Dashboard problems hi, I recently bought my car, but the dash board isn't working right. The gas and the speedometer are not working and the other thing I noticed is that the temperature gage on the car was always on 80 but lately the temperature gage goes up when when we go up hill.

Question edited for clarity.

Hi Joe

Probably a loose connection from you were doing the blend actuators. In this is just says give the dashboard a thump.

https://www.contour.org/forums/threads/intermittent-speedometer-and-fuel-gauge.66394/

https://www.google.com/search?q=1998+ford+contour+speedometer+dash+lights+not+working

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Piggybacked 99 XJ from 2014 DEC. ok. no biggie.
but what car, same? XJ up to 2001?
op my guess he blew fuse 9 or 16
i bet the self test failed with the OP's car.
but lets talk your car, is it a 99 XJ?
the FSM covers this.
here is the full answer here. see instrument pages, read.

http://www.fixkick.com/Jeeps/cluster-hack.html

the used head will not work it has the wrong VIN stored inside it


other tricks are here, including ASD stalls. and free books.

http://www.fixkick.com/Jeeps/jeeps.html

1999 XJ? facts on head,
pdc fuse 16 blown?
cab fuse 9 blown?
self test fails.?
now the hard wired warn LAMPS just this one year 99
seat belts
and low washer fluid
ABS fail.
brake warn. or hand brake engaged
chime inputs. hard wired.
tURNS (L/r) active and high beam.
illumination (back ground glows) works, hard wired TOO.
DEAD LIST.
all else will be dead if COMMs are lost or fuses out. depends on which fuse is dead, if both blown all warns dead and gauges.
meters all dead. with loss of comm and some warns below.
cel dead.
upshift dead
low fuel dead or stuck (stuck on or off is still dead)

the photo below shows why meters die
when comm LINK dies. or 12v power to head.

first have a look to gauge fuse

We have the same problem and it is a dash control board fault. While driving place your hand palm up on top of the steering column and push up against the underside of the dash below the speedo. More often than not the needle will pop up and start working again. If this is so then get a small block of wood and jam it in there. It's worked for our car for the last 2 years. If your speedo isn't working then your odometer isn't as well.

Check behind the dash to see if the speedometer drive cable was reattached. (mechanical, not electronic drive)

Your dash needs to come out. These bulbs push into a plastic piece that "twists" into the back of the dash board. (About a 1/4 turn) Unless you can get at them from underneath, but I think it's to tight.

check the vehicle speed sensor located on the transmission housing.

the speedo could be the sensor on the gearbox the lights not working could be the bulbs have blown

sounds like dampness is getting in somewhere around the dash board and is causing a short.when it heats up it dries out

try and check the fuses it will be under the hood. Mine quit working cause a fuse came loose.