Want a white gauge cluster

[scribsac]

My Explorer is a 2000 with the dismal stock guage cluster. I love the white cluster that Ford switched to for the '02+ Sport and want to upgrade.

Does anyone have a suggestion for what product I should buy? Some of my options include:

-Swap for a cluster from an '02 sport at a junkyard
-Purchase one of those Nu Image gauges for sale all over the Web
-Purchase a cluster from someone on eBay (sometimes for as cheap as $11 USD)

Also, for those of you who have done this switch, what all is involved with the conversion? The people on eBay advertise their product as including a wire set and a power inverter, etc. Can't I just swap out the current cluster with a new one? Why all the other parts?

BTW, my Xplorer's current cluster goes to 120 MPH and had the 7000 RPM tach. All suggestions are very welcome.

 

[dman726749]

i bought the overlay kit off ebay....it does not replace the gauge cluster, just lays over the one in there and the wires are to light it up at night....there are instructions on how to do it in the usefull thread section

sorry no night shots of it lighting up

 

[Blue_Oval_Ford]

Or you can do what I did and get one from a newer Explorer. I bought one on ebay off a sport trac for under fifty bucks and it works perfectly.

 

[BBQ_HotDogs]

I sold mine to someone else on here. It was a 2001 Sport that it came out of. They are all over E-Bay, but you may not get the white transmission indicator with it. Also you will need to have the odometer adjusted to match your miles because they are white also and not black like your current one. But that is exactly what you should do, get one from an 01 sport and install it. It will work, I promise.

 

[draft]

^

Yeup, I've seen alot of the 01+ clusters on eBay, but none with the white gear selector or anything, and it's a direct plug in, definately was a nice replacement from the cheap overlays.

 

[BBQ_HotDogs]

In case anyone wants to know, Ford does carry those shift indicators for these guages. I bought mine for about 20 bucks. That is the part that says " PRND21 " in case someone didn't know what we are talking about. They also have the red indicator needles. Here was mine.

 

[aldive]

Would someone please outline the steps involved in the replacement of the instrument panel? Please include the time involved.

Thanks .....

 

[dman726749]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46289

this thread details taking the dash apart to get to the gauges..took me about 2 hours to do........not bad at all

 

[BeauJ]

All it involves it plugging and unplugging. The '01+ sports will plug directly into the 2nd gen plugs. As for removing the dash part, it's just undoing a good bit of screws and you should be able to do this in less than an hour.

 

[BBQ_HotDogs]

Al, I did this myself once. If I can do it, anyone can. Takes less than an hour to do. As a matter of fact, I just pulled the replacement in my Explorer and put a broken cluster in it. Not hard at all.

 

[scribsac]

Al, I did this myself once. If I can do it, anyone can. Takes less than an hour to do. As a matter of fact, I just pulled the replacement in my Explorer and put a broken cluster in it. Not hard at all.

BBQ, where did you get your cluster? Also, do the red needles come with the white clusters from the '01+ Sports? Where did you get the white shift indicators. Please tell us all everything that you did, the money that it cost, and the work that it required. Thanks a lot.

 

[celly]

I'm not BBQ, but I think most of the questions have been answered in this thread already. Try eBay or Car-Part.com for the cluster. I've scored one using each method. The OEM Ford cluster does come with red needles and "might" come with the white gear indicators. One of mine did, one of mine had an indicator one had the cable severed.
I just put the overlays over my OEM cluster and replaced the gear indicator. I'm swapping out the cluster itself to get the black on white odometers when my Ex catches up to the mileage on the cluster.

Here's mine:

Dead Link Removed

Shouldn't take more than 1-2 hours to swap one out.

 

[draft]

Honestly, both me, celly and BBQ have done it. If you can follow that overlay install writeup, it's easy. You don't remove anything off the old cluster unless you need the gear indicator or odo, but thats purely up to you. Other than that, it's plug and play and goes in nicely. There's not much to it.. you guys make it sound like rocket science...

Like they both said, the gear indicator and white odo is per chance on which one you pick up... getting one with it all (like I did) saved me the hassle of switching everything other, so yeah.

 

[celly]

Yeah, what Draft said. Keep in mind, that I am a terrible mechanic and I was able to sort it out. The gear indicator swap is actually VERY simple. I just SEARCHED for a thread on how it's done, and there were several on the site. You just need to remove the metal plate below the steering column to get at the cable. Very easy to do at the end of the day. The indicator itself goes in and out of the cluster with ease.

 

[BBQ_HotDogs]

BBQ, where did you get your cluster? Also, do the red needles come with the white clusters from the '01+ Sports? Where did you get the white shift indicators. Please tell us all everything that you did, the money that it cost, and the work that it required. Thanks a lot.

Just like Celly, I got 1 on E-Bay, and 1 at the local junk yard. Both cost me over a 100 bucks and it's a very simple install. Follow the write ups that have already been done. You do not need to be a mechanic to do this, trust me. I am the farthest thing from a mechanic you will ever find and I did it with no hitches. The main thing is that you drop the tilt steering to the lowest level and everything just unscrews or unbolts or unplugs, LOL. Very simple. I have sold both of my clusters to member here. So I don't have any left. But if I was to do it all over again, I would go the E-Bay route and make sure it has what you want. Then pay out the nose for it if it is complete and the mileage is real close to what you already have. Hope that helps.

Oh and also instead of laying that gray bezel over that beautiful cluster, just re-use your black one that is already on it. And yes, they all have the red needle indicators.

 

[BBQ_HotDogs]

Here is one on E-Bay now. It does not have the white shift indicator though.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33675&item=7947336126&rd=1

 

[aldive]

Does anyone have a Ford part number for the cluster?

Thanks

 

[draft]

#1l5f-10849-rc

 

[celly]

Here is one on E-Bay now. It does not have the white shift indicator though.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33675&item=7947336126&rd=1

Wow, that one has sure been bid up. I paid $45 for one with low mileage and a gear indicator on a buy it now.

 

[aldive]

#1l5f-10849-rc

Where did you get that number?

I saw the same number on a e Bay cluster and asked Torree what the price of that part number would be; he told me that it was an invalid number.