A 2003 Ford F250 Super Duty came in with the complaint that when fuse #44 in the underdash fuse block blows the gauges stop working.
First I removed the lower dash cover, which is held in place by four quick release screws.
Then I removed the fuse block cover and confirmed that fuse #44 was indeed the correct fuse. It was.
After looking through fuse information and wiring diagrams I found that the overdrive switch was on this fuse circuit. I replaced the fuse, cranked the truck and moved the shifter handle from park to drive and back several times and as I had figured from previous experience the fuse blew. I removed the steering column covers by first removing the retaining screws and pull the lower cover off. I then removed the lock cylinder by switching the key on and pushing in the retaining pin at the bottom of the lock cylinder.
After the lock cylinder was out of the way I removed the upper cover to gain access to the overdrive switch wiring.
And there it is, a nice little short in the switch wiring. The wiring had a lot of damage to it and if you click on the picture to enlarge it you can see it better.
I decided to replace the lever assembly with switch and harness due to the degree of damage. If you caught this soon enough you could wrap it with tape and position it so that it will not happen again for a long while. To remove the lever assembly simply tap the pivot pin up from the underside and finish pulling it out with a pair of pliers. Pull the handle out of the shifter assembly, push the new one into position and install the pivot pin. Make sure that you fully seat the pin so that it will not work itself back out.
Where were you before I replaced the alternator on my 2004 F-250 (gas 5.4L)?
Your excellent pictures and instructions, a few cents for electrical tape and a new 10-amp fuse (#45) got my Overdrive light fixed, my dashboard gauges operational, and my alternator producing juice again in a cow pasture hauling a dual-axle trailer full of hay.
This problem is an example of dumb design and why the FORD acronym has come to stand for Fix Or Repair Daily and Find on Road Dumped.
Gracias Amigo for the valuable education. You are a true gentleman and an obvious scholar.
Samee thing happened to my 03 f250. All fuses checked fine. but fuse 35 had some corrosion. cleaned it and all works fine.
If all of the fuses are good and properly powered then someone will need to check the cluster operation with a scan tool and follow that up with pin point testing of the circuits at the instrument cluster harness connector. The “dinger” is working as designed, according to your statement.
Hey guys, Got the same problem… 2003 f250 5.4L. my wire isnt melted and all the fuses check out good. Lights still work in the guage cluster just no guages and the loud “dinger” dings all the time if the door is open with key inserted or turned on….. HELP>>>>>>>>>>>>
My 2004 Ford F250 Super Duty gas 5.9 has this exact same problem. At first I thought it was a bad alternater since the alternater stops charging when fuse 45 is blown.
Thank you for the solution!
Sam