Ford focus 1 2003 Speedometer and fuel gauge stopped working

[reqz22]

So recently I have noticed my whole instrument cluster dies randomly from time to time when driving. I took the plug out(of the panel) , reconnected it, now my rpm gauge works, but speedo and fuel gauge died completely, the fuel is on 0 and i have the light on, and the speedo doesnt move. 

 

I did the instrument cluster test, they all work

 

Checked the plug, seemed fine, there were 4 golden wires tho. Idk what it means

My question is, where is the problem? Would changing the panel resolve the problem or is it a ECU/harness/bad cables problem

 

Also is there a problem if I change the whole panel with one with bigger or smaller mileage? 

 

Thanks

[rd457]

I'm confused, you've said "1 2003" in the title, yet your profile says 2007, so I'm not certain whether we've dealing with a Mk1 focus or a Mk2...

Fundamentally it sounds to me like a lack of power reaching the instrument cluster (IC), so the first thing to check would be all the wires and connector pins, and not just at the IC end.

If it's a Mk2 then it's possible this could be the classic IC solder joint issue, in which case please consider my repair service.

3 hours ago, reqz22 said:

My question is, where is the problem?

The closest direct answer you're going to get given the information you've provided is simply "in the electrical system". It is not possible to just magically know where the problem is, we can only take guesses or guide you through locating it.

[reqz22]

8 hours ago, rd457 said:

I'm confused, you've said "1 2003" in the title, yet your profile says 2007, so I'm not certain whether we've dealing with a Mk1 focus or a Mk2...

Fundamentally it sounds to me like a lack of power reaching the instrument cluster (IC), so the first thing to check would be all the wires and connector pins, and not just at the IC end.

If it's a Mk2 then it's possible this could be the classic IC solder joint issue, in which case please consider my repair service.

The closest direct answer you're going to get given the information you've provided is simply "in the electrical system". It is not possible to just magically know where the problem is, we can only take guesses or guide you through locating it.

I have the ff2, and my mother the ff1 and now I am asking about the ff1

[reqz22]

8 hours ago, rd457 said:

I'm confused, you've said "1 2003" in the title, yet your profile says 2007, so I'm not certain whether we've dealing with a Mk1 focus or a Mk2...

Fundamentally it sounds to me like a lack of power reaching the instrument cluster (IC), so the first thing to check would be all the wires and connector pins, and not just at the IC end.

If it's a Mk2 then it's possible this could be the classic IC solder joint issue, in which case please consider my repair service.

The closest direct answer you're going to get given the information you've provided is simply "in the electrical system". It is not possible to just magically know where the problem is, we can only take guesses or guide you through locating it.

How can I verify the ends of the plug from the harness? 

[rd457]

5 hours ago, reqz22 said:

I have the ff2, and my mother the ff1 and now I am asking about the ff1

Okay, thanks for clarifying. 🙂

5 hours ago, reqz22 said:

How can I verify the ends of the plug from the harness? 

Well essentially you need a multimeter or at least a test lamp to perform certain basic electrical circuit tests. Do you have one and understand how to use it?

Otherwise without such equipment you can at least try just looking for signs of problems that can be spotted visually and try to address them, such as corrosion on wiring pins or water where it shouldn't be. You say you've already looked at the IC plug and it seemed fine, which is a good start, though I've no idea what you were talking about when you said there were "four golden wires", maybe a picture would help clarify. The next best place to look for an issue would be the GEM (the "fusebox" in the passenger footwell); inspect everything there for water/corrosion. Then check the engine bay fusebox similarly, and check for any loose/corroded ground wires attached to the body you can find. It may also be a good idea to check the condition of the pins of the ECU connector(s).

Another thing you could do is if you have ForScan software and a suitable cable/device for the car's diagnotic OBD2 port you could plug that in, let it scan for problems and see what it comes back with. It's possible that this could yield some useful clues, but it's also possible it could be a complete waste of time.

Essentially your electrical issue will have probably developed from some corrosion, water ingress or wiring damage somewhere, from the IC through to the other major electrical components it connects to. With some good luck you may find the problem, but, without meaning any offence, I have a feeling that you may end up needing to take it to a professional.

[reqz22]

On 2/26/2023 at 5:43 PM, rd457 said:

Okay, thanks for clarifying. 🙂

Well essentially you need a multimeter or at least a test lamp to perform certain basic electrical circuit tests. Do you have one and understand how to use it?

Otherwise without such equipment you can at least try just looking for signs of problems that can be spotted visually and try to address them, such as corrosion on wiring pins or water where it shouldn't be. You say you've already looked at the IC plug and it seemed fine, which is a good start, though I've no idea what you were talking about when you said there were "four golden wires", maybe a picture would help clarify. The next best place to look for an issue would be the GEM (the "fusebox" in the passenger footwell); inspect everything there for water/corrosion. Then check the engine bay fusebox similarly, and check for any loose/corroded ground wires attached to the body you can find. It may also be a good idea to check the condition of the pins of the ECU connector(s).

Another thing you could do is if you have ForScan software and a suitable cable/device for the car's diagnotic OBD2 port you could plug that in, let it scan for problems and see what it comes back with. It's possible that this could yield some useful clues, but it's also possible it could be a complete waste of time.

