05HawkeyeGT

In the bright sunlight yesterday I took a look at the gauges on my 05...there is, on the RPM gauge side at 12 o'clock in the middle by the RPM numbers that looks like an "Up Arrow". Almost like a dummy shift light or something like that. It's never turned on or anything, I've just wondered what that was.

Thanks.

HastaLaVista

If it doesn't turn on when all the idiot lights go on when you start the car, I'd guess it isn't hooked up and just a light that is used on another vehicle.

From the placement you mention it does sound like a shift light. Nothing in the owner's manual about it.

mach1fever

when the car originally came out there was a lot of debate and everyone thought it was a shift light.

mustp51

I've wondered about that one too.
This is the one you're talking about, right?

05HawkeyeGT

Yup that's the exact one I was thinking about. It would be nice if you get activate that somehow, I wonder how the wiring on the back of that looks. By activating, I mean make it like a functional shift light...not the dummy light telling you when to get the best gas mileage, but an actual shift light when it's nearing red line?

Boomer

If its an up arrow...its probably a shift light....

It was on the original pics of the dash...but it always looked like it was taken out.

Wonder if its accessable from a ford dealers reprogramming...
Like how they can turn on/off Global Windows and the 'reverse notification beeping'

holderca1

I'm not sure I follow, you need a light to tell you are nearing the red line? The red line is on there at 6k, shift before you hit it.

05HawkeyeGT

Well apparently you've never drag raced before on a track, so maybe you wouldn't understand. The point of a shift light is so that you can see the light out of your peripheral vision and not have to look down at your RPM gauge. They make aftermarket shift lights for a reason.

Yes of course it is easy to see the giant redline block on the RPM gauge in the 05's, I know where redline as I'm sure everyone here does, I'm not even saying I'd want to have it there even if I could enable it. But a nice bright light telling you right before you should shift in a drag racing scenario in a track could be beneficial.

softbatch

The only problem with this light is that it would probably not be bright enough to be able to see in your peripheral vision

puffyafros

I've got to be honest, I've never even noticed this thing.

05HawkeyeGT

Yeah true...perhaps only if you could install like a super bright LED or something, but yeah it probably wouldn't be bright enough.

Boomer

It'd be there for 'mileage' not 'drag racing'

05HawkeyeGT

Yeah...would be interesting to see if you could wire it up otherwise though.

Kluski

Not sure but I think 169stang has wired a shift light in his car.

I have seen many drag racers have them. I hear it helps shift at a more consitant point as oppsed to just watching the RPM needle.

av99gt

There is no LED behind it, for the 05'.

Airwolf

Is it activated for the 06?

softbatch

Probably not, but if there is no LED back there you should eb able to wire a shift light behind it to go off at a certain RPM. But another problem you run into is that the OEM Tachometers isn't as acuarate as the aftermarket tachs that people, hence the market for aftmarket tachometers.

Andy Haynes

That is the reason a shift light doesnt work off of your factory tacometer. You wire it in to work off of true rpm's .

softbatch

Lol What's a Taco Meter.

So your saying that the light behind the cluster could just as easily be wired from the true RPMs instead of the Tach or would you need to have an aftermarket Tach.

Enfynet

What makes the tach not accurate? Why wouldn't they wire it the same as the aftermarkets?

mmmm... Taco Meatier