my gauges quit working

The cluster may have failed. A high-end scan tool can run diagnostics on it. Sounds silly but did you try banging on the dash? I know, not exactly a technical procedure but if the cluster comes back to life - there's an internal problem. The Instrument cluster has its own electronics and processor (so to speak).

i had same prob. 2oo2 ford f250 s/d p/up --when checking fuse # 19 (inst panel./overdrive off switch) wiggle fuse while it is in block and watch gauges at the same time. oddly the fuse may test good but continuity issue can occur on feed out of fuse to the gauges etc.

I don't know if this applies but there have been issues with the small wires that come from the Overdrive Cancel Switch on the Gear selector. They can become chafed and short out within the column causing all kinds of errors and blown fuses. Without checking, I think the OD switch shares some common wiring with other indicator circuits. Pop the steering column cover and take a good look at the wire.

all my gauges stop working on my 2003 ford f 350 I need to know where the fuse gauge is

It is best to just replace the Shift Lever Assembly. You will get a new Overdirve wire. It is probably shorted in different places and will cause multiple weird things to happen. LIKE : No radio, windows stop working, all Dash Gauges quit. I tried fixing the wire and had the same problem....so I replaced the shift lever and everything is back to normal now. It is a pretty simple process.

I'm a technician and had customer with same OD switch shorting problem. I knew the wire was shorting because when i tilt the steering column up n down my car was dying but couldn't find anything like bare wire visually. I used non traditional test procedures and found it that way. Basically there was pin hole in the insulation shorting to OD or shift lever handle metal bar that you would NEVER see without that test I did. Had to put splice in new wire and the fix was successful.

I registered just to post my fix

Previous owner had this issue and put an auto-resetting 10 amp fuse on this circuit. Eventually, it shorted so often (without me realizing it) that it cooked a trace on the fuse box circuit board. Fortunately, it was repairable with a white wire. Replaced the shifter and it's great!

gauges not working n moving when starter not fire or spark not fire

Had similar problem. 2004 f-250 lost my gauges and OD switch but gauges still illuminated. Took column apart and found shorted wire for OD switch, it was wore clear through. If i twisted wire where it was wore through the dash would work again. Put new OD switch assembly on and the gauges still didnt work. Back probed middle (red i believe)wire on OD switch wire plug and no power was present. All fuses were good, so must have shorted somewhere. So for now i added my own 12v using a protected 10A fuse and now it works. When I have more time fix it right.

I'm having the same problem with my e450 . Started after I installed a simple brake controler for my tow dolly. I disconnected my battery as recommended. And did push the wheel up to get the room I needed to get under the dash. It was a simple install When I took it for a test ride I noticed the gages were frozen , radio didn't work. No power windows Everton else seem good The electric brakes work good Now what I'll have a look around .

My fues keeps blowing out for my gauges on my dash any suggestions

Go over the previous posts - they all relate to your concern

I had a broken shift lever, but all gauges were working fine, just not the od. I put a new shift lever in from Ford and now all the gauges have stopped working and the light does not come on for od.

Figured it out, it was a fuse.

I need help. Just bought a 2004 f250. Lost all gauges on dash,raido works. Was running now will only start if jumped. Replaces fuses 23-25 that looked bad.

My f250 2006 is doing this too. All the gauges radio widows go dead while driving and if you beat on the dash it will come back on sometimes

Figured i post on here to let you all know that Farm mechanic's post about the broken trace wire was also my issue with dash/door chime and rear exterior light not working, open up your fuse box to have a look this seems to be a fairly common spot, just as Farm did i used a thin wire and soldered it and ran it from one end of board to where the fuse is inserted,plugged it in and everything once again works. Thanks

Haha thats crazy I hit top of my dash twice n all gauges turned back on lol thanks

Hi my ford f250 refcounter is not working

Tks. Helped me. But first time it has stayed off. Utill I put my Happy days move on it like The Fonz. Lol

Just The fuel gage is not working but I've checked the potentiometer in the tank and it's working. Any suggestions. ...? 2008 f250 v10

I have all the above issues. Replaced the alternator, delay relay and sent the instrument cluster out to be repaired. Still the same issues. Also when this happened the batteries need to be jumped or recharged before it will start again. I haven't seen this mentioned in any post on any forum. I have a 2004 Excursion, 6.0 I bought last summer. Problems started 3 weeks ago.

Have the same issue as most of the above. I lose gauges, radio, window, & sunroof controls. However, I am hearing a click around the fuse box area when it comes on or toes off. Checked and replaced fuse 19. It blew again just after replacement.

TikiRIck Did you fix your issue? Im having the same issue, as you, did all the fix they mention here, but still not working, not sure, what is going on :S

I had a squeaky door latch on my 2001 F350. I sprayed it with WD40 and now the door pops open going down the highway. Anyone else have this problem?

2008 f 250 super duty changed relays starter battery checked fuses instrument cluster etc... Same problem not fixed

2003 F350 Super Duty...instrument panel quit working but interior lights, radio, windows all still work. All fuses are good, battery is good. Any ideas?

