Speedometer Backlight
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 9
Likes: 5
Thanks a lot for taking the time to help with this problem. I called the dealer and was told that repair required replacement of the instrument cluster for $600-$700. It is quite disappointing that Ford decided to use surface mount LEDs instead of snap-on bulbs and then made access to them nearly impossible. Unfortunately MTBF for these LEDs don't seem to be that great either, since my truck is only 4.5 yrs. Picture below shows illuminated cluster with left side of speedometer dark. A solution to this problem should help those interested in changing to a different color LED.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 9
Likes: 5
2009 F150 Instrument Cluster surface mount LED replacement
I plan on keeping my truck for some time to come after having investing a fair amount in several upgrades. So, I decided that the dead speedometer backlight problem had to be resolve. The dealer wanted $600-$700 to replace the instrument cluster as the solution to the problem. Thinking there was nothing to lose by “operating” on the instrument cluster, I decided to research further the backlight LED replacement.
Unfortunately there isn’t much information online regarding this repair. I imagine this is because it isn’t very common in the 2009-present trucks, mostly only the 2009-2010 are going out of warranty. The comments by Motor City member on this topic message thread were quite helpful. I also watched some videos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic1uIRu8ToY#t=13) from US Speedo on how to install their gauge face kits. This was helpful with needle removal and calibration. Note that this repair might not be for everyone.This assumes some basic knowledge of electronic components and some experience with soldering. I took the risk and it worked for me. Having said that, this repair should work for the majority if some care is used.
This repair required the correct replacement surface mount LEDs. I purchased the US Speedo Speedometer LED Bulbs Kit (LED120B) blue LEDs from carid.com for $49.99, which included a needle remover/spacer tool. My 2009 F150 4x4 Lariat gauge backlight LEDs are aqua blue, but these were not available from US Speedo and the blue LEDs from Speedo looked great. Before proceeding with the installation, I put the key in position II and with my phone took some pictures of the position of the needles on the gauges. Then the instrument cluster was pulled out. On my workbench the gauge protective lens was removed. Next, the needles were pried off the needle plastic stem (see picture below). One has to be careful on this step. I used a very small straight blade screwdriver to pry off the tach and speedo larger needles. The hardest step is to remove the needle plastic stems from the step motor shaft. This piece is firmly attached and it required heat. A hair dryer with an improvised paper funnel was used to blow air through and around the plastic needle stem. Don’t make a tight fit between the paper funnel and the hair dryer. This would leave only a small hole to blow the air through and cause a load that could damage the hair dryer (I owe one to the wife).
Heating the plastic needle stem made removal possible, but a fair amount of force still had to be used. The force described is subjective, so use care and remove all needles and plastic stems.
Once the needles are removed, the instrument cluster circuit board needs to be removed from the back. The back-cover is first popped out. The board is held by some tabs and a couple of helping hands could be useful to remove the board. Once removed identify the LEDs to be replaced. Even though the F150 models should have differences, replacing cluster board LEDs on 2009-present trucks should be very similar. The US Speedo LED kit had very decent installation information. Of note is the direction of the LED. The LED is in essence a diode and it won’t work if oriented in the wrong direction. The little cutout on the corner of the LED indicates the direction of the current flow. This should match the small gold triangle on the board near the LED indicating the direction. One can also look up the direction by noting the cut out in the OEM LEDs.
The next step is to remove the OEM LEDs. I used a 15 watt iron with fine tip and wedge it on one side, between the two LED legs. The solder should melt quite easy. If not, use a bit of flux for better heat transfer. Once this is done flip up that side of the LED and then apply heat to the other legs. It should come right out. In my case, two LEDs (left side of the speedometer) failed. Not sure if this problem was caused by a bad LED or bad solder. I removed all eight (8) LEDs behind the speedometer and the tachometer. These were replaced with US Speedo LED120B. On each side of these LEDs there was a tiny metal strip for soldering. This was different than the two pronged legs on each side of the OEM LEDs, but not a factor. The small size of the LEDs makes it challenging to solder. I used a tweezer to hold the LED in place in then applied a very small amount of flux and solder to hold the LED in place. Then proceeded to solder the other side and with the LED firm in place corrected the first solder connection.
Once completed, hold the board by the edges and carefully plug it back in the truck making sure it does not short on any metal surfaces. Turn the lights on to check for proper LED functionality. If satisfied install board back in its plastic frame enclosure. Don’t yet install the instrument cluster protective lens. Install the needles on the needle plastic stems (should snap in place) and very loosely install the needles on the step motor metal shaft. Take the cluster back to the truck, plug it in and turn the key to number II position. If adjustment is required pull the needle out and push it in without rotating. This is because even when the needle is loose rotating has enough friction to rotate the step motor shaft. This will throw it off calibration. If so, pull the needle out, turn the key to position II and push the needle in again, matching the original position. Repeat as necessary until satisfied wit calibration. Proceed pushing the needles in. I used the smaller spacer on the US Speedo needle removal tool for the smaller gauges and the entire thickness of the tool as a spacer for the needles on the larger gauges.
