Dash lights flickering and other questions

[swc69]

Happy Holidays all,

I'm into week 2 of my 2003 MM. I'm still trying to get used to the peaky power curve, but as I drive it more and more I'm figuring it out.

Taking a V8 to 6k rpms still freaks me out. Probably because my other cars have all been low-tech V8's that made most of their power much lower in the RPM band. Honest to God - it reminds me so much of blown 4 and 6 cyl cars that I've owned that when I pull in the driveway my natural instinct is wait for the turbo's to spin down before I shut it off.

Anyway - I have two questions:

1) Do you guys really consistently crank this engine up to redline? Should I be worried at all about doing that?

2) I've noticed that the dash lights flicker a little. When I'm sitting at idle, its real obvious that there is some kind of voltage fluctation. The lights don't go out, but you can see them getting dimmer and brighter. Its not a consistent pulse, its more of a random flicker. Is this normal?

Thanks & Happy Holidays.

Steve C.
03 300A
96 Impala SS
93 MR2 Turbo
70 Charger R/T
02 Explorer
95 Explorer

[Agent M79]

1) The only time I am at the redline is at WOT typically before the tranny shifts to the next gear.
2) The flicker is common. I am afraid all you will find is commiseration and no solution. Type “Dash Flicker” in the search box to commiserate.

[RF Overlord]

swc:

Yes, the flickering is apparently normal, although not all cars do it...I have the U/D pulleys on mine, so the lights dim a bit at idle in gear, but I was not aware of any flickering before I installed the pulleys...others have had it consistently. To my knowledge, no one has found a definitive cause or fix...

As far as taking the motor to redline on a regular basis, I'm a conservative driver and don't do it, so I can't comment there...

[Heavy351]

Mine do not seem to flicker.. I have limited my redline experiences to only once or twice per day. unless I find:
-onramps
-long straightaways with no cross streets
-wet corners for traction testing
-steep hills with nice sharp crests
-anywhere I can stand on it in second gear at about 3K rpms

other than that I never go to the redline.

[frdwrnch]

Ah, But Wait! There finally is a fix for the infamous flickering dash lights. This concern is usually exhibitted when the backlight dimmer is scrolled to 1/4 to 3/4 of its throw. Usually not noticed when dimmer is set to max brightness. The fix is an updated lighting control module and is outlined in Ford service message 17295. Merry Christmas!

[TripleTransAm]

Interesting news!

I could be imagining things but I almost got the impression the flickering dash lights got worse once I put in the modified oil pressure gage/sender. Maybe I just started looking at the gage pod more often than previous, but it's still something I want to try once the weather gets better. I should be able to completely remove the gage and sender from the rest of the circuitry by just unplugging the modified gage... although it won't prove that the original dummy gage didn't serve as some sort of filter.

But I always keep the dimmer on max brightness, though...

[Agent M79]

Ah Ha! I stand corrected. frdwrnch, we'll have to put this on the list for my MM at next service!

[John F. Russo]

I started to notice the flickering of my digital readout (radio and time) during about the last 5,000 miles. I didn't have it before this.

It started on an irregular basis then it became essentially continuous. The lights dim slightly and do not go out completely.

Thank you frdwrnch for the solution to this problem.


______________________________ ______________________
2003 Blue 300B (Canadian) (reversed traction control, mini spare,
trunked 6 disc CD changer,clock-in-the-radio, heated front
seats, hood light)
-Born 12/10/02
-12,000 miles
-18.5 mpg at a steady speed of 80 mph
-Stock transmission (upgraded with Performance Automatic
clutches and band after stock tranny failed in 8,800 miles)
-Wheel locks (Ford)
-Badgeless front grille by “Zack”
-Zaino waxing
Kenny Brown: 6th “Signature Series” conversion (450 hp) Born
3/28/03
-Dead pedal
-Baer front brakes 14 in. two piston, vented rotors
-MMX Driveshaft
-377 RWTQ
-4.10 gears
-Precision, triple disc, P/N469018-3 Precision, triple disc, P/N469018-3
-Vortech supercharger (5 and 9 psig boost)
-Pirelli P-Zero Asymmetric (front 255/45ZR18 99Y;rear
255/50ZR18 102Y)
-FordChip
-One coil of each front stock spring removed to produce
the “same” effect as an Eibach spring
-Ground clearance: 5 in.
______________________________ ____________________
1961 Ford Galaxie, 2 dr. Club Victoria, 390CID, 375hp, 4 barrel

[junehhan]

I've noticed mine doing that once in a blue moon as well, and there doesn't appear to be a pattern to it from what i'm seeing. Thanks for the heads up as i'll probably mention that whenever I find a reason to take my vehicle to the dealership. Will there be a problem if I just leave it the way it is now?