I have a 2004 Ford F250 and when I bought it, none of the gauges were not working and the truck wasn't charging. From doing research I thought it was the OD switch. Checked the continuity for the OD switch and wiring and they were all good. My OD switch wiring was shafed but was still in working order. Thats is not the problem. Checked power to the OD switch and cluster and there was no power. Checked the power to all fuses on the fuse box and they were all good. Some people have problems with the radio, the electric windows and the alternator not working. Mine was just the cluster and the charging system. The problem is when the OD switch wiring chafes against the steering column, it fries out the fuse box assembly underneath the dash. I replaced the fuse box assembly and everything came back to life including the charging system. I don't use the OD switch so I just left it unhooked so this won't create another problem. You don't need the OD hooked up. The truck runs fine without it took me about about a week to figure it out.

This comment is related to the one I posted above. I forgot to add that this problem is the same for the F350 and F450. Make sure you check power to the gauges on the cluster. I had another good cluster that I hooked up and there wasn't any power. The fuse box has a internal green panel that is not like any other older fuse boxes and it can easily get burned out.

Make sure you either unhook or repair or replace your OD switch and wiring or you will be replacing another fuse box.

In summary, if your instrument panel goes out, check the single wire from the OD (tow/haul mode) button on the stalk. Look for breaks in the insulation where it snakes through the linkage. If the conductor touches any other metal surface, it will short, and blow the instrument cluster fuse. With enough fuses, or any fuse bigger than original, and you can burn out a trace on the circuit board inside the fuse box. Repairing just the fuse or the fuse box will not solve the root problem. You must replace the shifter, which comes with a new OD switch wire.

Yes that's what I said but more in depth.

I have a 2005 F250 6.0 bulletproof and deleted with programmer and all of a sudden radio would not turn on and then it would turn on and then turn itself off and then speedometer would stop working then turn truck off crank back up speedometer would start working again replaced speed sensor on rear end and back left window will not work and two background lights stop working on the oil and the fuel gauge and now I can't get over 15 pounds of boost when it was putting out 28 pounds of boost I think I need to replace the whole instrument panel any advice would help

We have a 2002 Ford F250 that had the gauges all go out, windows, door locks etc stopped working and the alternator wasn't charging which would leave us finding a dead truck. We sent the gauges off to be checked and they all for the most part looked fine. After installing the gauge panel we are still left with a gauge panel that doesn't work and now a alternator that is charging to much. HELP!!!!! I suspect the next option is to replace the shift lever or fuse box?

What was the problem? I have a similar issue

What year is your truck? Fuse panel is ussually what goes out on them. Problem is the overdrive wire rubbing up against the steering column which causes it blow fuses or blow fuse box. Repair/replace overdrive wire and replace fuse box.

I was driving when this just happened I pulled over and turned the truck off will not start

The owners manual says if you have problems with your trailer bring in shop ASAP are it will cost you don't understand just looked

Ok. Took some advice from here. 2004 F250 super duty. The problem: all gauges quit working, charging system quit charging, overdrive button not working and 4 wheel drive not engaging. This is a low low mileage truck for the age, only 60k miles on the odo. The solution: fix the overdrive wire where it had rubbed through the rubber casing right where the shifter pivots. Replace number 44 (I think) fuse and voila problem fixed. Took about 45 minutes and some electrical tape to fix.

My 2004 Ford F350 6.0 Diesel quit charging and gauges all quit working. My solution was replacing the blown low beam headlight fuse. I believe it was #46 in the underdash fuse panel. It works like new now. Hope this will help someone.

I am writing this for my husband who doesn’t do online stuff much. We have had problems with the instrument cluster in our 2006Ford F250 for several years. Sent the instrument cluster to Speedo for rebuild. That didn’t solve the problem. He went through all the wiring. Disconnected the battery saver relay and jumped it hot to make the radio and windows work. That didn’t work. Checked the wiring to the overdrive switch for grays or shorts. That didn’t work. Finally he decided to check all the grounds. The first one he checked was the one inside the drivers side toe kick. It had been installed over sound insulation and paint. As soon as he touched it the instrument gauges all jumped! So he cleaned it all up, sanded off the paint and reattached. Then he checked all the other grounds (2 under the dash, 1 in the back pillar on the drivers side behind the back door, 5 under the hood) and cleaned them up too. We’ve been driving for over two weeks (traveling pulling a 5th wheel - no problems at all! Think he fixed it.

