Ford F150 Gauges Meaning- 7 Gauges Explained Perfectly+Video
Are you wondering- what are the Ford F150 gauges meaning on the dashboard of your truck? Well, as a car owner you should know about your Ford F150 gauges instrument clusters meaning. This is because it provides important information about the status of your truck.
This information includes your vehicle’s speed, engine condition such as oil pressure, coolant temperature, fuel status, etc. The manufacturer of your vehicle usually provides these dash gauges information that will let you know if there is a problem and also show you before a problem occurs in your vehicle.
So, if you don’t know about the meaning of the gauges, you can’t take actions to prevent those vehicle issues. Therefore, in this article, we’ll let you know their meaning so you can be aware before a problem exists and can fix it as well.
What are the Ford F150 Gauges on the Dashboard?
So, before you know the meaning of the Ford F150 gauges, you should know about the different gauges on your vehicle’s dashboard. Usually, the number of gauges varies depending on your vehicle’s type and model.
However, the thing is you will find that there are some basic gauges that are considered standard, and almost every vehicle has these standard basic gauges on its dashboard.
Well, here, one thing you should know is that some vehicles don’t have a display that will show you the specific gauges. In that case, you will see a warning light if there is a problem with your car.
On the gauges instrument clusters, there are some rows of gauges and in the case of your Ford F150 dashboard, you will see this gauge’s cluster just in the center console of the vehicle. It will provide some of the significant gauge’s information.
However, if this gauge’s instrument cluster breaks down somehow, then driving your Ford vehicle will be very risky and dangerous as well. Although you can upgrade as well as replace this cluster part easily when needed.
All right, here we have provided some most common gauges that are usually found on the dashboard of Ford F150 vehicles.
| Symbols | Gauges |
| A | Engine oil pressure gauge |
| B | Engine coolant temperature gauge |
| C | Fuel gauge |
| D | Transmission fluid temperature gauge/ Turbo boost gauge (Only for Ecoboost engine) |
| E | Speedometer |
| F | Information display |
| G | Tachometer |
The Meaning of Ford F150 Gauges on the Dashboard
The brand Ford introduced the factory gauge cluster in their 1997 F150 ford pickup trucks. They provide the ford driver only some of the most basic and ancillary information such as fuel gauge, oil pressure gauge, coolant temperature gauge, and the charging system voltage at the display corners and the control information such as speedometer gauge and tachometer gauge at the front and center of the display in their 1997-2008 Ford F150 vehicles.
However, they introduced transmission temperature as a permanent gauge in their 2009 ford F150 trucks that are considered welcome information. And then, they fixed this gauge as a permanent fixture until 2015 just in the upper right-side corner of the display.
Okay, so far, we have discussed different Ford F150 gauges, now in this section, we will discuss them in detail.
Engine oil Pressure Gauge
Engine oil pressure is one of the most critical gauges that generally measure the oil pressures of the engine and the term is referred to as pounds per square inch (PSI). It’s nothing but a measure of the rapidity of oil that pushes the engine oil through your vehicle’s engine.
The normal engine oil pressure range is 20-50 PSI; however, it usually rises and falls according to the engine speed.
This gauge cluster ensures that your vehicle is running efficiently and also has adequate oil pressure. As the oil pressure is a crucial factor for your engine, if you experience that this gauge drops somehow, it indicates that your engine has insufficient oil pressure.
And if this happens even for a short time, there will be acute engine damage very quickly and sometimes it can destroy your vehicle’s engine completely. So, in this case, if the engine oil pressure is getting low and the gauge drops you should immediately turn off your engine to prevent engine damage.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge
Another gauge in the instrumental cluster of your Ford F150 truck is the engine coolant temperature gauge. It usually measures the engine’s coolant internal temperature on average.
If you find any unusual change in the engine coolant temperature, it means that it will occur fast and severe engine damage to your Ford vehicle. Therefore, you should be always aware of your vehicle’s engine temperature gauge.
Most of the time the coolant system of your vehicle is intended to perform in all working conditions. However, the thing is if your ford vehicle is an old model and also generates extreme heat, sometimes, you may experience that your vehicle can’t sustain this coolant system.
So, if you observe that the coolant temperature gauge is running away from its normal range and is going into the hot and dangerous zone, you have to pull over as well as permit the engine of your vehicle to cool down before you drive the car continually.
Fuel Gauge
The fuel gauge is basically introduced in the ford vehicle as a standard and universal gauge on the dashboard. You will find this fuel gauge in the instrument cluster that is displayed with a sensor providing the exact fuel level reading remains on the fuel tank.
Here, the thing is as it works with a sensor, so this sensor will only give the reading accurately if you park your ford F150 vehicle on a plane and sleek surface.
Well, on the dashboard, you will see an E-icon (Empty icon) and if the fuel gauge cluster displays this empty icon and a warning light at the same time, it means that there are 1 or 2 gallons of fuel left in the fuel tank. And thus, you need to refill the tank quickly with fuel before it is emptied.
By doing so, it will ensure your vehicle’s longer lifespan as the insufficient fuel decreases the fuel pump longevity and so does your vehicle as well.
Transmission Fluid Temperature Gauge/Turbo Boost Gauge
The transmission fluid temperature gauge usually gives some critical information and shows the average engine temperature of the Ford F150 vehicles. If the transmission fluid of the engine becomes overheated, it’s not a good sign for your vehicle and ultimately it will cause the failure of premature transmission.
