Principles of Operation

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2006 Mercury Milan, 2006 Lincoln Zephyr, and 2006 Ford Fusion. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The base and message center instrument clusters are configurable, electronic clusters that contain a microprocessor, gauges, indicator lamps, and internal circuitry. The instrument cluster uses the controller area network (CAN) to transmit and receive data from the vehicles other modules. For additional information regarding the communication network, refer to MODULE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK .

The instrument cluster has many items that can be configured to be enabled or disabled. When installing a new instrument cluster, it is necessary to upload the module configuration information to the diagnostic tool. Following the installation of the new instrument cluster, the module configuration must be downloaded from the diagnostic tool into the new instrument cluster. For additional information, refer to MODULE CONFIGURATION .

The following items in the instrument cluster are configurable:

ETM enabled
English/metric
Overspeed chime enabled
T/C present
ABS present
EATC present
Manual transmission
IKT feature
Lamp outage enabled (message center instrument cluster only)
Easy exit enabled (message center instrument cluster only)
Reverse mirror enabled (message center instrument cluster only)
White backlighting
25-step backlighting
Fail-safe cooling enabled
Speed tolerance
Default language

It is very important to understand:

Where the input originates.
All the information necessary in order for a feature to operate.
Which module(s) receive(s) the input or command message.
Does the module which received the input control the output of the feature, or does it output a message over the communication network to another module.
Which module controls the output of the feature.

The instrument cluster carries out a display prove-out to verify that the warning/indicator lamps and monitored systems are operating correctly. The safety belt warning indicator illuminates for 70 seconds or until the safety belt is fastened. When the ignition switch is turned to the ON position, the charging system warning indicator, the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and the low oil pressure warning indicator illuminate until the engine is started and operating normally. Each time the ignition switch is turned from the OFF to the ON positions, the following instrument cluster warning indicators prove out for 3 seconds:

ABS warning indicator
Air bag warning indicator (6 seconds)
BRAKE warning indicator
Low fuel warning indicator (if equipped)
Traction assist indicator
Passive anti-theft system (PATS) warning indicator
Check fuel cap warning indicator
Powertrain malfunction (wrench) warning indicator