Ford Focus Gauge Faces Installation Instructions
This is just a guideline for replacement of the gauge faces on the Ford Focus. Please don’t hold me responsible for anything that may go wrong while following these instructions. These instructions are for entertainment usage only. If you learn something from these instructions, congratulation.
REQUIRED TOOLS:
7mm Hex wrench, socket extensions, Torx T-8 driver, black permanent felt tipped marker.
1. Start up your car and let it get up to operating temperature. While it’s warming up, Remove the top three 7mm Hex screws from the top of the instrument cluster housing. Pop the housing straight out towards you.
2. Unplug the trunk release wiring harness (A, pictured below). Pull the rubber piece out from under the housing (B). Set the housing aside, and unscrew the four 7mm hex screws around the instrument cluster (C).
3. You might want to shut off the car by now, if you haven’t already. Before doing anything else you are going to have to mark the needle location. With the car at full operating temperature. Now mark exactly where the temp, tach, and fuel gauge needles are on the face. Pull out the instrument cluster. Disconnect the wiring harness by moving the black locking tab from right to left as pictured. This will disconnect the wiring harness from the cluster. Unfortunately, it also resets your trip odometer to 0. Take out the instrument cluster. Pull out the cluster out of the car and hold it above your head and say “Woohoo”. Now set the cluster down wherever you’re going to work on it and go get a refreshing drink, because I know you deserve it.
4. Now that you’re refreshed, hopefully not too refreshed, it’s time to start the disassembly of the cluster. Removing the black front of the instrument cluster case from the white back by releasing the four tabs, on top and bottom. Unscrew the three torx screws on the face of the instrument cluster (on the Duratec models there is an additional one above each small gauge). If you do not have a Torx T-8 driver, a small flat head driver should do fine. Pull the face of the gauges straight out of the white casing. The Duratec clusters will require the removal of the needles before the face and clear plastic framework can be removed (see step 6 for tips).
5. Please note that these gauges are Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) sensitive, much like computer hardware. Please take precautions to eliminate the chance of ESD damage. A precaution can be (but not limited to) using a grounding strap.
6. Now to the hard part of the install. To remove the needles (a couple of options) make sure you mark the location of the needles, and or take pics for reference, or use some masking tape on the bezel, making sure its straight to realign the needles. I used a regular fork. Just slide the tines of the fork on each side of the pivot point of the needle and carefully work the needle up and off the gauge. Let’s start with the temp gauge. When removing the needle, try not to rotate it in anyway, this may help with needle realignment. Pop the needle off and set it down.
Use the ELECTRONIC ODOMETER to reset the needles.
Gas Gauge Needle - Fill the tank and push the needle back on at the FULL position Temp Gauge Needle - Run the car for 20 minutes which will get the car to normal operating temperature and push the needle on in the middle of the range. Speedo Gauge Needle - Do the ODO digital speedometer readout trick and get the car up to an even speed on an empty highway, push the needle onto the speed as read by the ODO and your good to go. Tachometer Needle (if equipped) - Do the ODO tack readout trick and push the needle onto the spindle at the appropriate RPM number.
Get pdf Ford Focus Gauge Faces Installation Instructions
