1997 Ford F150 XL Shop Truck Factory Tach Upgrade!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ต.ค. 2024
- Welcome to season two of Slick Ridez Garage! This time the 1997 Ford F150 Shop Truck gets an easy cool factory tachometer upgrade! We’ll show you Step-by-step in crystal clear HD how to remove the headlight switch, dash trim and instrument cluster, then inspect the replacement, clean up the gages and restore a paint splattered, scuffed up, completely trashed out lens to crystal clear with a procedure developed right here at Slick Ridez Garage! After that we’ll show how to put everything back together, fire it up and check it out!
I would like to thank all of my subscribers for your patience and loyalty, and for hanging in there! It is my hope you’ve found this presentation worth the wait, and I thank you all with the most heartfelt appreciation!
Let’s get in to the Garage!
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Copyright 2017 Stephen Ehrhardt. All Rights Reserved.
I used to work in one of the factories that make Ford instrument clusters. I can safely say you take a lot more care assembling the cluster than the original production line did!
I've been looking for a video like this for about a week now thanks!
Thank you, have a good one!
I want to thank you for the video titled "2005 Ford F150 4.2 V6 engine swapped in to 1997 F150 4X4". That video doesn't have the buy/pay option for some reason, so I am using this video to pay for that video. All your videos are top notch, thanks for taking time to teach.
Hi Scottpark3632! You are welcome, and thank you very much for watching, commenting and supporting my videos/channel! I appreciate your contribution so much!
Good explanation on that headlight switch. Trying to figure that out from the Haynes manual was always confusing for me.
Thank you! Sometimes a visual demo makes things easier for me as well.
:) my Ford says yahoo!! And thank you!
Thanks a bunch for this, been tackling the Cluster on my 97 4.2 V6 2WD that doesn't have a tach on the cluster. Wasn't sure if I could swap a different one in but that last comment in your video about any v8 and v6 swaps, was something i've been trying to find out! Thanks a ton brother!
Good tip on the head light switch, I see others just jerking them out
wow the trick @2:18 thank you so much
Dam his voice is perfect for a voice over on commercials
It’s been 2 years and you just liked that comment?😂
Great narration, very well explained!
GREAT VIDEO! Make more please!
Hopefully my health will improve and I'll be able to do that. I'm getting better, but its taking more time than I hoped.
Where did you get instrument cluster from?
I had a parts truck, a 98 F150.
awesome , very thorough video … I found one from a xlt with tach and stuck it on xl truck , works great..ty!
Great video. I saw you haven't posted any content for a while. Did you retire?
Well, yes I have retired from servicing vehicles for the public...but not because I wanted to. I plan to make a video explaining what happened to cause this. A minimal part of it is due to health issues, the other part of it I'll just have to explain.
@@SlickRidezGarage I'm sorry to hear about your health. I'll keep you in my prayers. Take care.
Do all 97-98 Ford tachometer clusters have the 4x4 light?
This is fantastic - so well documented! thank you !
I wish I had one of these trucks. I miss mine and I should have never sold it.
They’re incredibly cheap in Texas. Got my 2000 v6 F150 last year for $800. It sat in a field for 6 years. It only needed a fuel pump and new tank to get it running. I slowly began replacing parts. It’s been a blast repairing, sourcing,and upgrading parts on it. Parts are really cheap and plenty of videos to help you fix or upgrade almost anything on it.
You have a lot of patience polishing that lens. One hour, hell I would have thorn it in the trash. Ha. Ha
One man's trash is another man's treasure. There's already enough unrecycled plastic in the landfill.
My F150XLTStyleside 2 Door Stand Cab 6 1/2 foot Bed 4.2L 6. Awesome! It has that problem which I can now confidently fix! It has a second problem I am haveing difficulty fixing (and getting coorect parts for) to replace and SECURE and ADJUST on the headlights and turn signals for the alternative builds of F150s up to the end of June 1996. They have a different headlight assembly and (4)! retainers two for the plastic assembly the Lenses sit in and to for the lamp adjusting screws! A real biochi to keep the lamps secure the assembly bracket clips I have and it hold in well.
