Any news on gauge failures?

[SteveA]

I've had two fuel gauge failures. 1st was while I lived in So Cal and the car wasn't driven long distances but was driven regularly and the second gauge was while stored for the winter in Idaho. Am I wrong or does it seem that when people have failures it appears to be the same gauges? I hear stories of multiple tachs, multiple oil, my multiple fuel etc. If it were a voltage issue after storage why are the failures not more random?

 

[ViperJoe]

I've had fuel, boost and voltage gauge failures. My car seems to have a penchant for diversity!

 

[SteveA]

Your one lucky SOB! :lol

 

[Howard]

Coincidently, today I met a non-Forum GT owner at an exotic car gathering in Florida and he casually informed me that he had "a few" non functioning gauges. He said he normally keeps the car on the factory charger though I don't know how religiously. Of course, his dealer wanted many thousands to replace all the bad gauges, which he declined. I told him about the Forum and the Speedhut options.

Howard

 

[fordgtkwt]

Hmmm
now that I have another toy, my GT has not been driven for about three weeks. Note that I don't use a battery tender. So, today I decided I needed to blow the cobwebs off the GT; got in, started up and both Tach and Speedo not functioning, plus check engine light illuminated. Cranking the engine over the starter motor sounded slightly slower than if I'd driven it the day before, but not much - the battery was by no means drained. Anyway, drove for about 15 miles and stopped. When I re-started everything was back to normal.

i am a gt owner in kuwait (middle east) and i had faced the same exact problem , changed the battery a few months ago (optima battery) and i dont use a battery tender and everything is bak to normal , its absloutly true i think , small advice to everyone , if u dont drive ur gt , then make sure u start it and keep the engine running every 2 days or so its a big help , all the best guys

 

[DanQ]

I have another hypothesis, although I think the "low use", and "dead battery" theories have merit as well.
Do the people with gauge failures, typically push the start button "before" or "after" the gauge needles cycle when first powered up?

 

[GKW05GT]

Although a fairly new owner I always wait for the guages to come up before starting. No problems to date

 

[RALPHIE]

This is an interesting thread, in that it poses the question - what did Ford (SVT) do with the gauges that were sent to them? Did their examinations provide any clues as to the failure modes? Was it a common failure mode? Is there a clue as to the trigger for the gauge failures?

It's been quite a few months, and nothing has been reported back - not even "we're still looking at them"....

Did the gauges fall into a Black Hole? or were they taken apart? Were there any notes taken as to the failure modes? Any suppositions? Just because another vendor has provided an alternate solution, does not alleviate the quest for the constant failures which keep occuring.

Please give us some info, other than "we are still looking at it."

 

[BlackICE]

I am a realist, and am not expecting Ford to do anything about a car out of production and out of warranty for such a long time. They have no responsibility to do anything. If they do fix it my hats off to them for support over and above what is expected. I do find the pricing of the crap OEM gauges more than a wee bit too high though. I am sure that the margins are great on selling them to owners that must have a OEM replacement!

My speedo broke and I went for a completely new set of gauges from Speedhut. Can't even think about what my blood pressure would be if I replaced it with an OEM speedo only to have another gauge break within a year. Ed Sims is on his FOURTH speedo!

 

[Lorenzo]

This is an interesting thread, in that it poses the question - what did Ford (SVT) do with the gauges that were sent to them? Did their examinations provide any clues as to the failure modes? Was it a common failure mode? Is there a clue as to the trigger for the gauge failures?

It's been quite a few months, and nothing has been reported back - not even "we're still looking at them"....

Did the gauges fall into a Black Hole? or were they taken apart? Were there any notes taken as to the failure modes? Any suppositions? Just because another vendor has provided an alternate solution, does not alleviate the quest for the constant failures which keep occuring.

Please give us some info, other than "we are still looking at it."

Wouldn't that be nice!

 

[RALPHIE]

I am a realist, and am not expecting Ford to do anything about a car out of production and out of warranty for such a long time. They have no responsibility to do anything. If they do fix it my hats off to them for support over and above what is expected. I do find the pricing of the crap OEM gauges more than a wee bit too high though. I am sure that the margins are great on selling them to owners that must have a OEM replacement!

My speedo broke and I went for a completely new set of gauges from Speedhut. Can't even think about what my blood pressure would be if I replaced it with an OEM speedo only to have another gauge break within a year. Ed Sims is on his FOURTH speedo!

Clinton -

I'm not asking for them to fix it - just tell us what they've learned. Maybe a fix could then be generated to prevent future occurances. I think we deserve some feedback.

 

[BlackICE]

Clinton -

I'm not asking for them to fix it - just tell us what they've learned. Maybe a fix could then be generated to prevent future occurances.

I bet the lawyers at Ford would never let them tell you what they found. It is like admitting a defect that is still present in the replacement parts sold today.

 

[Kayvan]

Use OEM charger 24/7

I used to do it only during winters; now for last 2yrs its been on 24/7...and I drive it April-Nov

 

[Gene Cassone]

See my post above. I am in upstate NY. Usage from April to Nov. I am original owner. Battery charger always on car when not in use from day 1. Tach went out last year. Changed battery immediately but tach still dead. See Dave's post above. I have confidence he will do the best he can to find a solution. Though I wish Ford would be more proactive!!

 

[texas mongrel]

OK
My dead speedo, tach, and check engine light malfunction has now happened three times with a low battery. So, I put in a new Ford OEM unit (cheaper than an Optima, even tho' it is one!) So far, problem solved. However, I wonder if there are any folk on the forum or contactable who know the intricacies of the GT electrical system? Whilst I've been thinking it is a low feed voltage issue,
Based on my personal experience, this doesn't explain the failures among those who use battery tenders (unless they have less-than optimal charging voltage). So now I'm wondering if there are capacitors somewhere in the gauges or related wiring? This might explain my belief that its all somehow linked to frequency of use; if a capacitor is used to maintain an adequate feed to the gauges, and it bleeds down over a period of time, could this explain the root of the problem, i.e. The gauge somehow needs a 'reference' voltage and when that goes away and you start up, it doesn't spring to life. I am not an electrical engineer but have wired several vehicles and repaired the diodes on many many old Ferrari gauges, so am not a complete ignaramous....Anyway, bring on the experts!

 

[Mooney56]

My theory is that it is in the bearing on the needle and that after it hangs up it frys something in the gauge. My gas gauge gave me several failures when I had the car jacked up at the rear. When I jacked it up from the front the gauge worked and has been working since. Maybe just dumb luck but maybe its a clue.

 

[NJF]

I think it is the Flux-capacitor

 

[RALPHIE]

I think it is the Flux-capacitor

and the 18 jigawatts applied to the inputs???...:lol

 

[freeflyer]

There is no bearing on the needles. They are mounted directly to the motor shaft.

 

[jcthorne]

While it would be beyond my electronics repair capabilities, I find it interesting that after all this time, no one has been able to disect a failed gauge or 3 and determine the exact cause of failure and perhaps a method of repair.

I do hope Speedco is working on a larger speedometer as eventually I will need a set of thier gauges as well.