Cluster questions - General Modifications - The fun starts here!

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Kealel
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JAMMAN wrote: Figured it out, it is written right on the module.
It's the "Anti Slosh" module, so your fuel gauge doesn't bounce up and down while you drive. The float is constantly moving and if it didn't have a buffer between it and the gauge to average it out it would constantly move.

I don't know if they are different but if they are the anti slosh board would have to go with the fuel gauge when switching things in a cluster.You beat me to it!

The module (from what I have read) is the same in all Rangers, Mustangs, F series, and some Vans. Not sure how true all that is but as for Rangers the designs vary but they all function the same.

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Posted: Tue Dec 26th, 2017 10:52 pm

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mhoward
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Guess I am lazy, I just waited for someone else to find the answer! LOL

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Posted: Sun Jan 28th, 2018 11:11 pm

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JAMMAN

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I found out tonight that a 1997 mountaineer cluster is not compatible with a 2000 ranger.

Just now got home. Put my new radio in and since the left button row is blue I figured I'd put the blue dash cluster in.

Looked great! BUTTT where the "door ajar" light on a ranger is sits the "fuel reset" and... as I was driving home I called the wife on the bluetooth. "Hey the radio works great honey... uhhh... the speedometer isn't working... crap and I smell burning wires"

Had to turn around and go back to work (had just left) and put the old cluster in.

So if anyone wants a fried speedo cluster that has pretty blue overlays with some of the indicators in the wrong place.. send postage. Didn't think so.

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 08:50 am

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mhoward
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Sorry to hear about your bad luck, Jim. Cameron and I grabbed a couple of blue clusters a couple of years ago, just for shits and giggles. I wasn't aware the indicator light positions were different. Now I will have to get them out and have a look.

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 08:58 am

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JAMMAN

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Evidently the wiring is different too, I have to disassemble this one and see exactly what was frying.

Maybe Anthony could shed some light on the wiring and speed reading of a 97 mountaineer compared to a 2000 ranger. Every other cluster I've tried in it worked.

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 09:04 am

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mhoward
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Yeah, the printed circuit on the back would obviously be different since the indicator locations are. Anthony probably knows off the top of his head the differences between the two types.

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 09:09 am

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mhoward
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Jim (and Chris), I know this isn't the thread to bring this up, but here goes: I belong to an IT related forum called Spiceworks. They have the ability to "TAG" a registered member in a post so that member will be notified... kind of like a pager. So, if we had that ability, you or I could tag Anthony and he would receive a notification to come to this thread to add his expertise. Just sayin'... :)

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 10:47 am

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JAMMAN

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I figured you would PM him LOL you are my tag system

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 10:49 am

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mhoward
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Jim, I can't do EVERYTHING for you! LMAO

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 12:51 pm

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Hahaha.

That sucks though, glad you were able to turn round and refit the original.

Also, this is the second thread in two days that i haven't received updates for, i am subbed and nothing in spam. I am getting other sub emails ok.

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 02:43 pm

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mhoward
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That happened to me on a couple a week or so ago. I fixed my issue by hitting the unsubscribe button, then ticking the email notification box. Seemed to work for me (of course, it COULD have been a coincidence).

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 02:45 pm

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Yeah, it's weird, got the email for your post just now.

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 02:46 pm

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mhoward
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Yeah, well MY posts are IMPORTANT! LOL

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 08:46 pm

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JAMMAN

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JAMMAN wrote: I found out tonight that a 1997 mountaineer cluster is not compatible with a 2000 ranger.

Just now got home. Put my new radio in and since the left button row is blue I figured I'd put the blue dash cluster in.

Looked great! BUTTT where the "door ajar" light on a ranger is sits the "fuel reset" and... as I was driving home I called the wife on the bluetooth. "Hey the radio works great honey... uhhh... the speedometer isn't working... crap and I smell burning wires"

Had to turn around and go back to work (had just left) and put the old cluster in.

So if anyone wants a fried speedo cluster that has pretty blue overlays with some of the indicators in the wrong place.. send postage. Didn't think so.
OK I might be wrong. Besides the fuel reset and the door ajar being inverted it looks like the same cluster. When wired to a ranger it sends door ajar to the top light it just says fuel reset.

