stock volt meter... crapped out or other?

[SwaintaN]

Got done doing my non A/C conversion... got into the truck for the first start since all has been replaced.. while under there doing the non a/c conversion noticed my alternator wire was no good... i have alternator wire straight to battery using a 4ga wire and a ANL fuse, HO alternator.

Well started the ex and i could have SWORE i hear a click noise twice on the passenger side of the dash.. when that happened the volt metter went from reading at normal readings.. it dropped to 8... and wont move..

tried restarting it a few times.. nothing changed, turned on stock lights, aux lights, heater on high, defrost, both windshield wipers and didnt move at all.. didnt even try to die out... so is the stock volt meter crapped out or?!?! how easy it it to fix that?

 

[FIND]

Check your fuses

 

[SwaintaN]

theres a fuse for that?! under hood or near feet?

 

[FIND]

No there is not a fuse for that per say.... but, I have noticed blown fuses on old explorers sometimes cause gauge gremlins. Cheap and easy place to start, and I have honestly seen it happen about 4 times now on 4 different vehicles.... twice it was the radio, but I think you would have noticed that.

 

[Roadrunner777]

The voltmeter, as anyone might guess, connects to ground and the +12V system.

The same ground is used on the various lamps. So, if you have gauge illumination, hi beam indicator, so forth, you have ground at least on the flex circuit.

The +12V is also on the flex circuit to power the other gauges. So, if you have a functional temp or fuel gauge then +12V is there too.

So, I guess this is the case because you probably would have mentioned that these things were also not working. Meaning, you do have ground and +12V to the flex circuit. So, now, how to tie this in to the work that was coincident to the failure. I have no idea.

But, I think you probably fried the meter somehow. Check the connections to the meter, put a reference voltage on it, so on...

I know it doesn't fit that well, but I wonder what the no load voltage is on one of those HO alternators. Eh, I don't know what caused it. Test the meter, I think it is nooo good.

 

[SwaintaN]

ive had the ho alt on there for over a year now, and the volt gauge has been acting funny before it and for a long time.. then just this time i heard a click click sound and it stopped working.. all the other gauges and lights work.

 

[Maniak]

Assuming the board on the back of the gauge cluster is still good, its a simple swap to replace the volt meter. You don't even have to take the cluster out.

You pull the trim panel around the cluster/dash, pull the little screws that hold the clear plastic on the gauge cluster. The different parts of the cluster just pull out.

Go to a u-pull it, and practice taking the dash trim panel off and pull the gauge out. I can pull one in < 10 minutes. 5 minutes if I don't care about the trim panel.

If you want to pull the entire cluster out so you can have a spare set its only a few different screws, 2 electrical connectors and the speedo cable that have to be removed from the back of the cluster.

~Mark

 

[SwaintaN]

im confused then i guess... if you dont have to pull the cluster to fix it, then what part is being replaced?

 

[Maniak]

The gauge cluster itself has 4 different gauge pieces in the cluster.

Voltage/Fuel, oil pressure/temp, Speedometer, tachomter are the 4 different gauges components that come out of the cluster from the front. They are just snapped in.

The Custer, as I am calling it, is the entire assembly that all those gauges in it and has a circuit board on the back of it where the wire harness connects to.

~Mark

 

[SwaintaN]

so the section "volt meter" pops out and replace it with the one from a junk yard?

 

[Maniak]

Exactly, and if its cheap enough, just get the entire "cluster" from the same year (verify the color on the back is the same as yours).. That way you have spare gauges for multiple things.

I'm on my 2nd Volt/fuel level gauge and the 2nd clear cover. Both of which came from a full cluster I got from the junk yard. Its also good practice for figuring how to take it apart without breaking it on your truck first

~Mark