Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests F150 gauge test mode

I have seen this on the Escape and Tribute. Push and hold the trip odometer reset and all the gauges peg and the lights go on/off. It is a self test.
My brother's 2000 F150 Supercrew started to go into instrument test mode almost everytime he starts it. Is this a sign the battery is about to crater or some other electrical problem?

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Is this a sign the battery is about to crater or some other electrical problem?

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Possibly. No experience with the F-150, but over on the Cougar boards the needle sweep on start up is one of the leading indicators of an alternator or battery on the way out, because at least on the Cougar the needle sweep also happens after the battery is disconnected or the ECU reset.

((On the Cougar, the needle sweep also indicates when the instrument cluster is reset to the "diagnostic mode", where some useful info is displayed on the LCD screens in place of the usual trip information.))

if it's doing it everytime, he's got electrical problems. has he added anything to it lately? also, inspect the computer harness for anything out of the ordinary.