. If that doesn't work I am not sure where I will go from there. I already changed the relay and that did nothing at all...except cost me almost $50.
We have exchange clusters available that are fully programmed with your mileage and engine hours. This option eliminates any downtime. Here's a link to our exchange option:
__________________ We specialize in repairing and rebuilding circuitry in automotive modules. By repairing these components, CBM offers customers an alternative to high cost replacement parts and a timely solution for malfunctioning vehicles.
Visit us at www.CircuitBoardMedics.com or call us at 800-547-2049.
I know this is an old thread, but I found it while trying to troubleshoot my 05 250 Superduty. It had intermittent quakes and radio. My beast is BASIC, so it has stock radio, 5 speed +bull dog transmission and manual lock in-lock outs. It's so basic it even has manual crank Windows. I love it, so was very surprised when I started having the same electronic issues as everyone else.I wiggled the top right cone tor on the cluster, nothing. Took it out , re-soldered, nothing. Checked connections, and cleaned nothing. Replaced the fuse box and all fuses, relays. Tried to by-pass the relay, bit was doing something wrong somewhere so I got on here again and started reading more about it. The issue would resolve itself at random. Shifting gears. Hitting breaks , leaving a door opened, shutting a door, etc. it would work sometimes, and sometimes not. I finally decided to spray some contact cleaner into a small hole on top of the starter switch on the steering column. I had to use to small tube that comes with it. I then worked the key back and forth real quick and the guages came on. I sprayed w-d 40 into the hole and did the key thing again, it got better. It would still stop on he drive home, but would come back a lot quicker that before. When I got home I Sprayed again with contact cleaner, and a lot off black stuff oozed out the switch, turned the key a bunch of times, sprayed more contact cleaner and when dry I used the w-d 40 again. No issues in couple of days. I had already ordered the switch off e-bay, so will put it in upon arrival, but so far so good.
I should add that my truck has rubber floor covering, not carpet. It used to be a fleet truck. This was a messy job, so put something down to catch the drips. The new switch at the parts store was around $50.00 so I tried to see if this would make a difference, it did, so I ordered one off e-bay for half the money. Your experience could be different. Not responsible for any damage , fires, etc and your mileage may vary . I have 279,000 miles on my truck, daily driver so it's still climbing.
What I find amazing is no one did any electrical troubleshooting, just replacing parts until they thought they fixed the problem and there are a lot of different fixes in this thread. Since it is a intermittent problem the first thing I would have done is make a light that could monitor the trigger side of the delay relay. If there is no voltage to it when the problem occurs then it would be prudent to find out why. If there is voltage to the relay and it isn't working I would monitor the switched side of the relay for voltage. Again, if no voltage there then I would replace the relay, if not I would move on to where the relay feeds next. It's hard to fix when it's not broken and throwing parts at it is not the right thing to do. According to above posts it's been everything from a bad radio to a soldered circuit board to spraying a ignition switch with WD-40. So, which is the real culprit?
What I find amazing is no one did any electrical troubleshooting, just replacing parts until they thought they fixed the problem and there are a lot of different fixes in this thread. Since it is a intermittent problem the first thing I would have done is make a light that could monitor the trigger side of the delay relay. If there is no voltage to it when the problem occurs then it would be prudent to find out why. If there is voltage to the relay and it isn't working I would monitor the switched side of the relay for voltage. Again, if no voltage there then I would replace the relay, if not I would move on to where the relay feeds next. It's hard to fix when it's not broken and throwing parts at it is not the right thing to do. According to above posts it's been everything from a bad radio to a soldered circuit board to spraying a ignition switch with WD-40. So, which is the real culprit?
I sent my 2003 f-250 cluster to Circuit Board Medics. I shipped my cluster and with in a few days I got it back installed it and..... no window or radio problems! I also got it back and it looked pretty close to new and I am very happy with it. I would highly suggest it!
I sent my 2003 f-250 cluster to Circuit Board Medics. I shipped my cluster and with in a few days I got it back installed it and..... no window or radio problems! I also got it back and it looked pretty close to new and I am very happy with it. I would highly suggest it!
Yes this is my first post and I don't usually post since I usually try to find out how others have fixed common problems and such. No I do not work for them and I was not promoting a business but letting people know what I did and that it worked.
Yes this is my first post and I don't usually post since I usually try to find out how others have fixed common problems and such. No I do not work for them and I was not promoting a business but letting people know what I did and that it worked.
01-28-2016, 11:25 AM
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Circuit Board Medics