That’s it … disconnect the cluster and install the protective lenses. Install the cluster back into its place. Once the needles have been removed, removing them next time around for another repair should be significantly easier. Heat might not be necessary. This guide will help other F150 2009-present owners save some money if they have a lighting problem and their trucks are out of warranty. This could also be useful to those wanting a different LED color.
I plan on keeping my truck for some time to come after having investing a fair amount in several upgrades. So, I decided that the dead speedometer backlight problem had to be resolve. The dealer wanted $600-$700 to replace the instrument cluster as the solution to the problem. Thinking there was nothing to lose by “operating” on the instrument cluster, I decided to research further the backlight LED replacement.
Unfortunately there isn’t much information online regarding this repair. I imagine this is because it isn’t very common in the 2009-present trucks, mostly only the 2009-2010 are going out of warranty. The comments by Motor City member on this topic message thread were quite helpful. I also watched some videos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic1uIRu8ToY#t=13) from US Speedo on how to install their gauge face kits. This was helpful with needle removal and calibration. Note that this repair might not be for everyone.This assumes some basic knowledge of electronic components and some experience with soldering. I took the risk and it worked for me. Having said that, this repair should work for the majority if some care is used.
This repair required the correct replacement surface mount LEDs. I purchased the US Speedo Speedometer LED Bulbs Kit (LED120B) blue LEDs from carid.com for $49.99, which included a needle remover/spacer tool. My 2009 F150 4x4 Lariat gauge backlight LEDs are aqua blue, but these were not available from US Speedo and the blue LEDs from Speedo looked great. Before proceeding with the installation, I put the key in position II and with my phone took some pictures of the position of the needles on the gauges. Then the instrument cluster was pulled out. On my workbench the gauge protective lens was removed. Next, the needles were pried off the needle plastic stem (see picture below). One has to be careful on this step. I used a very small straight blade screwdriver to pry off the tach and speedo larger needles. The hardest step is to remove the needle plastic stems from the step motor shaft. This piece is firmly attached and it required heat. A hair dryer with an improvised paper funnel was used to blow air through and around the plastic needle stem. Don’t make a tight fit between the paper funnel and the hair dryer. This would leave only a small hole to blow the air through and cause a load that could damage the hair dryer (I owe one to the wife).
Heating the plastic needle stem made removal possible, but a fair amount of force still had to be used. The force described is subjective, so use care and remove all needles and plastic stems.
Once the needles are removed, the instrument cluster circuit board needs to be removed from the back. The back-cover is first popped out. The board is held by some tabs and a couple of helping hands could be useful to remove the board. Once removed identify the LEDs to be replaced. Even though the F150 models should have differences, replacing cluster board LEDs on 2009-present trucks should be very similar. The US Speedo LED kit had very decent installation information. Of note is the direction of the LED. The LED is in essence a diode and it won’t work if oriented in the wrong direction. The little cutout on the corner of the LED indicates the direction of the current flow. This should match the small gold triangle on the board near the LED indicating the direction. One can also look up the direction by noting the cut out in the OEM LEDs.
The next step is to remove the OEM LEDs. I used a 15 watt iron with fine tip and wedge it on one side, between the two LED legs. The solder should melt quite easy. If not, use a bit of flux for better heat transfer. Once this is done flip up that side of the LED and then apply heat to the other legs. It should come right out. In my case, two LEDs (left side of the speedometer) failed. Not sure if this problem was caused by a bad LED or bad solder. I removed all eight (8) LEDs behind the speedometer and the tachometer. These were replaced with US Speedo LED120B. On each side of these LEDs there was a tiny metal strip for soldering. This was different than the two pronged legs on each side of the OEM LEDs, but not a factor. The small size of the LEDs makes it challenging to solder. I used a tweezer to hold the LED in place in then applied a very small amount of flux and solder to hold the LED in place. Then proceeded to solder the other side and with the LED firm in place corrected the first solder connection.
Once completed, hold the board by the edges and carefully plug it back in the truck making sure it does not short on any metal surfaces. Turn the lights on to check for proper LED functionality. If satisfied install board back in its plastic frame enclosure. Don’t yet install the instrument cluster protective lens. Install the needles on the needle plastic stems (should snap in place) and very loosely install the needles on the step motor metal shaft. Take the cluster back to the truck, plug it in and turn the key to number II position. If adjustment is required pull the needle out and push it in without rotating. This is because even when the needle is loose rotating has enough friction to rotate the step motor shaft. This will throw it off calibration. If so, pull the needle out, turn the key to position II and push the needle in again, matching the original position. Repeat as necessary until satisfied wit calibration. Proceed pushing the needles in. I used the smaller spacer on the US Speedo needle removal tool for the smaller gauges and the entire thickness of the tool as a spacer for the needles on the larger gauges.
That’s it … disconnect the cluster and install the protective lenses. Install the cluster back into its place. Once the needles have been removed, removing them next time around for another repair should be significantly easier. Heat might not be necessary. This guide will help other F150 2009-present owners save some money if they have a lighting problem and their trucks are out of warranty. This could also be useful to those wanting a different LED color.
Last edited by EEMene; Feb 3, 2018 at 07:26 PM.
