I know this has been beat to death like a dead horse but I ran into a few issues with my install.

I got the white cluster with tachometer from the junk yard out of an explorer sport. Everything plugs right up. I swapped over the Odometer and that works just fine. Caliberated the needles on the speedo and got close enough on the tach.

Now my question are.

1. Check gauge light is on. (Something common?) or due to the fact that there's an issue with the other gauges?

2. My temp gauge is seems to be stuck on HOT. My old cluster temp gauge worked fine. Is this a calibration issue or should i swap out the old temp gauge unit into the new one? If I move the needle with my finger it will go back to where it was. Can this be fixed easily?

3. Battery gauge also does not seem to work as well (worked on the old cluster). Swap as well?

4. Oil pressure gauge also does not seem to do anything.

Any help, or directions to a certain thread would be upmost appreciated. I've been searching and searching and searching. Seems like the needles are just out of wack or something.

 

I would say you got a bad cluster. I would just get a new one. Or if the junkyard is nice enough you could replace the guts.

 

the cgl is on because of the water temp pegged. i would just swap in your old motors on the back of the new cluster. or, if you feel like the circuitry on the back of the new cluster could be at fault, use your old cluster back with just the new faces/old motors.

 

Well clusters are about 35-40 and I can't see doing all that work is worth it. Not to disagree with you or anything.

 

^^ I will look into what drppdyllwrngr said. Motors in the back are good AFAIK.

Cluster seems to work. When i shut the truck off all gauges go down. When i turn them on they spring to life.

I assume everything in the cluster works?

As for the temp gauge I put the electrical deal that screws into the back of the gauge in from my old cluster. Still the same issue. If I move them with my finger they will move, but just not on their own. I shut the truck off and the temp gauge stayed where it was. I will check in the morning to see if it has moved. Will also warm it up and see if it moves any. Then to figure out the oil pressure and battery gauges.

I hope the darn thing isnt broken... looks damn new back electronics board looks okay as well.

 

did you pull all the needles off? if so, they probably just need to be set back in the right place.

brandon, the work i suggested would take maybe 15 minutes. and it would be a lot cheaper than going out and buying another cluster and not being sure if that one would work either.

 

Yes i did pull the needles off.

Oil Pressure guage does not go down once car is off as well as the battery gauge (I don't even think it works). All gauges worked on old OEM cluster.

Comparing the circuit boards from the OEM cluster to the explorer sport cluster look slightly different.

Maybe I have a bad cluster, i popped another cluster board in from another one I received at the junk yard and that one was a no go. I don't know anymore. After replacing some of the motors and such I can't figure out why some of the needles don't go back down when the car is off.

Maybe I will just look for another cluster at the junk yard. After buying 2 they get a bit pricey after awhile.

I'll end up getting frustrated with it put everything back to the regular config and with my luck still have problems!

 

did you push the needles back on too far? that would cause them to stick.

 

I delicately put them back into place.

I went ahead, assumed i had a bad board or something wasn't working right, and put everything back to where it was stock (which works). Rather frustrating ordeal and I didn't feel like chasing down grounds and wires to see if that was the problem.

Thanks for the help and input.

 

so you cluster completely stock works? then just swap the plastic faces. you will be using all your old electronics and board, just new overlays. you could swap just the overlays, or unbolt the motors and bolt to the new faces. either way will work. either way would require pulling needles. but you would still get the white face gauges.

 

what year cluster… I have heard the newer cluster 01 up have a different pin out on a gauge or two.

First do as drppdyllwrngr has suggested then if that doesn’t work, look in other threads there is one about the pin out.
If all else fail Bob can help and maybe he will chime in.

 

the difference is in the idiot lights. for example, the "fuel door" light somes on when i open my door. 95-7 sometimes has issues with the water temp gauge as well. but that's normally corrected by just swapping the motor from the old cluster to the new one.