Essentially your electrical issue will have probably developed from some corrosion, water ingress or wiring damage somewhere, from the IC through to the other major electrical components it connects to. With some good luck you may find the problem, but, without meaning any offence, I have a feeling that you may end up needing to take it to a professional.

I have a multimeter, I put the pins in series, and turned the car on, but I was not getting any signal whatsoever. 

I put my positive lead on first pin of the plug and first pin of the socket, and nothing, tried that for all pins. 

I attached the socket picture, there are 4 golden pins that I am talking about. 

Also I cannot communicate to the OBD port because i dont know, it just doesnt connect.(I have a cheap bluetooth obd) 

I found some cheap second hand panels, but my only fear is that that is not the fault, and the problem comes from the ecu or the cables. 

Also the speedometer started working again :))

 

I went in the panel menu and there it was an error regarding the fuel gauge, that it is not working properly or smth like that. 

 

If I change the panel, do I need to program it in some way or something? If it has different mileage? 

 

Also thanks for help

[StephenFord]

2 hours ago, reqz22 said:

Also the speedometer started working again :))

I went in the panel menu and there it was an error regarding the fuel gauge, that it is not working properly or smth like that. ..

Those 2 things alone, to me, would indicate that the instrument cluster is suffering from dry solder joints which are a common result of Ford following EU regulations in using lead free solder, which was fine initially, but over time the joints simply dry out causing all sorts of electrical gremlins. There is a large industry dealing now with this common error, just do an eBay search for 'faulty focus instrument cluster', where many firms offer a same day return service to resolder the cluster using proper lead solder. Not expensive,, sub £80, and well worth doing. My own cluster was repaired a few weeks back, and solved quite a few gremlins including not even having the car start!

[unofix]

As Stephen has already said the number one suspect is the Instrument Cluster. It is a very well known problem with the solder joints starting to fail and become high resistance.

I would recommend that you remove it and send it to a professional repair company to have it fully resoldered. You can find many companies on eBay who advertise a repair.

You also should download FORScan for windows on to a laptop and use a good ELM327(modified) cable to connect to your cars OBDII port and check for Ford specific DTC's.

FORScan: https://forscan.org/download.html

ELM327(modified): https://tunnelrat-electronics.fwscart.com/USB_Modified_with_switch_ELM327/p4541936_17045457.aspx

[rd457]

17 hours ago, reqz22 said:

I have a multimeter, I put the pins in series, and turned the car on, but I was not getting any signal whatsoever. 

I put my positive lead on first pin of the plug and first pin of the socket, and nothing, tried that for all pins.

Right, well again without meaning to offend you, what you're saying sounds like you only have a very basic school level of understanding of electronics. I'm really sorry but whilst I like to be helpful and pass on knowledge, I don't particularly feel up to spending a chunk of time teaching you how to properly and effectively make use of your multimeter to bring you suitably up to speed on automotive electrical troubleshooting.

Please don't let this discourage you from learning more about electronics though if you're interested in it. There are tons of useful videos on youtube that you can learn from and plenty of books. Do be aware that there are some serious electrical hazards though, even in ordinary combustion engine vehicles.

17 hours ago, reqz22 said:

I attached the socket picture, there are 4 golden pins that I am talking about. 

Ah I see. Nothing to worry about there. Some metals are better at conducting electricity than others, gold is particularly good. Looks like they just used different metals (or plating) for some pins than others for some reason, maybe keeping costs down. The pins all look clean and straight.

17 hours ago, reqz22 said:

Also I cannot communicate to the OBD port because i dont know, it just doesnt connect.(I have a cheap bluetooth obd)

That could be some sort of compatibility issue between it and the device you're trying to communicate with. Maybe it's just junk. Even if you managed to get it to work though it probably wouldn't be able to access the full suite of modules in a ford. See unofix's reply for a better tool.

17 hours ago, reqz22 said:

If I change the panel, do I need to program it in some way or something? If it has different mileage?

Yes, if you replace the IC it would need reprogramming. Most garages do not have the facilities for this, so you'd probably end up needing to take it to Ford and it's going to be expensive. I do not expect that this is something you can expect to achieve yourself with ForScan.

To be honest I don't know where the mileage is stored precisely, but I wouldn't worry about it, you should expect any professional replacement to maintain it.

---

I suggest that the next step should be, as I said before, to go to the passenger fusebox and check the connections for signs of water/corrosion. If everything there is clean and dry like your IC connector, then try looking for poor/rusty connections in the engine bay. Given your lack of skill/knowledge though, unless you get lucky finding a problem like I've described, the best thing for you to do is to take it to a garage to have an experienced mechanic track down the cause. I strongly advise that you don't just assume it's the cluster and go through the expense of replacing it when it might be something else.

[rd457]

14 hours ago, StephenFord said:

Those 2 things alone, to me, would indicate that the instrument cluster is suffering from dry solder joints which are a common result of Ford following EU regulations in using lead free solder...

11 hours ago, unofix said:

As Stephen has already said the number one suspect is the Instrument Cluster. It is a very well known problem with the solder joints starting to fail and become high resistance...

The problem is happening on a 2003 Mk1 though, not the Mk2 OP's profile refers to...