Harbinger of doom?
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
From: Castle Rock, Colorado
Harbinger of doom?
So I get in the XF to come home from work last night and one of the instrument cluster bulbs is out.
(somewhere between the fuel and the speedo)
Bummer.
Reeeeally don't want to take the cluster out.
Coming home tonight, and I stopped for a beverage at the gas station. When I got back in I noticed
right away that the bulb was back on.
Now I'm more concerned. A bulb is good or bad, it shouldn't fluctuate. Is this a sign of some underlying
electrical gremlin? I suppose it could be slightly loose in it's socket but this is the first time in a year and 9K miles it has gone out. I drive at night at least 5 nights a week.
As of now all bulbs are working fine, and I'm glad the cluster removal may have been forestalled, but that kind of spooks me.
Anybody experience anything like this? Am I just being paranoid?
(somewhere between the fuel and the speedo)
Bummer.
Reeeeally don't want to take the cluster out.
Coming home tonight, and I stopped for a beverage at the gas station. When I got back in I noticed
right away that the bulb was back on.
Now I'm more concerned. A bulb is good or bad, it shouldn't fluctuate. Is this a sign of some underlying
electrical gremlin? I suppose it could be slightly loose in it's socket but this is the first time in a year and 9K miles it has gone out. I drive at night at least 5 nights a week.
As of now all bulbs are working fine, and I'm glad the cluster removal may have been forestalled, but that kind of spooks me.
Anybody experience anything like this? Am I just being paranoid?
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 25,432
Likes: 647
From: Ontario
Re: Harbinger of doom?
So I get in the XF to come home from work last night and one of the instrument cluster bulbs is out.
(somewhere between the fuel and the speedo)
Bummer.
Reeeeally don't want to take the cluster out.
Coming home tonight, and I stopped for a beverage at the gas station. When I got back in I noticed
right away that the bulb was back on.
Now I'm more concerned. A bulb is good or bad, it shouldn't fluctuate. Is this a sign of some underlying
electrical gremlin? I suppose it could be slightly loose in it's socket but this is the first time in a year and 9K miles it has gone out. I drive at night at least 5 nights a week.
As of now all bulbs are working fine, and I'm glad the cluster removal may have been forestalled, but that kind of spooks me.
Anybody experience anything like this? Am I just being paranoid?
(somewhere between the fuel and the speedo)
Bummer.
Reeeeally don't want to take the cluster out.
Coming home tonight, and I stopped for a beverage at the gas station. When I got back in I noticed
right away that the bulb was back on.
Now I'm more concerned. A bulb is good or bad, it shouldn't fluctuate. Is this a sign of some underlying
electrical gremlin? I suppose it could be slightly loose in it's socket but this is the first time in a year and 9K miles it has gone out. I drive at night at least 5 nights a week.
As of now all bulbs are working fine, and I'm glad the cluster removal may have been forestalled, but that kind of spooks me.
Anybody experience anything like this? Am I just being paranoid?
Why look for trouble?
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 8,015
Likes: 14
From: MOFN, AL, 70 miles from George
Re: Harbinger of doom?
So I get in the XF to come home from work last night and one of the instrument cluster bulbs is out.
(somewhere between the fuel and the speedo)
Bummer.
Reeeeally don't want to take the cluster out.
Coming home tonight, and I stopped for a beverage at the gas station. When I got back in I noticed
right away that the bulb was back on.
Now I'm more concerned. A bulb is good or bad, it shouldn't fluctuate. Is this a sign of some underlying
electrical gremlin? I suppose it could be slightly loose in it's socket but this is the first time in a year and 9K miles it has gone out. I drive at night at least 5 nights a week.
As of now all bulbs are working fine, and I'm glad the cluster removal may have been forestalled, but that kind of spooks me.
Anybody experience anything like this? Am I just being paranoid?
(somewhere between the fuel and the speedo)
Bummer.
Reeeeally don't want to take the cluster out.
Coming home tonight, and I stopped for a beverage at the gas station. When I got back in I noticed
right away that the bulb was back on.
Now I'm more concerned. A bulb is good or bad, it shouldn't fluctuate. Is this a sign of some underlying
electrical gremlin? I suppose it could be slightly loose in it's socket but this is the first time in a year and 9K miles it has gone out. I drive at night at least 5 nights a week.
As of now all bulbs are working fine, and I'm glad the cluster removal may have been forestalled, but that kind of spooks me.
Anybody experience anything like this? Am I just being paranoid?
It will fail again. And maybe even come back to life again too!
Maybe.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 9,595
Likes: 26
From: Kellyville, Ok
Re: Harbinger of doom?
Low fuel light.. didn't work when I got the car.. then one day it did..and lit up when ignition was turned on for a while.. then went out.. flipped the dash at its location and it was back.. now it's gone.. I think forever at this point. LOL.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
From: Castle Rock, Colorado
Re: Harbinger of doom?
Thanks all!
Well, It's out again tonight, lol. At this point I will leave it alone for a while,see what it does. I'm still loathing removal of the cluster, though It really bugs my having it out.
I just don't like knowing something is wrong on the car, especially when it's right in front of me.
Maybe it will come back, but even if it doesn't i'm glad to hear others have had similar bulb quirks without it leading to bigger issues.
Overall the car is in exellent order, (except for the obligatory non-heating seats) But in the year I have owned it, the left taillight bulb went out twice, and the right once.
I chalked it up to it being their time to die, and a bad bulb. I had the left headlight die. I also attribute that to being it's time, and replaced them with a very inexpensive Ebay
HID kit.... which had a ballast die after 3 months. Rather than deal with warranty on a cheapo replacement (the quality being my assumed cause for failure) I just replaced them with standard Sylvania H7s. (so far so good) I also have had the license plate light go out and come back. (I understand the underlying cause there too.)
Now the gauge light goes out then comes back, (and goes out) I'll admit I was starting to wonder....
No need for the pills yet, OneEighty, but I'm keeping them within arms reach.
Well, It's out again tonight, lol. At this point I will leave it alone for a while,see what it does. I'm still loathing removal of the cluster, though It really bugs my having it out.
I just don't like knowing something is wrong on the car, especially when it's right in front of me.
Maybe it will come back, but even if it doesn't i'm glad to hear others have had similar bulb quirks without it leading to bigger issues.
Overall the car is in exellent order, (except for the obligatory non-heating seats) But in the year I have owned it, the left taillight bulb went out twice, and the right once.
I chalked it up to it being their time to die, and a bad bulb. I had the left headlight die. I also attribute that to being it's time, and replaced them with a very inexpensive Ebay
HID kit.... which had a ballast die after 3 months. Rather than deal with warranty on a cheapo replacement (the quality being my assumed cause for failure) I just replaced them with standard Sylvania H7s. (so far so good) I also have had the license plate light go out and come back. (I understand the underlying cause there too.)
Now the gauge light goes out then comes back, (and goes out) I'll admit I was starting to wonder....
No need for the pills yet, OneEighty, but I'm keeping them within arms reach.
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