How to: Overhead console display fix - 2nd Gen

[Eagle71]

I have a 2001 Mounty that never came with an overhead console for some reason. Anyway, about 4 years ago, was able to obtain an old console/temp sensor and associated wiring from a junkyard, wired them in, installed all the hardware and viola, temp & compass reading worked great. Until about a month ago. Compass worked fine, but temp reading would freeze at whatever the ambient temp was after the car warmed up. Next day, same symptoms. Returned to the junkyard (I love junkyards), bought a replacement console and temp sensor, and same problem after replacing the old parts with the "new" parts. I tested the temp sensor, and it's reading about 11K ohms - within parameters. Bottom line, both old and new consoles work ok until the car warms up, and then the temp reading freezes. Any suggestions for solution(s)?
Thanks in advance,
Steve

 

[RCMustang]

Just wanted to say thank you for sharing this information. I just performed the procedure on page 1 on my 1999 Eddie Bauer Explorer and it worked great. Took a little less than an hour to fix and I can see the display again.

 

[SilentAoH]

My sodering is garbage but it works now thank you very much for this knowledge I can now see that it is 50 degrees out and my truck is facing east

 

[markfothebeast]

So I read this and took my center display out. There was ZERO melted solder connections. There was continuity between all resistors. I took the resistors out and resoldered them anyhow. They pretty much fall out once you touch them with the solder gun.

IT WORKED!

If they look fine, resolder them anyhow. The culprit is the small contact surface under the resistor. I cleaned the mating surface and scratched through to the copper.

 

[Turdle]

If one end of the chip is heated and it falls off, the solder joint on the other side has failed. Be sure to hold the resistor in place with tweezers while heating the ends. Once one joint is created, the resistor chip will stay put while you heat and solder the other side. Just a dab will do ya.

While working in college I had a job placing 4300 of these little buggers per day. By hand. with tweezers and soldering iron. We shipped 750 circuit boards per week to Midland. each circuit board had 43 surface mount components, all laid by hand by yours truly.

In 1984 it paid 125.00 per day though, which was good money back then. On Fridays I earned a bonus 100.00 for running the completed boards through an automated testing header.

I've placed well over a million of them, and would actually wear the tweezer points down to where I would have to precisely machine a good grabbing tip. I burned out countless soldering tips. I only cooked one Weller solder station though.

I later used a little education to help build a robot so I wouldn't have to do that no more-

send them to me if you do not feel like fixing them yourself.

 

[marvrulz]

Great thread. My overhead display wasn't working, so I pulled it apart and found a slightly different issue that I fixed (crud had shorted some contacts), but this is what got me to tear into it in the first place and now I know what to look for if I have issues down the road. Thanks!

 

[MikeParrish]

Display fading - Upper Console

Mine is a 1999 Explorer Eddie Bauer and if you do not put the instrument panel control on full intensity the display flashes from full intensity to something less. I thought this may be something close but the two resisters look good. Strange problem and I am not sure where to go from here. Thanks for the suggestion.
I am glad to see it helped others.

 

[jimmyznutz]

Mine is a 1999 Explorer Eddie Bauer and if you do not put the instrument panel control on full intensity the display flashes from full intensity to something less. I thought this may be something close but the two resisters look good. Strange problem and I am not sure where to go from here. Thanks for the suggestion.
I am glad to see it helped others.

I had this same issue. A replacement dimmer switch fixed my issue.

 

[MikeParrish]

Overhead console pulsing

Did you mean the switch on the steering column or the intensity control on the dash?

 

[jimmyznutz]

Did you mean the switch on the steering column or the intensity control on the dash?

The dimmer switch that is located beside your headlight switch.

 

[MikeParrish]

That's what I thought. Thank you. I will give it a try.

 

[shadow460]

I have a similar problem in my 1998 Expedition except that the compass and thermometet are in the auto dimming mirror. It only works when it's real hot outside.
Has anyone torn into the combo mirrors? I wonder if the fix is similar.

 

[nycstogie]

As one poster mentioned, in Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge vehicles you can take an overhead console (junk yard) from a vehicle with more options in it and place it in a lesser optioned vehicle with no problem, as the wiring and computers/sensors are all the same in the vehicles.

Can this be done in Ford Explorer's?

For example, can I go to the junkyard and start grabbing parts from an Eddie Bauer/Limited Model and place them in a basic XL Explorer? (same/similar year model)??

How about seats? Can I upgrade to leather seats with electronic seat adjustments, etc??

Thanks in advance for any answers - I'll also keep searching around these forums - hopefully I'll find the right place where modifications/upgrades are located.

Have you got a answer to this Question???
I am really really curious!!
i am attempting to add one also to my 94 2 door explorer 5 speed!
Thank you Danny aka Stogie

 

[J_C]

^ Take yours off, note the connectors present on the wiring harness, then note what's there on the donor vehicle console (or seat, whatever). Generally yes, they'll use the same wiring harnesses for lesser featured vehicles but I can't guarantee it for a specific case.

 

[John Pearson]

Great write up! My display has been out for about 4 months now.

Followed the detailed instructions, and got my overhead console working in 35 minutes, with no issues!

Kudos to the original poster!

 

[dav9194]

Glad this forum keeps its archived threads. Had this same problem appear after a front end crash. When i thought the display was out due to the body shop not hooking up all the wiring correctly i found this thread. Tested as described here and found the problem to be the solder joints as described here. Repaired in less than 30 minutes, including taking my dog for a walk and a cigarette break. Thanks to all here.

 

[Daniele]

Just did the repair on my 2000 Explorer. Worked out great. I did have a little trouble finding a couple of screws under the foam insulation.

Many thanks

 

[Onetirefire]

this fixed my problem, thank you very much. I was going insane trying to figure out this damn thing.

 

[Ray Martinez Jr]

Worked! Even tough my visual inspection of the resistors didn’t show any problems, I re-soldered them and it’s working again. Great job with the detailed instructions!

 

[jmullan99]

I've seen a few posts relating to the overhead console display going out over time.
I had the same problem, and found the culprit.

Thank you! Worked for me also.