Speedometer and Temp gauge erratic
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 13
From: Alabama
Speedometer and Temp gauge erratic
So I bought my V6 '05 Mustang a month ago, and I noticed a few days later that I seemed to be doing 80mph when it felt I was doing 55ish. Sure enough, I stop and my speedometer reads 25 mph. I cut the engine off and turn the switch all the way off. I turn the switch back on, it reads 25 mph, I crank the engine and it moves back to 20mpg. I cut the engine off, turn it back on and after I crank the engine, it moves back another 5 mph. I do this until it moves to 0 and then it's normal. A few days later, for no reason that I can tell, it reads wrong again, maybe only 10 mph over this time, it's erratic. But it always moves up, then after cranking moves down 5 mph.
A few days after I noticed the speedometer doing this, I had my oil changed. A mile down the road from leaving the oil change place, I see my temp is buried in the red. I pull over, check my fluids and actual heat and it's still cold (drove less than a mile to the oil change place, then another mile after they changed the oil). I call the Ford place, they say probably bad instrument cluster. I go and test, and sure enough it's the same thing, after I crank the engine, it moves back a little bit. I turn the car off and re-crank it about 8 times and each time it moves back to normal a little bit until it's correct. The other gauges I have saw no problems with, mostly the speedometer but sometimes the temp gauge also.
What is this? Anything I can do? Any help appreciated!!!
A few days after I noticed the speedometer doing this, I had my oil changed. A mile down the road from leaving the oil change place, I see my temp is buried in the red. I pull over, check my fluids and actual heat and it's still cold (drove less than a mile to the oil change place, then another mile after they changed the oil). I call the Ford place, they say probably bad instrument cluster. I go and test, and sure enough it's the same thing, after I crank the engine, it moves back a little bit. I turn the car off and re-crank it about 8 times and each time it moves back to normal a little bit until it's correct. The other gauges I have saw no problems with, mostly the speedometer but sometimes the temp gauge also.
What is this? Anything I can do? Any help appreciated!!!
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 355
From: So. Cal.
So I bought my V6 '05 Mustang a month ago, and I noticed a few days later that I seemed to be doing 80mph when it felt I was doing 55ish. Sure enough, I stop and my speedometer reads 25 mph. I cut the engine off and turn the switch all the way off. I turn the switch back on, it reads 25 mph, I crank the engine and it moves back to 20mpg. I cut the engine off, turn it back on and after I crank the engine, it moves back another 5 mph. I do this until it moves to 0 and then it's normal. A few days later, for no reason that I can tell, it reads wrong again, maybe only 10 mph over this time, it's erratic. But it always moves up, then after cranking moves down 5 mph.
A few days after I noticed the speedometer doing this, I had my oil changed. A mile down the road from leaving the oil change place, I see my temp is buried in the red. I pull over, check my fluids and actual heat and it's still cold (drove less than a mile to the oil change place, then another mile after they changed the oil). I call the Ford place, they say probably bad instrument cluster. I go and test, and sure enough it's the same thing, after I crank the engine, it moves back a little bit. I turn the car off and re-crank it about 8 times and each time it moves back to normal a little bit until it's correct. The other gauges I have saw no problems with, mostly the speedometer but sometimes the temp gauge also.
What is this? Anything I can do? Any help appreciated!!!
A few days after I noticed the speedometer doing this, I had my oil changed. A mile down the road from leaving the oil change place, I see my temp is buried in the red. I pull over, check my fluids and actual heat and it's still cold (drove less than a mile to the oil change place, then another mile after they changed the oil). I call the Ford place, they say probably bad instrument cluster. I go and test, and sure enough it's the same thing, after I crank the engine, it moves back a little bit. I turn the car off and re-crank it about 8 times and each time it moves back to normal a little bit until it's correct. The other gauges I have saw no problems with, mostly the speedometer but sometimes the temp gauge also.
What is this? Anything I can do? Any help appreciated!!!
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 13
From: Alabama
I haven't, but I will check next time it rains.
Update: I found directions to take the instrument cluster out and did so, reattached it to make sure it was in there good. Now my tachometer keeps staying way below zero even at idle, dunno how to "reset" it. I also found how you could do HEC diagnostics on 99-00 mustangs using the odometer plunger and key settings, but it doesn't seem to work for my '05.
Update: I found directions to take the instrument cluster out and did so, reattached it to make sure it was in there good. Now my tachometer keeps staying way below zero even at idle, dunno how to "reset" it. I also found how you could do HEC diagnostics on 99-00 mustangs using the odometer plunger and key settings, but it doesn't seem to work for my '05.