Therefore, it’s important to know the transmission temperature before anything breaks down. Here, an electric slender is used to measure this transmission temperature gauge.
Usually, most vehicle engines operate at a temperature between 195 & 215 degrees Fahrenheit although the aftermarket transmission temperature gauges are measured between 100 & 260 degrees Fahrenheit temperature.
However, the temperature above 220 degrees Fahrenheit can lead to engine damage in a very short time and the temperature of transmission fluid above 260 degrees Fahrenheit is considered an overheated temperature and therefore will cause permanent engine damage.
Besides, the temperature of the transmission fluid below 195 degrees Fahrenheit indicates low engine temperature that will eventually provoke poor fuel mileage of your vehicle.
Turbo boost gauge
The Turbo boost gauge is only used for the Ecoboost engine of the Ford F150 Ecoboost trucks as it’s a turbocharged vehicle. This turbo boost gauge usually shows the fuel pressure in the fuel intake manifold. If there is more fuel pressure, it indicates more engine performance with low fuel mileage.
If this happens, it means that probably there is an issue with the turbocharger of your Ford vehicle. And if the turbo boost drops it indicates the possibility of developing a problem and you will see it on the tachometer gauge.
Speedometer Gauge
The speedometer gauge in the instrumental cluster shows how fast your Ford F150 vehicle can travel usually in miles per hour (mph) or in kilometers per hour (km/hr.). Knowing the speed of your vehicle is really important as it ensures not only your safety but also your consent to traffic laws.
The speedometer gauge uses an electric sensor to measure your vehicle’s wheel speed. Here, one thing you have to remember is that the factory or the manufacturer of your vehicle usually presets this speedometer depending on the tire size of your vehicle.
So, while changing or replacing your vehicle’s tire, ensure that you have updated the speedometer to prevent any tire-related issues.
Information Display
Information display is actually referred to as the gauge display that is located just in the center of the vehicle’s entire instrument cluster. In other words, it is also considered the driver information center of a vehicle.
Here, you will see all the information with symbols as well as texts in the display bar and some with further descriptions that are located just under the functions.
Tachometer Gauge
The tachometer gauge on the dashboard shows the engine’s revolutions per minute (RPM) of your Ford F150 vehicle. This RPM indicates how fast the engine of your Ford vehicle is rotating.
Usually, the engine speed or RPM is shown on the display bar with a single numerical digit such as – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. which is typically multiplied by 1000 so you can get the authentic speed or RPM of the engine.
To better understand, look at the table below-
| Digit | Multiplied by 1000 RPM | Actual engine’s RPM |
| 1 | 1 × 1000 | 1000 RPM |
| 2 | 2 × 1000 | 2000 RPM |
| 3 | 3 × 1000 | 3000 RPM |
If you see that the tachometer gauge shows a lower RPM on the dashboard it indicates that the engine of your Ford vehicle is rotating slowly which is referred to as the idle speed. And, this idle speed will be between 500-800 RPM.
If you want to get better fuel mileage you should keep the engine RPM of your vehicle as low as possible and slowly accelerating your vehicle will help to lower the engine RPM and will eventually increase the fuel mileage.
However, if you experience that without accelerating, the engine’s RPM rises it indicates that possibly there is a transmission problem. Therefore, to prevent this transmission failure issue, you should pay attention to the tachometer gauge on the dashboard of your Ford vehicle.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which Ford F150 gauges are most important?
Usually, the most important Ford F150 gauges are oil pressure gauge, fuel gauge, temperature coolant gauge, speedometer, etc.
However, this will actually depend on your Ford vehicle models, engines, and their mechanical status such as, if it’s an Ecoboost F150 truck, then the turbo-boost gauge is also an important gauge.
How do you select the instrument cluster for your ford F150 vehicle?
Finding the appropriate instrument cluster typically depends on the vehicle’s type and model. However, the Ford F150 gauges usually show up as pre-printed and also come with a single connector that links to the F150 wiring.
Therefore, if one of the Ford gauges breaks down you may have to replace all of them although, in some models, you can replace or change individual displays that entirely depend on the year of the Ford F150 truck.
How do you keep the gauges of the Ford F150 vehicle clean?
As most gauges of Ford F150 vehicles use electronic sensors nowadays, therefore, you should clean them with the help of a diagnostic technician. In this case, you should ensure that the technician has a license.
However, if you want to clean yourself, you can do so by cleaning the plastic covering of the gauge’s display over the dashboard of the instrument cluster of your vehicle.
Final Verdicts
So, after reading the article for so long, you may have understood– what are the Ford F150 gauges meaning on the dashboard of your Ford truck?
Well, as you know if you don’t fix a minor problem with your vehicle, after a certain period it will become a serious issue. And also, this minor problem will eventually cause severe damage to your vehicle parts especially if it is related to the vehicle’s engine.
Therefore, recognizing the diagnostic system of your vehicle and knowing the diagnostic tools, especially the gauges is very important as they indicate your car’s performance in all conditions.
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James Noah
Ah! Driving your King has no twist when you have zero knowledge! Yes, Noah is here with his core experiences about trucks, cars, suvs and atvs. Working as a cheif editor for Automasterx to make you satisfied with solid data driven post.
