electrical problem?

[Jeff B 5]

2004 XLT with 57K - within the last several weeks, about every 5 to 10 engine starts, there is a clicking and buzzing noise that appears to come from the dashboard area behind the instrument cluster. Engine starts, but all dash gauges are out while the buzzing continues. After 5 to 10 seconds, the buzzing and clicking stops and the gauges begin to work, but the trip odometer is reset to zero. More recently, the fuel gauge is much more slow to recover - may take up to 10 minutes to register the actual fuel level. Problem seems to occur more if the engine is warm than on initial start up. Any of you have a plausible diagnosis to offer? Thanks,

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

You may have a short or a loose connection. You can take the dash apart and look at the connections to see if any are loose. Also look at the wires and see if any may have gotten wore bare. The taking apart of the dash isn't that hard. I'm pretty sure there is a project on how to do it.

 

[Ken Crockett]

I experienced the very same problems over the last few months ('04 ST, 52k miles). Watch your dash when you hear the clicking; it's the gauges bouncing against the bottom pegs. After a few queries on this board, I decided to get a new battery before a long weekend trip out of town. I'd never had any problems with the ST starting, but over 4 years (and hot AZ summers) since I bought the ST, I figured it was about time.



My timing was good. Just after deciding which battery to get, I pulled into the shop to buy it. The mechanic went to pull it into the service bay to work in the shade (I am in AZ, after all), and for the first time, it wouldn't turn over. No cranking, no nothing.



But I haven't had any electrical problems of any kind since then. If your battery is OE, it's probably time for a new one.

 

[Jeff B 5]

3G - thanks. You were right, the clicking was the gauges bouncing on the pegs. Changed the battery and no more problem.

 

[Ken Crockett]

Glad to help. Glad it worked for you, too.