another truck problem
 

03, f250. so all of a sudden one day last week the speedo stops working, the abs light comes on, the tranny light on the shifter starts flashing and after i remove the key from the ignition 15 seconds later the accessories get power. dealer says i need a new instrument cluster to start with. any ideas car guys?

Did the check engine light come on too? Were you driving when it happened? If you were driving it sounds like it lost it's VSS (vehicle speed sensor) input. If it loses that all of the above will happen. Has it happened again? I can grab a scanner and meet up with you , to drive it and see if thats it.

the visual of you with a broken "speedo" just made me spit out my coffee..............

it is now an ongoing problem. the check engine light comes on sometimes, i have to disconnect the battery everytime i stop somewhere for more than a few minutes. i don't remember if i was driving the first time it happened

Im back in Pembroke at 7, let me know if you want me to look at it.

My 05 150 did this same thing.

It ended up being the speed control sensor, I think it's the same thing tysdad mentioned.

Truck would be fine, then loose all power, all the engine, tranny, idiot lights would come on and the truck would shudder to a stop.

It was a simple fix, think the part was 120 bucks.
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Same thing with my wife's 02 odyssey. Easy fix, took longer to remove the plastic splash guard than it did to change out the part. Shop around, surprisingly the part was cheapest from the Honda dealer than at our local part stores.

Just curious, are you a ford mechanic?
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I've been fixing all makes for 20 years. They're all the same to me.
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Does sound like a speed sensor.All of those things rely on that input to operate properly.Also you described the speedometer dropping off was the first thing you noticed.I'd go with the speed sensor before I let a dealer put a cluster and possibly more into it.Check your battery connections and alternator also.I've seen alternators cause some funky problems due to low voltage.I know in the big trucks I work on most of the computers will start acting funny at a certain low voltage like below 10 volts.You would have most likely noticed your volt meter acting funny if this was the case.Remember every time you pull the battery cables your clearing the code from the pcm and that will make it harder to figure it out.Cheap code readers can be picked up at napa or any parts store on the cheap.They will give you the codes and some will clear them.I have a cheap one and have access to the higher end ones over here in RI.I'd try the speed sensor because if it fails completely you may end up stuck in gear or dead on the side of the road.