Hi all, my 1st time here.
An issue no forum seems to have an answer to, regarding my 2001 Ford Escape 3.0L XLT V6 (Maverick): I disconnected, then reconnected the negative battery lead (to reset the ‘learning’ after changing tranny-oil), BUT it killed my instrument cluster gauges (temp, revs, speedo, fuel and the LCD shift display!). All fuses checked/interchanged, all seem ok. Pulled out instrument cluster, all ok behind. I tried the self-test (pushing the trip button in while ignition key at 1st position), nothing, but it may not exist on this car. I tried the battery negative lead again, still nothing. Any thoughts from your experienced heads? I am wondering if there is a simple electronic ‘reboot’ somewhere (or a relay to change). The car drives fine, but no speed/rev/fuel/temp/mileage/shift position info! Many thanks in advance for any help!
Let me check with Ford techs. Saturday 1/2 crew, this could take a while.
So far just one tech’s guess.
Did you check BOTH fuse boxes ? There’s one under the hood and one inside left kick panel.
In the under hood fuse box there’s two 40a fuses that transfer power to the inside fuse box.
Inside there are 4 fuses that say cluster in their description.
See owners manual for location of fuses.
Otherwise you’ve spiked the cluster and need a new one @ $480.00
Thanks for the speedy response!
Yes, both fuse-boxes verified ok.
What is, and where is, the ‘cluster’?
Would my Ford dealer (we live in France) have one on the shelf?
Thanks again.
Sorry, I’m a dummy, I see you mean the instrument cluster!
Being in France I don’t know if my advice will help, but I would find a garage that has a competent scan tool–not just a code reader. They should be able to access either the body control module or the instrument cluster module and see if it responds to commands, is showing data stream, or has any fault codes stored before condemning the cluster as failed.
Thanks for that.
Also, if I get a new, or secondhand one, would it show the mileage of my vehicle, or the mileage of the vehicle it came from? (Or zero, if new?)
Thanks.
Before you purchase another cluster I suggest you first verify power is getting to the unit if that hasn’t been done already. If you didn’t check the fuses using something to make sure power is getting past the fuses I also suggest you do that first. Many folks pass a bad fuse for a good one on the first check. Get a test light probe at least and make sure all fuses involved with this circuit have power getting to them. If that is ok then you need to check the cluster end wiring. You would be wise to purchase a factory manual for the wiring to help you with this trouble and things in the future. It is a very good investment and can save you money if you do simple repairs yourself.
Ok…power is getting to the cluster since the red (LED?) lights are working (doors etc).
Also, I interchanged fuses with others that were checked to work (eg. heater fan).
I am thinking about the masses of wires that plug into the back of the cluster, and for that, the manual is an excellent idea.
What you say about the power is a good sign but there may be a seperate power circuit for the things you mentioned having trouble. It would be hard to think something other than a power problem is causing the trouble to those things. A manual is a must have item if you are going to work on this.
Hi, I have similar issue with my Ford Escape 2001, V6 XLT, did you have this problem solved? How did you solve it?
My cluster is completely out, before starting, battery, accu and safetybelt light up and odometer lcd panel shows some light but nothing readable. When engine is running entire cluster is down, no lights and meters are not functioning. License plate lights and parking lights are not working either. This happened after i had the battery changed with a new one. I checked all fuses and seem to be ok. I’m not measuring any voltage on fuse 18 but the fuse itself is ok. Anyone having any thoughts? Any tips are welcome. Thanks!
There are shops that refurbish and resell instrument clusters, much less than a new one from a dealer. A google search should turn some up. We had a scammer on this site a while ago that posted several questions about burned out clusters and then provided links to his site. A search of this site might turn up something too.
You may have one of those cars that has to go back to the dealer to get the BCM (body control module) reprogrammed anytime the battery is disconnected. If that is the case, Ford should be punished by a class action law suit. I think it might even be a violation of the Moss-Magnuson act if they try to charge you for the reset unless the reset can be done at any garage.