I think from reading all the posts, and I have read many, the problem with the gauges going out has many contributors. In my case, I checked the OD wire (it was fine), I replaced the cluster (Circuit Board Medics) - I like the new LED lights they put in, I checked all the ground wires, all to no avail. So I went back to some other symptoms I had overlooked and misdiagnosed. In December 2019, I had to replace my batteries after 4 months (brand new Interstates). At the time, I thought my Scangauge was staying on and draining the batteries so I disconnected it (that was my first mistake and misdiagnosis). At the dealership, they said my battery terminal wires were loose. Problem went away for a bit. In January, on the way back from Utah, my gauges/radio/windows went out several times on the way home - not a great feeling on a 14 hour drive. Then, most recently, the problem started happening really frequently, and the gauges were off more than they were on. I then read a post from someone that the voltage regulator might be faulty on the alternator, so I reconnected my scangauge, because that was my only source of gauge, with my gauge cluster going out. I checked the voltage, and sure enough, it was above 16 volts when the gauge cluster was failing (along with the radio and windows, etc.). I remember it used to hover around 13.8/14.2, but never 16+. So, putting it all together, I think the voltage regulator in the alternator was going bad over time. I heard, but don't know and can't prove (yet), that the circuitry on the cluster has a fail safe to prevent damage when you get voltage overload. So I changed the alternator (got a 140Amp one) and so far, my problem has gone away. I went from the gauges being 70% off, to no issues. I hope this helps someone. I think all the posts were great, because, as I stated at the beginning, I think this issue had many different sources. In my case, it was the voltage regulator, but I needed the Scangauge to confirm that for me.

https://www.powerstrokenation.com/threads/gauge-cluster-issues-solved-here.269018/

I’m having similar problems, 03 excursion diesel, but mine only happens when I accelerate. Just started a few days ago. Ended up replacing both batteries, one of which began leaking so it seems. Put in new batteries, started right up. Press accelerator and entire dash and radio shut down but truck still runs. Any thoughts? As a side note, I do have an upgraded Nations HO 275 amp alternator that’s never been an issue but is about 7 yrs old.

Having the same problems. Gauges working intermittently. I monitored the problem for several weeks because it didn’t affect the truck operations. Noticed the problem go away when I run with a 3/4 to full tank of fuel. I suspect that the fuel sender is my culprit.

I have a 2008 Ford f250 super duty, it looks like I have a big black fuse under my dash on the driver side, what is that fuse, when I un plug it my truck still works, I don't know what it's for.

My cluster doesn’t work my power windows don’t work dome lights flash brake lights don’t work and my wipers don’t work. Help!!

I have had the dash and accessory loosing power on two different trucks now and both times times I found a bad red wire in the three small wire harness that plugs into the alternator . A break in that wire makes the voltage spike and the dash shuts down to protect itself

Hey everyone! I ordered some 74 bulbs for my 02 ford F250 diesel to replace the dash lights. I installed them all, flipped them around until I saw them light up in the dash, and reinstall the cluster. However, the lights are not bright enough to illuminate the gauges but do illuminate the needles? Could this be a polarity issue? An amperage issue? Or do I simply need to get brighter bulbs? I have spent countless hours of research in forums, watching YouTube videos, and reading through reviews on the super bright LED website where I got the bulbs. Can’t figure it out!! Please help

Here's how I troubleshot and fixed mine. https://youtu.be/xgTXP8bVChI

Re Jmas02_73 post; If you ordered led 74 bulbs, you have to be careful to get non-polarity bulbs. I almost made the mistake of buying polarity sensitive because of the price. Thankfully I came across some ratings that set me straight. The bulbs I bought light up my dash like a Christmas tree and are dimmable.

To determine polarity, use a test light. Carefully, with engine running and cluster plugged in, turn the cluster so you can access the back. Gonna be fiddly, so just make due, not much room in there. Test light attached to ground, probe each bulb landing contact. The cluster uses ground to switch, so each (37/74) bulb should have (+) on one side. When you probe with your light, when it lights up, you've found the (+) side. Use a sharpie to mark which side is (+). ( ***Note*** the indicators and Hi Beam light use a different method, so this won't work, going to have to get lucky with trial and error on those) Same procedure for the 194 bulbs, but make sure you turn your dash switch so that it's sending power. Use light to find (+) side and mark with sharpie. Once all marked, turn truck off, and disconnect your cluster. Install your new bulbs. The LEDs i got had a small (+) marked one one contact. I put in the plastic screw holder, and used sharpie to mark which side was (+). Put them all in, replace cluster and fire the truck up. If yours went like mine, everything should work on the first go. I got lucky and my indicators and hi beam were good first try. Good luck.

My instrument cluster went out, no radio, no power windows no guages, i found that if i keep the running lights on the instrument cluster works.

Two weeks of sending the instrument cluster in. They sent it back and said it checked fine. Almost everything runs through that damn cluster. Checked every single fuse in the truck. Found the left low beam headlight fuse blown. Replaced it, instrument cluster works fine now. I presume it's a fail safe, if cluster is out check your lights. Every fuse for everything. Had a dodge can that was similar. If dash lights were out, it meant my rear running lights fuse was bad.

2012 f250 the battery light came on yesterday evening. I turned it off and on a few times and it would start. This morning I got in and started it, it seemed a little sluggish but started. Drove to the stare and when I got back, I backed it in and my gauges were going haywire. Turned it of tried to start it it wouldn’t start. Took the alternator off and had it tested at autozone said it’s good. Put the alternator back on and jumped it off. I drove it down the road and back no lights on the dash and would start when I turned it off. Any ideas on what it could be?