A few issues with my '00 Mountaineer

[Mesozoic]

Literally just bought my Mounty and hoping for some folks to shed some light on the following issues I've observed with my used vehicle purchase:

1. Oil pressure gauge is always reading maximum pressure. Is this a sending unit issue or gauge?
2. Center console will not open... does it open from the front?
3. A few of the dash backlighting lamps are blown - is it pretty straightforward to service the dash panel?
4. Cigarette lighter assembly is loose in the center dash area. Does the whole dash have to come apart?

Cheers!

 

[jester1023]

There are threads on this forum that cover all of your known issues. Here's the short of it.

1. It's most likely the sender. They are a mother to get to, but persistence always conquers.

2. The console lid should open right up by lifting the front center of the padded armrest. If it doesn't, there may be something stuck in the latch.

3. The gauge cluster isn't too bad to get to. It's about like other vehicles...you have to remove this to get to that, just to remove it to get to this.

4. The cig lighter socket issue does have to be fixed with the console piece out. They aren't too bad to do either. Hopefully it's not broken past repair. If it is, junkyard or ebay for a replacement.

As stated above...these subjects are covered on the site. Do a little searching and you should come up with a wealth of answers. If you still come up short, post your issues separately for a more fine tuned response.

 

[CDW6212R]

Welcome.

The oil gauge is a dummy light, and ON/OFF sensor reading. That began after 1996 or 97, before that they had the old normal pressure gauge. Supposedly you can simply change to the old larger sensor and gain true pressure readings.

The two console latches are fairly strong. It should open up, pull it gently from the front.

The dash lights are common 194's.

The dash cigarette lighter power outlet is very very fragile, and uses a 7.5amp fuse. People are too rough on those, and the back of that radio bezel will break the tiny plastic ledge off that holds the power outlet. It's not hard to remove the bezel, just a couple of screws and it pulls out(remove the radio first if possible). There are good snaps along the sides, but it pulls out. Getting a spare radio bezel is a good idea, look for those with unbroken tabs for the air vents, and that power outlet. The surface is a rubberized coating, it does rub off or let go. Regards,

 

[koda2000]

Literally just bought my Mounty and hoping for some folks to shed some light on the following issues I've observed with my used vehicle purchase:

1. Oil pressure gauge is always reading maximum pressure. Is this a sending unit issue or gauge?
2. Center console will not open... does it open from the front?
3. A few of the dash backlighting lamps are blown - is it pretty straightforward to service the dash panel?
4. Cigarette lighter assembly is loose in the center dash area. Does the whole dash have to come apart?

Cheers!

#1 - Could be the sending unit, the sending unit wire may be grounded out, could be the gauge. Unplug the sending unit and see if the gauge goes down to zero.

#2 - Which console does your truck have? Assuming its the long/full console, the lid has 2 clips on the sides about 1/3 rd of the way back from the front. You should be able to just lift it from the front. Some pressure may be necessary to pop it open.

#3 - Replacing burnt out dash illumination bulbs is straight forward, but not an easy task. You basically have to remove the gauge cluster to get access to the 6 bulbs. Replace all 6 with Long Life (LL) bulbs. Here's a pic of the back of the cluster. The black plugs are the illumination sockets. They twist out and then the base gets reused with new bulbs (#194 if I remember correctly).

#4 - The cigarette lighter typically has broken the radio bezel and then falls into the dash. If that's the case you need to get creative to repair the bezel or replace the bezel (check eBay for used ones). If it is just loose, you can get at it easily by removing the radio, or by taking the bezel loose.

 

[Mesozoic]

Thanks so much, guys, for your responses. This is first 2nd gen Mounty, so I know little to nothing about them. I am, however, a longtime member of several Mustang and EEC tuning forums, having owned, maintained, and modified early and late model (84-93) Mustangs my whole life.

The Mounty is fully loaded, it appears to have come with every conceivable option, so I'm assuming it has the long console?

Regarding the dash lamps, has anyone replaced their regular bulbs with LED units with any success? I know dimming sometimes becomes an issue with an LED conversion.

Cheers!

 

[CDW6212R]

Thanks so much, guys, for your responses. This is first 2nd gen Mounty, so I know little to nothing about them. I am, however, a longtime member of several Mustang and EEC tuning forums, having owned, maintained, and modified early and late model (84-93) Mustangs my whole life.

The Mounty is fully loaded, it appears to have come with every conceivable option, so I'm assuming it has the long console?

Regarding the dash lamps, has anyone replaced their regular bulbs with LED units with any success? I know dimming sometimes becomes an issue with an LED conversion.

Cheers!

Yes, the LED 194's screw right in. The dimming does work but the LED's are a good bit brighter than the rest of the lights. There are lots of threads here from others doing every possible thing to them(change colors etc).

I love the Mountys, and I'm trying to find another without any corrosion for my project. Finding the right one can take time, congrats and enjoy that truck.