I took it apart, the speedo has failed but is not cooked like I thought. Looks like it died of natural causes and I cannot remember if it even worked when I drove it home, I know the shifter was broken and to get it into drive was a trick AND it never hit park.

So where was the smell? I can still smell it a little and I believe it is plastic shavings from grinding on the bezel against the heat sink in the back. It gets less every time I drive it but I still plan on looking behind the new radio tomorrow.

So besides the 2 indicator positions being switched it is the same cluster.

I hope I didn't trigger someone digging in to an electrical manual this was an oversight and coincidence that the failed speedo showed at the same time the smell came.

I do know however that at least in the ABS and door ajar positions you should not use a LED. There is some voltage bleeding through and you can see a faint glow in the dark. My 3rd brake light on my dodge was like that, it always glowed a little was LED.

Dang this green one looks MUCH brighter with the 20 SMD daylight LED's than with the 5 X 5050's that was in it. I transferred them from the blue one back to the green one before I put it back in.

LED's look great in the turn signal holes and battery hole and nothing bleeds through. The brights indicator too. ABS and door ajar? going back to filaments unless someone has a trick.

Here's the green cluster with the 20 SMD daylights:

And here is the radio:

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 08:57 pm

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mhoward
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Dang Jim, that is one vivid cluster display! Radio looks pretty sweet too!

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 10:43 pm

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That works :cool:

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 10:52 pm

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Tsquare
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Did the magic smoke escape? I know where you can get some more

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Posted: Mon Jan 29th, 2018 10:54 pm

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Haha :)

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Posted: Thu Feb 1st, 2018 01:21 pm

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mhoward
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Tsquare wrote: Did the magic smoke escape? I know where you can get some more

I think Chris needs that! LOL

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Posted: Thu Feb 1st, 2018 05:16 pm

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chris

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I lost all the Lucas smoke years ago - it escaped from under the dash as I was driving along with the hood (top) down one day....

I installed a new smokeless system after that - modern tech with electrons and stuff!

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Posted: Thu Feb 1st, 2018 05:17 pm

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mhoward
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LMAO

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Posted: Thu Feb 1st, 2018 05:20 pm

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chris

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Maybe Uncle Jim could use it in the server though - I think he had a major smoke leak ...

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Posted: Thu Feb 1st, 2018 05:21 pm

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mhoward
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Yeah. I'm thinking he had a pretty day yesterday...

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Posted: Fri Feb 2nd, 2018 12:40 am

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The sad thing is back in the late 70's I had a 71 Triumph Spitfire. The Triumph dealership in Jacksonville FL had a bunch of cans made up with the Lucas Wiring Harness Smoke on a label. They gave them away to customers for April Fools day one year.

I forgot the important lesson's I learned from the Spitfire. Do not ever buy English made vehicles as they all are POS on this side of the pond. I did remember the most important is to have a dependable second means of transportation.

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Posted: Sat Feb 3rd, 2018 09:04 am

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NewShockerGuy
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I first used these leds in the cluster: Cool white:
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/miniature-wedge-base/194-led-bulb-5-smd-led-tower-miniature-wedge-retrofit-car/206/#tab/Specifications

Then I switched to these: Also cool white:
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/miniature-wedge-base/194-led-bulb-6-smd-led-tower-miniature-wedge-retrofit-car/1728/4112/#tab/Overview

I do not have any dead spots in my cluster at all. I do have silver cluster with orange/red needles.
The second leds are at least double the brightness of the first ones.

I also at one point changed out EVERY bulb in the cluster to leds and found that certain ones always would have a ghost image. That got annoying so swapped those back to normal bulbs. The turn signals I kept leds. During the day they are nice and bright but at night they are a little too bright honestly.
If I ever take the cluster out I would probably switch those back to normal bulbs.

I remember someone on the ranger forum that used led strip lighting and it came out awesome for his cluster. JP maybe?

My favorite cluster before I swapped mine out is really the stock black housing, green gauges with white needles. Using pure white leds behind the cluster just looks soooo clean to me. I was half tempted to use the white needles from my old cluster on my new one but it just didn't look right. It was hard to see the needles during the day on a gray cluster background.

-Nigel

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