Only way you're gonna fix that issue for that year is to replace the headlight "header" that the headlights mount on... it's behind the grill. You can Google pictures of it. Ford made a change after that year, yet after market headlights and side marker lamps will still work so long as you change that header. You will not get new original headlights lenses for that year anywhere, so to use aftermarket lenses which look identical to yours is buy the header... the header will bolt right on with no problems. A salvage yard might have one if they'll sell just the header. However, once you change the header you cannot use your original headlight lenses or side marker lamps... those will also need to be changed as they will mount slightly different than the aftermarket ones.
I want this so bad! My odometer flickers anyways. 1999 XL standard.
Thanks!
I'm not sure how I missed this, but I really do appreciate your support and I'm super glad you liked the video. Thank you very much!
Excellent tutorial, I’m currently adding a tach to my ‘99 Ranger. But what about the inaccurate mileage on the odometer though?
Excellent tutorial!
2002 XL V6 2wd. It already has the optional tacho (except two gauges are on the right). I popped the OD fuse by jockeying the gear stick.
So I have 98 ford f150 with the 4.2 v6. Was trying to install an aftermarket equus tachometer, I hooked up the back wire to ground, the red wire to the ignition switch, the wire wire to the dimming light, but I couldn’t figure out where to put the green wire for the ignition coil pack. I tried a pink/white wire and it worked but it was inaccurate and wasn’t tracking the rpm properly. Just wondering if you can help me with what wire I need to connect to get the rpm signal.
Ty man very great material
Thanks great video helped me out
this was realy helpful i just bought one of these trucks and it runns like a top
Thanks for your appreciation, subscription and comments! I dropped a 2005 engine in mine and since then she's been good as gold! Hang in there for more videos! Have a good one!
Good job, nice trick with that headlight switch, that's something I didn't know about... I'll have to remember that one. But, how you know that donor clusters odometer was good? There's a small gear in there that goes bad, only way to know is to pull it out of the cluster. Ford screwed up with those and made the gear from rubber and literally self destructs. I made a gear for mine out of a real coarse threaded screw, then pressed it back on that little electric motor that runs the odometer. Amazon sells those tiny worm gears and they're plastic, while it's a good part, they charge 25 bucks for it... a bit too much imo.
I knew it was good because I own the truck it came from. And you're right, those odo gears have a bit of a glass chin as they age. Thanks for watching and commenting, hope you subscribed!
This is probably the best informative video on utube...i have a 98 f150 and i was wondering if i do buy that new cluster how i would get the tach to even work
Thank you very, very much! I worked for over 1000 hours total on this video and for you to say that means a lot to me. The fact is changes by TH-cam lately have been very discouraging. Comments like these are a huge encouragement from the people I'm doing these videos for; you, and they make me want to continue. Now you can tach yours up and let 'er rip! With all sincerity, thank you and have a good one!
Great video, thanks for making this! Just got a 98 f150 with a nonworking odometer, believe it is a bad worm gear (hopefully)
Jleaalaas did you ever fix it? And if so, how?
This is asking a bit but could you do a basic/deep demonstration of a ford f150 1999 v6 4.2 engine for me.
Love the videos can't wait for more keep up the great videos
Thank you very much! I'm glad you like them. There will be one new video every Sunday until September 17 for this season! Thanks for commenting and have a great day!
Awsome content
Those $2 steaks are sure tough to chew that's the truth hahah.
Will this still work if I have the1998 V6 5 spd and get the cluster from any V8?
Yes, the swap works for the V6 and V8 1997 and 1998. Thanks for your question
Thanks for taking the time and answering me. Hope you're feeling better.
I have a 2000 base model f150 that has no tach but really wanting to change over to the cluster with a tach but always heard that if you have a digital odo the new cluster will set off the theft system causing a no start condition. Half tempted to try it out just to see.
Most of the time the PATS system will trigger and it's a trip to the dealer to get it started again.
