I need help getting the guages back together. I painted the guages and in the process I had to remove the needles. Now I've put it back together but the rpm and speedo is off. Is there a trick to getting them back together just right?

 

https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...t=sport+gauges

This might help..If not P.M Fx4wannabe and he should be able to help..

 

Isnt the link above for recalibrating new replacement gages to match old gages? Although if youd done the battery thing before you dissassembled the cluster would give you a base for the speedo-didnt see any thing for the tach. If you didnt do the battery thing dont know if it'd help?
I looked around-all I found was https://www.ranger-forums.com/forum2...ad.php?t=62796

Seth556 did you have any luck? I know yours is different than my 04, Ive noted a different procedure for needle reinstallment, primarily doing it with engine warm, driving and then puttin speedo needle on...
Mine I just set at zero with motor at its stop-I see the ealeir ones have a mechanicl stop. Could you possibley just remove needles and relocate the amount there off?
Hopefully someone with your year/type responds

Ive had mine out a couple of times-I ended up leaving the dash cover off and reinstalling everything else, so to work on cluster I didnt have to go thru the whole dissembly thing untill I was finally happy with it. makes taking the gage out like 2 seconds.
Mark

 

in my Contour I had to plug the cluster into its harness,but leave the needles off. Turn the key to ACC so that all the dash lights and everything come on, and while the key is still in ACC, then gently put your needles at their zero position. Turn the key off, then start the vehicle and make sure when you start it they don't go out of whack. If they don't and they stay at 0,drive down the road to make sure everything works right.

 

did you take a pic of your truck at normal operating temperature AND while truck was running? that's the best and most accurate way to put all your needles back on, except your speedo. follow my instructions in the how-to submission category on doing that properly. if all else fails....pull the needle...leave the cover off. find a friend with a GPS...go a steady 55mph or 60 or 50 or whatever....then lightly press the needle on the shaft while driving that speed. best way to do it if you didn't do the battery trick from the beginning.

 

Well I used a gps last saturday and found I was exactly 10 over, like right on the dot. So I'll use the battery and just compensate for the 10mph. Gas is a little low but now I'll be sure to get gas before I'm ever too low. And rpms is maybe 200 too low since it should idle right about 500rpm and its right below.

 

oh shooooot. forgot all about the gas one...

i leave the needle off...then go fill up. start the truck up, set the needle just above the full mark.

 

Gas is funky. I had it right, then it got screwed up somehow. Then I filled it up and went to 3/4 full then when I got home it was almost to full. Talk about good mileage.