Instrument panel dials all pegged to zero or max

2003 Focus wagon 2.0L Automatic (US) - 65000 miles. Upon returning to the airport after a weeks trip, temp, spedo, and fuel gauges started to jump. Very quickly the temp and spedo pegged to zero and the fuel gauge pegged to full. On the 40 mile trip home, ocassionally all three gauges [at the same time] would jump to the correct value but then would peg back to the zero/full position. After I got home, I let the car sit for an hour and then took it out for a short drive. All dials now pegged to zero/empty with no movement whatsoever. Other than the dials, the car ran fine. All other electrical equipment [lights, radio, wipers, heater fan, windows, other instrument idiot lights] were fine. I've read the posts about the VSS. Could that also affect the temp & fuel dials?

Dave

Reply to
atkinsonguy
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Unlikely to be the VSS in this case I would think.

First thing to check would be all earth points in the dashboard area. Remove them, clean and replace.

Even if this is not the solution, it will save time (and therefore money) to eliminate this if you eventually need to pay for help.

Let the group know how you get on.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

This is a fairly common problem with Focus. I had mine replace by Ford under warranty, some chip behind the dash required replacing. Do a search of this group in google and you will see a few others have had this problem.

Cheers,

MK

Reply to
MK

Had it not been under warranty, I wonder out of curiosity how much Ford would have charged you for the replacement of a complete dash panel, for the sake of an IC which probably cost nowhere near a fiver to produce?

|| Cheers, || || MK

Reply to
Ivan

You have a loose, or dirty, connection to the instrument pod, WBMG

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

If the pod does indeed needs to be replaced, try a salvage yard. Probably only a $5 item

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Resolution - Connections to instrument cluster were checked and were OK. Took car to local garageman who isolated problem to instrument cluster. Exchange price for new cluster: [$318] + 1.5 hours labor to diagnose & replace cluster solved problem.

Reply to
atkinsonguy

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