2013 California Tachometer & gauge cluster

On some cars, the F1 gearbox light looks a lot like a trunk open light.

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If you've lost your instrumentation, it may be affecting the F1 gearbox. The instrument cluster typically provides the F1 system with speed data.

A blown fuse is something sinister. It's just cheaper as a temporary fix

Anyway, check your handbook for fuse locations. There may be more than one for the instruments (battery ("+30") and ignition key ("+15") instrument power fuses).

(EDIT: although the graphic says the buzzer will sound for an F1 gearbox problem, if your instrument cluster is dead, the buzzer in the instrument cluster may also be dead)

 

Just found an F-Chat post showing the fuses

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/144330427/

.. although I could only find one with the label "instruments":

F53 Instruments

 

same issue picked car up last night (2010 California) Tach Black as night. Any new insights on cause and cure?

 

Just the tacho, no other instruments or displays? Is the tacho needle moving?

Are you talking about the instrument lighting which comes on with your sidelights/headlights, or something else?

 

Tach is functional, horse lights, limiter lines light, numbers are dark, Gear indicator displays fine.

 

So most likely an instrument cluster problem rather than an external power supply issue. There are quite a few confusing posts on yellow tach illumination on the Cali subforum:

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/148589097/

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/2010-california-yellow-tach-not-backlit.615571/#post-147796630

Experts?

Instructions on how to remove the cluster here:

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/how-do-i-remove-instrument-cluster-cali-t.623508/

If DIY repairs fail, send it away to someone like this:

https://www.facebook.com/totaltronics/videos/ferrari-california-instrument-cluster-bench-test-after-repair/531289470863298/

 

Well if a picture is with a 1,000 words then the numbers should light. The second thread showing the bench test everything lights.
Thanks for the reply!

 

The numbers appear to light up very dimly in the first part of the video (more noticeable for the red/orange numbers). I don't know if there is a second brightness level when the external lights are turned on. Towards the end of the video, the studio lights are turned off and the instrument brightness increases dramatically, but I don't know if the camera just adjusted the light levels.

Some folks were complaining that the yellow background makes the numbers hard to see in daylight.

It's probably best to ask what is normal on the Califoria sub-forum.

 

yellow tachometer has a different backlight strategy then the red and black. We had a a lot of complaints when the cars first came out.
Backlighting is not controlled by the headlamp switch but by the twilight sensor. The backlighting comes on much earlier on the red and black tachometers then it does on the yellow. Many people complained the yellow tach was hard to see especially in bright sun due to the shadow created by the binnacle
.