I tried it today and yup my truck wouldn’t start 😏😏
@@_nava_323_what did you have to do to get it started again? I just got a cluster with a tach for my ‘04 Heritage. Wasn’t aware this would be an issue.
@@brianrowland2561 had to get the key programmed to the new cluster, the cluster has the anti theft on it, they vv argued like $50 bucks
So first off, I want to say, awesome video and very informative. Secondly, my F-150, literally a carbon copy of the one in this video, has a non-tach instrument cluster and the wiring harness going to it doesn’t have a lot of the wires that the one in this video has. Will the new cluster still work?
About the time you made this comment I started having health issues. I wish I could have helped you. Sorry about that.
I tried your trick. I have a 1997 f150 xl 4x4 with the 4.6l v8. I got a cluster from the junk yard and replaced all the bulbs. I then installed it. All of the lights light up. But the tach and all of the gauges are not working !!!!? Any ideas. The factory cluster was working fine just some bulbs were bad.
About the time you made this comment I was in a full blown health crisis. I wish I could have helped you. Sorry about that.
No problem. You had more important things to worry about!!!. Are you okay?.
Love the video, Subscribed and will start watching it soon that other series. :)
Thank you very much! I appreciate your subscription and comments. Hang in there and more videos will be coming!
Slick Ridez Garage Slick Ridez Garage Not a problem at all @Slick Rides Garage. Btw with the model F-150 you have I have been looking into for quite a while as a first truck within a few months now of possibly getting one. But one question I can't seem to get an exact answer on is Converting a 2wd to a 4wd and I've also heard that it's easier to do a solid front axile swap instead. But I'd like to know what your imput on this is and if you could make a video on it addressing it if possible. The difference of converting 2wd to 4wd or just solid front end axile swapping instead for a Ford F-150 97-03. So if possible I'd greatly appreciate it. 😃 Have a great rest of the day and would greatly appreciate a response.🙂
I'm pretty sure the reason for not getting an answer is because the time required and cost to convert to 4WD far exceeds the value of the truck. It can be done, but at what cost and how much time to complete? Here's what I did: First, maybe have a look at this video: th-cam.com/video/5-V2tZ3Jd6c/w-d-xo.html I bought the F150 Shop Truck as a "basket case" with a bad engine for $500.00. The total investment to get it running and driving reliably was about another $1000.00 plus my time.....and it was already a 4X4. There are so many of these F150's around that ones needing work are pretty cheap and are on nearly every street corner. My suggestion is to start with a 4X4, fix that up and save yourself a lot of time bread and aggravation. Start with the cleanest 4X4 truck you can find or afford and go from there. Let me know if you have questions. I would have jumped in sooner here.....but it's a Monday! Have a good one!
Slick Ridez Garage Thank you so much for the reply. I will definitely look into that in the long run as well if I can somehow convince my dad to get me a 4x4 that's affordable lol. But there is a place down the road from where I live and they mainly just sell 2wd F-150's maybe 4x4's but I have to look over there more often to actually see what they have when they mostly sell very clean 97-03 F-150's from what I've seen passing by there. The company name is Taylor's Truck Center in Alachua FL if you want to give it a look. But anyways again have a great day and thanks for the reply. 🙂
Man this was very helpful. Can you tell me what color the tachometer wire is be hind the gage cluster?
I never tracked it down that far since mine was plug and play.
Great Imformative Video !! Thumbs up and subbed. Fuck the people that disliked this video.
I wanna change out the cluster on my 2003 f150 , it only has the speedo and no rpm guage , my odometer is digital , my question is , if i get a guage cluster with an rpm guage and a digital odometer , will it read the mileage my truck has ?
I think you will have to have the mileage set on the new odo
Great video, I've got a 97xl f150 6spd plain Jane. Non digital dash, found a 2001 f150xlt crew cab auto cluster with a much wanted tach:) do you think the swap is doable..Thanks for your insite. A fan of your work.
