198 tbird 5.0 gauge cluster September 04, 2009, 08:44:14 PM i am in need of one,i mainly need the fuel level gauge if it can be seperatedthanksmike Quote Selected
198 tbird 5.0 gauge cluster Reply #1 – September 04, 2009, 11:31:59 PM umm slipped a digit on the model year there, joker. 198? Is it a base bird cluster? I don't think there was much difference in the clusters for a 5.0 versus a 3.8. Got a pic of what you need (your broken/dead one)? The hybrid clusters were used in the base birds from 84 thru 87, coulda been 85, though. I know the cluster I have in my blue 86 came from an 87. If it's the base cluster, I have one that has a dead speedo/odo. The rest of it was working just fine when I pulled it out. Quote Selected
198 tbird 5.0 gauge cluster Reply #2 – September 05, 2009, 01:51:38 AM Quote from: joker77_2005;289937i am in need of one,i mainly need the fuel level gauge if it can be seperatedthanksmikeLooking at the list of his cars in his signature he has a 1984. The exact cluster was used from 1983-84 on Tbirds and Cougars only but standard clusters on the 1980-82 are identical except for the style of the gauge facings. Same goes for the 1983-86 Mid-sized Ford LTD and Mercury Marquis which recycled the 1980-82 Tbird and Cougar dashboard in it's entirety. Anyway, it doesn't matter if you find any of those cars above if you just need a fuel gauge replacement...You should check out my recent thread:http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?t=25284I just replaced a fuel gauge unit in my 1984 Tbird by using only the fuel gauge bodies from a 1980's Ford Ranger and F-150 Truck. It works perfect. I pulled at least two from Pull-A-Part just to make sure my chances of having at least one that works was better. Got it cheap, cheap, cheap too! Quote Selected
198 tbird 5.0 gauge cluster Reply #3 – September 05, 2009, 07:08:52 AM my bad,yea its a 1984,i may need a whole new cluster,as my seatbelt lite rarely goes out, and the fuel gauge reads erratic,i already checked all the wireing and replaced the fuel sender,when i am below e i can only get 12 gallons of fuel in,on occasion i can get close to 17 gallons in the tank.also my hibeam lite only works half the timemike Quote Selected
198 tbird 5.0 gauge cluster Reply #4 – September 05, 2009, 10:28:56 AM Quote from: joker77_2005;289969my bad,yea its a 1984,i may need a whole new cluster,as my seatbelt lite rarely goes out, and the fuel gauge reads erratic,i already checked all the wireing and replaced the fuel sender,when i am below e i can only get 12 gallons of fuel in,on occasion i can get close to 17 gallons in the tank.also my hibeam lite only works half the timemikeSeatbelt light... At first I was thinking it could be the contacts in the seat belt buckles which serve to acknowledge the belts are fastened. However, my seatbelts have been completely unfastened during the time I have been working on my car with the car started and the light goes out after a few seconds. The seatbelt light is on a timer that cancels the light a few moments after the engine is started. The timer could be malfunctioning. I believe it is contained within the module under the right driver's side that produces the tone when the key is in the ignition switch or when the lights are left on. High beam light... check the bulb socket in the back of the cluster. The contacts on the bulb socket develop corrosion where they contact the ribbon circuit. Remove the bulb socket, scape the little contacts and bend them out slightly so there is more tension against the ribbon contact when they are reinstalled. You may as well check all the bulb sockets while you have the cluster out. I did all of this to mine recently and got all my cluster bulbs to work properly. My high beam light works as it should. If that fails to repair the problem then there could be a worn contact in the dimmer switch. The fuel gauge works with fine wire wrapped around a bi-metal strip. This wire heats up according to the electrical resistance received from a voltage signal from the fuel tank sending unit. The heated windings against the bi-metal strip cause the two different metals to expand and constract against each other thus causing the needle attached to move. I suppose if there is an inconsistancy in heating the bi-metal strip then you will get fuel gauge errors. Fuel gauges are notorious for not being all that accurate, especialy when the needle reaches the empty and full limits. You can try replacing the fuel gauge body to see if it gets better. There are also adjustments in the back of the fuel gauge body that assigns the sweep of the needle depending on the vehicle they are used in. They are adjusted through holes in the back with gear-like teeth. Quote Selected
198 tbird 5.0 gauge cluster Reply #5 – September 05, 2009, 08:49:37 PM One more source of eratic gauges is the IVR (Instrument Voltage Regulator). It's about a half inch wide, and about 1 inch long, located on the back side of the cluster. Normally, that will affect all three gauges (OP, Temp, and Fuel) that depend on a reduced voltage to operate. I replaced this on my '86 the first time I had to go in for bulb replacements. The gauges were all wacky, and different temperatures would make them read differently. It's riveted on, but can be removed fairly easily, and a new one installed with a snap. It's been a long time since I bought the repair kit, though, so don't know if it's even available any more. Plan B, get a whole cluster from a yard somewhere. Quote Selected
198 tbird 5.0 gauge cluster Reply #6 – September 05, 2009, 10:49:20 PM yea i only have the fuel gauge and speedo,dummy lites for rest,depending on if i have the headlites, and or a/c on the gauge will drop to half even tho it has a 95% full tank.all of my bulbs,sockets and connecters are good on the back of the cluster.also on another note if i have the headlites on, and the a/c on full blast if i try to roll the windows down then the radio will die and i wud have to re set up all my station presets and settingsall of my connections get soldered and heat shrinkedon a side note i have a 1 wire alt ,100 amp with the external voltage regulator deleted that always runs rite at 14.0 volts and never fluttersmike Quote Selected
198 tbird 5.0 gauge cluster Reply #7 – September 06, 2009, 12:50:24 AM Quote from: joker77_2005;290055yea i only have the fuel gauge and speedo,dummy lites for rest,depending on if i have the headlites, and or a/c on the gauge will drop to half even tho it has a 95% full tank.all of my bulbs,sockets and connecters are good on the back of the cluster.also on another note if i have the headlites on, and the a/c on full blast if i try to roll the windows down then the radio will die and i wud have to re set up all my station presets and settingsall of my connections get soldered and heat shrinkedon a side note i have a 1 wire alt ,100 amp with the external voltage regulator deleted that always runs rite at 14.0 volts and never fluttersmikeI often see problems with instrument clusters and electrical accessories operating erratic when voltage drops drastically in the electrical system. Most of the time it happens when a battery is too discharged. However there are other conditions that will cause erratic electrical behavior if the battery has a full charge. You say you deleted the external voltage regulator? Did you replace it with an alternator with an internal regulator? I would assure wiring compatability if there was such a swap made. Poor or Bad grounds can also cause strange things to happen. Check to be sure that all the grounds in the instrument panel are secured and not detached or loose. Most of the important grounds in the dash harness attach to the metal dash support behind and under the radio. If the radio looses memory then it is a severe voltage drop through the 12V+ constant wire than maintains the radio memory. This is happening when you draw all available current trying to operate so many acessories at once. Make sure as well the alternator you chose to use has enough amperage output to support all the accessories being used in the vehicle at one time. Some Tbirds have so many electrical accessories that they have to use higher amperage alterators to keep a good supply of current while all accessories are in use. Quote Selected
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