SOLVED - O/D Off Button not working - No O/D Off light on dash when button is pushed.

[Dirtman]

This may be a long shot, but I'm wondering if somehow the bulb is part of the circuit and with the bulb burned out, the rest of the system stops functioning.

It wouldn't be the most insane wiring setup fords ever done, and would be pretty funny if all it took to fix it was a 10 cent bulb.

 

[fastpakr]

Easy to check after swapping the bulb for sure.

No matter what, it seems to me that the first step is popping the cluster out and sticking in a new bulb.

 

[RonD]

Fuse #2 in cab fuse box, 10amp, test it, don't just "look at it", this is for the TCS switch

Fuse #11 is for the dash lights, several warning lights share this fuse including OD OFF light


The computer GROUNDS the OD OFF light to turn it on, pin 79 on computer

As far as I know OD OFF light would be ON if key was on and you pushed the button once, even if engine was not running, its a status indicator, like High Beams on, so "being in gear" wouldn't matter
And no, the light bulb is not part of the Button/computer circuit, just a status light bulb

Just as a try it once, turn on the headlights FIRST, and THEN turn on the key and see if the OD OFF light comes on and then goes off, the bulb test

I have a diagram showing 12v for 4 of the dash warning bulbs coming from the Main light switch, and powered by 2 different sources, with main light switch off and then on which is an odd setup

 

[Dirtman]

Completely off topic. But if you do alot of city driving, turn the damn OD off as soon as you get in the truck. You'll save gas. If you never go above 45, the overdrive wastes gas. Counterintuitive but it comes on sometimes at like 35mph and then you'll go to pass or speed up and it just stays in overdrive wasting gas since the engine is working harder.

Not speculation or random guess... started doing this on mine and my city MPG has gone up a noticeable amount.

 

[RonD]

+1 ^^^^

 

[saxtech]

Well to throw a wrench into this whole thing,
As I was driving home from work today, I thought I would stop at a little shop that usually doesn't charge me to hook up a scanner. He went through the tests as I saw him turn the steering wheel back and forth and hit the brakes. When he was done he said "The OD Off Dash Light is on - Look" he said... I told him it hasn't been on for days. We then went for a test drive to see if the trans would come out of OD when the TCS button was pressed/activated and it did. It worked properly. WOW I told him.... BUT.... When we got back to his shop, he got out and I got into the drivers seat, I put it in gear to leave, and the darn dash light light stopped working again.... Ughhhh ! I showed him and he scratched his head (so to speak) and without testing the switch, he guessed that it was the switch. I drove home and it never worked again all the way home :-(

Sooooo..... tell me if I am wrong, but since we got the dash light to come on for 10 minutes or so, this tells me that there may be nothing wrong with the bulb or fuse ? (Yes ? No ?)
Also, he just guessed at it without testing the switch and thought it must be the push-button TCS ? He wanted $160 to change it because he said I needs the entire shift-selector arm and didn't know if it was a bad wire in the column.

This didn't sound right so I wanted to come back to you guys before I went any further.

Is it possible to change "just" the button switch (TCS) and not the entire shifter arm ?

If you guys think its an intermittent issue with the button switch (TCS), can you please provide instructions on how to remove the switch button from the end of the shifter arm please ?

What do you guys think now that the light came on for a few minutes and the trans downshifted during the test drive during those few minutes ?

Thanks for being so patient with me everyone.

 

[RonD]

Not sure you narrowed down much except that the bulb is not burned out
Ignore the bulb for now

Computer is not turning OD ON and OFF, so either the switch or its wiring is the problem, from description I would say loose connection in steering column or shifter
So pull apart clam shell cover on steering column
Pull the trim ring off the end of the shifter so you can get switch out
See if you can ID the wires going into the shifter from steering column, they will go into another connector usually under the steering column

Never done this myself, I am a manual trans guy

 

[saxtech]

Not sure you narrowed down much except that the bulb is not burned out
Ignore the bulb for now

Computer is not turning OD ON and OFF, so either the switch or its wiring is the problem, from description I would say loose connection in steering column or shifter
So pull apart clam shell cover on steering column
Pull the trim ring off the end of the shifter so you can get switch out
See if you can ID the wires going into the shifter from steering column, they will go into another connector usually under the steering column

Never done this myself, I am a manual trans guy

OK Ron or any of you Auto Trans guys.... to get that switch out of the shifter arm, should I just keep pulling on the switch until it comes lose or will it break ? Is there some type of a retainer or screw to hold the push button switch into the gear selector arm ?

 

[RonD]

Yes, the trim ring holds it in place, drawing here: https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/248015_2_94.jpg

switch will have wires attached, so you should pull off steering wheel covers so you can feed them up when you pull the switch up

 

[Orca]

On my 2004 Ford Ranger, there are multiple dashboard lights, including the "O/D OFF" light, that by design do NOT illuminate as part of the POST (Power-On Self-Test -- i.e. when you turn the ignition key on without starting the engine).

Even though your 2003's instrument panel is quite different from my 2004's, I suspect that your vehicle may not illuminate the "O/D OFF" light on POST either.

 

[ericbphoto]

Make sure the wiring harness is plugged together good. It really sounds like a loose connection. If someone has messed with it before, the locking tabs could be broken where parts of the harness plug together. Usually easy to fix with wire ties.

 

[saxtech]

Make sure the wiring harness is plugged together good. It really sounds like a loose connection. If someone has messed with it before, the locking tabs could be broken where parts of the harness plug together. Usually easy to fix with wire ties.

Thanks Eric,
Can you please tell me how and where to find the harness plug that you are speaking of please ? What do I need to take apart and how, to get to the harness plug you are speaking of. I'm in the dark with all of this and quite frustrated.

 

[Orca]

FWIW, I just ran a quick test on my 2004 Ranger. At KOEO, the "O/D OFF" dashboard light goes on and off with each press of the "O/D ON/OFF" switch. No need to have the engine running (let alone be driving) if all you want to do is debug the switch operation.

 

[saxtech]

FWIW, I just ran a quick test on my 2004 Ranger. At KOEO, the "O/D OFF" dashboard light goes on and off with each press of the "O/D ON/OFF" switch. No need to have the engine running (let alone be driving) if all you want to do is debug the switch operation.

What do yo mean "debug" the switch operation ? Details please.

 

[Orca]

What do yo mean "debug" the switch operation ? Details please.

I simply mean "figure out if the switch is broken or sporadic" as opposed to your problem being something else more involved (PCM, transmission, etc). If you don't want to disassemble the switch, consider shooting something like "CRC QD Electronic Cleaner" spray into the switch and "work" it a couple dozen cycles by hand. If your 2003 is anything like my 2004, you should be able to easily tell if the switch itself is working, sporadic, or totally broken, just sitting there with the key on, engine off.