About the time you made this comment I started having health issues. I wish I could have helped you. Sorry about that. The digi odos won't swap to the 97/98 trucks.
I have a 2001 xl and tried to swap to a cluster with a tachometer but when I did the truck wouldn’t start however it did turn over before starting how can I fix this please help (it’s a 5 speed manual)
Your 2001 truck has a PATS system, or passive anti theft system. As I said in the video, this swap is only for 1997-1998 model F150's with an analog odometer. To swap the cluster in a 2001 you will need to take it to the dealer or suitable shop with the equipment to properly re-program the ECU and reset the PATS system. You may now need to have it re-programmed anyways since the PATS system has been triggered.
@@SlickRidezGarage thank you so much
Is there a way to swap out the analog odometer into the new one?
Yes, but at the risk of damaging the indicator needles and not getting the needles in their proper place so the gages indicate properly. Thanks for watching and for your question!
@@SlickRidezGarage Update: I was able to swap original odometer mechanism into a cluster set with a tachometer and so far everything is working well. I really appreciated your tutorial video
I tried swapping mine with only mphs and was trying to put the one with rpm , it didn’t want to start and the board didn’t fit cause holes
What do you do about the different mileage on the odometer?
In my case, nothing. The mileage difference was documented in the video. In my state the department of motor vehicles has a sticker available that can be applied to the door jamb for mileage documentation. If I were to sell the vehicle I'd have to provide the buyer with a statement of the mileage discrepancy and the reason why. As long as it's documented at the time of sale I'm in the clear and covered.
@@SlickRidezGarage So I went and bought a used Cluster from the local pick and pull, not convinced that there was no was to make the new clusters mileage the same as my original cluster. along with removing the front of the cluster I removed the back, There is a common repair that replacing the pinion gear on the electric motor that drives the gear set that advance the 2 rollers that display the total mileage and the trip mileage display when they stop working, while there's no need to touch the motor an inch and a half to the left when the cluster is on it's face upside down in front of you is the end of the analog spool that is the mileage roll. Taking a pair of say 5 inch needle nose pliers you pry the spool out by pulling on it using the edge of the case it's in. Take the spool out of the new cluster and put the spool in from your old cluster and presto you have the original 97000 instead of the 275000 plus that the new one is reading. I know these instructions are a little vague but it is possible to to transfer your old mileage to the new instrument cluster. if you just take a look at it for a minute I'm sure most will figure it out. Sorry I know it would be easier to explain by having photos after trying I couldn't figure how to up load photos on you tube. This will only work with 1997-98 analog dash clusters.
would this swap work on a 2001 xl also?
My understanding is yes, but swapping clusters with digital odo's may require a trip to the dealer to reset the PATS system. Thanks for watching!
i had a school bus manual shift on mine
School bus transmission?
So on my 1999 XL 5 speed any 1999 cluster with a tachometer should also work? Can a dealer correct the odometer to match the old cluster as well, or do you have to just make note of the new odometers readings?
This swap is for the 1997 and 1998 F150. The 1999 has a digital odometer. The swap with a digital odo cluster is reported to work but may trigger the PATS system in to thinking the truck is being stolen and may result in a no-start and a trip to the dealer or qualified shop for re-programming. The digital odo's can be re-programmed by the dealer or qualified shop to match your old odo reading. Thanks for watching!
Slick Ridez Garage thank you for the reply, I may just restore the original one then.
Thanks for clearing that up... I just bought an aftermarket cluster for my 1999. Gonna look awesome
I did the swap, but now that I have the new cluster in, the theft system keeps going off. Any ideas?
Is your odo mechanical or digital?
I was going to do this on my 1999, so I have to change the circuit board as well correct??
Which circuit board do you propose to change, and is that for preservation of the odometer reading? Check out the comments below about doing this swap on a 99up F150. I'm thinking this may help? I spent Veteran's Day with a friend who served or I would have answered sooner, sorry about that, any more and I should be back with you this evening. Thanks for watching and have a great day!
