2011 Mk3 Focus: Dials On Instrument Panel Not Working.

[Kal139]

Hi,

Please help! all my dials (speedo, revs, petrol gauge etc) have stopped working on my instrument panel! :((

A bit of background first in case it sheds some light on the cause...

Recently my battery went flat... don't ask how! lol

I have a battery charger and a friend said I could charge the battery without taking it out as long as I connected the +ve terminals first and then I connect the -ve terminal of the charger to the ground terminal (not the -ve battery terminal) located next to the battery. I did this and charged the battery on fast charge. The dial on the charger showed the battery as being totally flat at the start and after about 4hrs the battery was almost fully charged.

After the battery had been charged everything in the car checked out fine, car started etc... except for the instrument cluster/panel. The trip computer works fine but none of the dials worked. I tried opening the fuse box and pressing the fuses down in case any were loose but that made no difference.

So I'm now at a loss!... if anyone has any ideas what's gone wrong I would really appreciate your help and assistance.

Kind regards

Kal

[btmaldon]

You need to check see if any of the fuses have blown.

Before you do this try disconnecting the battery for a while. It may reset the system.

[jeebowhite]

I would also suggest you try the on board diagnostics.

Turn the engine off, press and hold the OK button of the computer (or reset, not sure which the MK3 has) and hold this button as you start the car. It should do a sweep test.

Do you get any life out of it at all? any lights? Also, what if you turn the lights on, does the cluster light up?

[Kal139]

I just now tride the on board diagnostics following your instructions ie press & hold down the OK button, press the engine start button to start the engine, the trip computer then displaying the word "TEST" with the rest of the screen blank, so I released the OK button.

I left the engine running for about 10mins but all the trip counter shows is the word "TEST" and nothing else... I switched the engine off but should I have left it running longer or do I need to do anything else to statr the diagnostics check?

I did do one other thing. With the engine switched on I went through the trip computer menu options and came across a System Check option. So I selected it and it came back almost straight away with everything checks fine (or such like).

K

[Kal139]

Good news!... I managed to get the Self Diagnosis working, it seems once the TEST message displayed I just needed to press the up & down arrows to cycle through the various tests and one the them fixed my "Dials not working" problem!! :D

[Kal139]

Ok I spoke too soon! :(... when I run the on board self diagnosis, during the "guage" test all the dials work (ie they move!), but when driving the car the dials are all "dead"... what's all that about!! (grrrrhh)

[jeebowhite]

Hi Kal,

so that suggests the issue is not with the instrument cluster itself, but perhaps a wiring issue to its feed.

So Revs, Speed, Temp and fuel are all turning a blank when your driving?

[Kal139]

Yep... now here's the funny thing, immediately after performing a "guage sweep" test through the on board diagnostics, the dials all come alive and remain working even after I've exited the onboard diagnostics ie whilst driving the car. However the following day I start the car up and all the dials are "dead" again!... Before the battery went flat everything worked fine, so something's gone wrong since I recharged the battery?

[Kal139]

Btw (and I've mention this in my other post) I've ordered my OBDII scanners so I'm hoping they may be able to shed some light, otherwise I may have to take the car into a garage to get the dials sorted.

[jeebowhite]

Sounds like a wiring issue to the dashboard IMHO, but your right, you need the OBD adapters in order to get the codes so we can do more with it.

[Kal139]

Well, clearing the DTC codes using the OBDII scanner hasn't fixed my dials issue.

One suggestion was to try disconnecting the battery in order to reset the system. Before I try this is there anything I need to be aware of eg there's no reprogramming of keys (mine's a stop/start button) or having to enter a code for the car sound system?

[kevzs960]

Youll have to programe the windows. Id take it to a dealership an get it investigated. May be a update for the bcmii...or may be a deeper fault.

Something is telling me that i read something at work but ive slept since then lol

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Ford OC mobile app

[Kal139]

Programme the windows?... surely you jest! :)

[kevzs960]

If its one touch up then you loose the programming once you disconnect the battery.

Just hold the window switch up for 10 second-30 seconds and the onrle touch is programmed :)

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Ford OC mobile app

[Kal139]

Well it's been 4 days now since I disconnected the battery to re-set the system... and so far the dials are still working! :) ...fingers crossed they stay working!

[jeebowhite]

Good Result, hows it now a further week on?

[Kal139]

Dials all still working I'm pleased to report! :))

[jeebowhite]

wow! such a simple fix it would seem!

[Kal139]

Yep... it's been several weeks and dials are still working. So completely disconnecting the battery terminals to reset things seems to be the fix... in my particular case anyway :)