95 Explorer Instrument Cluster
 

The analog odometer on my 95 Explorer quit working last week. Neither the trip meter nor the odometer advance at all, however the speedometer works normally. I also have been without a coolant temperature gauge for a year or so. My local Ford service department did the troubleshooting on the coolant temperature issue and determined that the gauge was bad but they wanted $600 to do the repair. I have searched the old threads on the odometer issue and it looks like it is not all that uncommon and that the fix is to replace the instrument cluster which brings me to my questions. If I buy a used instrument cluster like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=012&sspagename=STRK%3AME WA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=220005795581&rd=1,1 does it have the coolant temperature gauge inside or is that a separate part that would not be part of this cluster? Additionally, how hard is it to remove and replace the instrument cluster, is it something a motivated novice like myself can accomplish? Thanks.

I guess I answered my own questions...I dug into the instrument panel today and managed to get the old cluster out without any problems. It looks just like the one on ebay so I have purchased it. Hopefully the used ebay cluster isn't broken as well and everything will be working once I get it installed.

Be sure to put new lights in before you put it back to together.

Thanks, I checked all the bulbs before I put it back together. So, I put the new instrument cluster in today and now the coolant temp gauge is working again, and the speedometer still works but the odometer is still inoperative. What next? After searching this forum I was pretty confident that the odometer gears had gotten worn and failed but I doubt that I would have the same problem with the new cluster. Where does the odometer get its signal, from a some sensor at one of the wheels? Is that the next place I should look or is there something else I should be looking for? Any guidance would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

I thought I would post the final solution so the next person who searches for this problem might get more info. It turns out that my original instrument cluster and the used replacement both had bad gears in the speedometer assembly. Local ford dealer replaced the Speedometer Assembly, part number F67Z-17255-AA, part cost $385.41 and the labor was $207. Ouch! The assembly is part of the instrument cluster but can be removed as a separate piece. It's the middle section with the speedo and the tach. I haven't tried to pull the old cluster apart yet to see if I could have done the replacement myself, I'm also not sure how they reset the odometer to the old mileage. But with it repaired at least the mileage keeps racking up so it doesn't totally destroy the resale value.