Slick Ridez Garage the circuit board in the cluster itself. I think for 98 down it is plug and play, but for 1999 up if the circuit board is changed it requires a trip to the dealer. The circuit board with no tach won't fit a cluster with a tach I believe? That comment did help actually, the dealer actually gets the computer to communicate with the cluster then if the truck has PATS?
I've never done this swap with the digital ODO (99up), but some time ago a friend who's also a technician and another friend who isn't did. As I remember the tach and non-tach cluster's connectors are the same. Neither of their PATS systems triggered, and the non-tech friend did his swap in the dealer parking lot, just in case. While he was there he had his odometer setting updated. My belief is PATS can be triggered if the battery is re-connected while electrics in the dash are disconnected. I'll see if I can get in touch with the tech friend of mine in the morning and see if I missed anything.
Still haven't heard anything back from anyone. Sorry.
no problem, I had an appointment will the dealership because my truck wouldn't start after I installed the new one. paid 150 bucks for 1 hour of work and they couldn't figure it out. they asked for another 4 hours so I I decided not to go with them and try an auto electric repair shop. Very frustrating. Did they perhaps do their swap with the battery disconnected and maybe that's what they were successful??
Why did you swap the original engine?
these engines die super fast if you don't make sure to change the oil religiously, the oil channels can get clogged VERY easily, and the spark plugs only have 2-3 threads holding them on so blowing them out or over tightening is a super common problem. I'm guessing either of these problems.
I tried this And the tachometer is not working. Do you think it is a bad cluster? Any ideas?
Could be, which trim designation is your truck, XL, XLT?
It is a 97 F250 light-duty CNG model single cab long bed
You'll need to check the pinouts on the instrument cluster connector and make sure the wire for the tach is there. If it is then most likely the cluster is bad or there is a signal problem from the ignition system to the tach.
Ended up being a bad cluster I took it back to the Salvage and exchanged it for another one installed it and the tachometer work just fine. Only this one the odometer didn't work so I took the worm gear from my original cluster and replaced it on the small electric motor that drives the odometer everything works fine now.
Sweet! Thanks for updating and doing the swap! Have a good one!
What about the odometer?
What about it? Mileage certification?
why does it have to be in neutral? I got a 2002 xl f150
Being in neutral makes it easier to remove the steering column/ dash trim. If you are going to do this swap on a 1999up truck please be advised the swap with a digital odo cluster is reported to work but may trigger the PATS system in to thinking the truck is being stolen. This may result in an anti-theft system no-start and a trip to the dealer or qualified shop to resolve. The digital odo's are easier to re-program to match your old odo reading so take a picture and document the miles before the swap! Thanks for watching and have a good day!
Thanks for the heads up man probably saved me a big headache
Your welcome. A friend of mine did the 1999-03 tach cluster swap in the Ford dealer parking lot.....just in case. Although his PATS didn't activate it could have saved him a tow bill doing it that way. Sometimes they trigger and sometimes they don't. It also saved him a lot of trouble getting the dealer to reprogram the odometer....he showed the service manager his miles on the old one and told him what he was doing. If you live in a larger metro area an independent shop should have the equipment for PATS recovery and ODO programming. Oh and your headlight switch does not have the slide lock mechanism, you have to pry the later switch out. I think the cut-off is 1999 or 2000 for the slide lock switch. Anyways thanks for watching and for your question. Have a good one!
Why you bashing $2 steaks? Just need to slow cook it. (:
I bought a new slow cooker...a turtle with a spatula!
The light switch removal procedure ridiculous. I don't know what they where thinking when they desighned it.
It seems complicated, but it's also kinda genius in a way. Once a person knows how they come out it's actually really easy! Thanks for watching and commenting, hope you subscribe!
Your idle is way too high... May want to fix that.
Ford said fuck all the shade trees with that headlight switch removal
LOL! They made it simple but mysterious, that's for sure!
Will any 10th gen cluster work in my 2000 XL 4.6L?
No, 99-03 for your truck only since you have the digital Mileage
It's a Ford not a GM... Lol