Gauge issues.......

[1973 F-100 4x4]

I finally got around to fixing the fuel gauge not working issue on my current DD.
It is a '74 F-250 Custom 2wd, 360ci engine with NP435 4spd.
I spent a few hours on wednesday dropping the fuel tank to change the sending unit.
Mind you, the tank was 3/4 full still, and I did not have a jack tall enough to help lower or raise the tank. Just the help of a friend.
Man was that thing heavy!!
After all that, found out that the sending unit was good, and the fuel gauge itself was bad!
(Lesson learned: check the gauge first!)
So I swapped the gauge cluster with the one out of my '73 F-100 Custom 4x4. Which is exactly the same, but is in a lot better shape.
Now, my temp. gauge isn't working.
How hard would it be to swap out the temp. gauge from the old gauge cluster?
Both are still solid, not brittle as they tend to get after awhile.

Any advice would be helpful, as I have to drive 22 miles out of town this sunday.
(18 miles of it is all dirt back roads, and where I have to go is literally 20 miles away from any city, town, or civilization in general. This is to go to my landlords ranch.)
Thanks in advance.

 

[bucks77ford]

The gauges swap out pretty easily on the clusters. They are only held in by two nuts on the back of the cluster. I'd check to make sure there isn't any corrosion on the printed circuit where those nuts attach. That could cause the gauge not to work.

 

[Mil1ion]

I can completely dismantle a gauge cluster in a 1/2 hour on my kitchen table.

I have all those extra gauges to show for it

 

[1973 F-100 4x4]

The gauges swap out pretty easily on the clusters. They are only held in by two nuts on the back of the cluster. I'd check to make sure there isn't any corrosion on the printed circuit where those nuts attach. That could cause the gauge not to work.

You nailed it on the head!!!

I removed the gauge cluster, and completely disassembled it.

The copper nuts on the temp. gauge were green with corrosion!

I then washed the housing pieces with warm water and mild dish soap, and cleaned the printed circuit, the copper nuts, and the bolts that are attached to the gauges with gun cleaner/oil.

Then reassembled and reinstalled the gauge cluster, and voila!
All gauges now work AND it looks completely out of place in my dirty truck! Lol!!

This was the first time that I have taken a gauge cluster apart, so that was why I was asking about it.
It was a lot easier than I thought it would be!
Thanks for the info guys!

 

[flareside_thunder]

comgrats on the fix and have fun at the ranch.....

 

[1973 F-100 4x4]

Thanks Flareside, and I wish I could have fun out there.

Have to go out there to do work for my landlord, as she has a very hard time getting things done by herself.

She is 81 years old, has a bad hip, and STILL runs a 300 acre ranch by herself.
She has trouble getting around, as you can imagine, and needs all the help she can get.
Her house is heated with a wood burning stove, she cooks on another wood burning stove, and her hot water comes from a wood and coal burning boiler.
She has running water and electricity in the house, but no sewer.
There is no toilet in the house, only an out house in the back yard.

Also, this is taking care of my rent, until I can find work again.
As I have been out of work since the beginning of March.

I was informed of a job to check out on Monday though, so wish me luck!

 

[flareside_thunder]

good luck...sounds like my kinda house/ranch.

 

[1973 F-100 4x4]

I hear ya there!
Nearest neighbor is 12 miles away, as the crow flies!
17 miles by dirt road!

I'm off to bed, leavin' at 6am, so I can be there by 7am.

 

[bucks77ford]

Glad to hear you took care of the problem.

 

[Mil1ion]

Now you see why I have this photo available for people ?

 

[78Ranger_GARedNeck]

alright.. my truck had a GREEN printed circuit board. . the cluster i bught out of tha junk truck had a red one like that above. . Whats up with that?

Oh FYI. its a good idea to take the connector aloose(or the battery) before you disconnect the speedo. I grounded out the speedo into my circuit board and was soldering wires and tracing paths the rest of the night.

 

[Mil1ion]

one should ALWAYS disconnect the negative battery cable before dismantling the dash

 

[1973 F-100 4x4]

Glad to hear you took care of the problem.

Thanks! And my truck did great out there today!

The trip out to my landlord's house was exactly 25.3 miles, I used it to fix 2.1 miles of fence, and the trip back was another 25.7 miles.

Total mileage: 53.1 miles. Fuel used: a hair over 1/8th of a tank!

I think that's darn good for a stock 2 bbl 360!

 

[1973 F-100 4x4]

one should ALWAYS disconnect the negative battery cable before dismantling the dash

Definently a must when doing anything in the dash.

 

[1973 F-100 4x4]

Now you see why I have this photo available for people ?

That's mild, compared to how bad mine was.
Mine had the flaky green corrosion on it.

Good example though!

 

[RustyCJ]

alright.. my truck had a GREEN printed circuit board. . the cluster i bught out of tha junk truck had a red one like that above. . Whats up with that?

Could it be that one has the idiot lights(red) and the other(Green) has the gauges for ALT and oil pres..

 

[Mil1ion]

no, they just changed the colour in 76 cause it was also redesigned

 

[78Ranger_GARedNeck]

Naw. . its for the gauges(not idiot lights) and the red one works fine with all my stock 1978 gauges. I just got my hands on another cluster but its got the idiot lights and red panel.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What is the best way to clean the corrosion?

 

[dakonthemountain]

SuperSnake I have for years used white vinegar and a soft brush to clean corrosion off of electrical components, such as circuit boards, light sockets, etc. It works great!
Dak