I have a 1989 F-150 4WD with a little over 200,000 miles on it. It has a 5.8L 351 V8 Windsor engine, throttle body fuel injection, automatic trans. Stock other than aluminum wheels, white letter tires, and chrome push bar.
The dash lights and heater control panel lights, ash tray and glove box lights, stopped working several months back, fuses and bulbs all appear to be good.
In the last couple of days I've started having problems with radio static, low to no speaker volumn, can't select radio station's but can hear a station come in and out once in awhile over the static, the clock on the radio stopped working also.
Check engine, parking brake light, blinkers, rear anti lock brake light, battery light and such still work. If I operate the power windows I get static through the door speakers as the windows go up and down.
The dome light stopped working around the same time as the radio, the bulb appears to be good in dome light.
The only thing I've done to the truck lately is remove the waterpump and timing cover and install a new timing gear and chain set.
Any thoughts or ideas where to start looking for a solution to these problems?

Thanks for your help!

 

For the dash lights I would pull the headlights on, and then twist and turn the headlight **** and see if they try to work. If they don't, go to the instrument cluster fuse, and with the headlight switch out, check for power on both sides of the fuse. If you don't have power on either side of the fuse with the headlight switch out, I would suspect the headlight switch has a problem.

I would twist the door jamb switches back and forth and see if the domelight starts working.

 

I'll give this a try and reply back with the results sometime this weekend.
Thanks again for your help!

 

I checked the headlight switch today and found that the contact that rides the round spring that controls the dash lights had sprung back away from the spring.
I purchased a new headlight switch today and that took care of the dash, heater, radio, glove box and ashtray lights but I am still getting static through the speakers when rolling the power windows up and down. Radio still has stactic and won't tune in stations.
I plan to look at the door switches tommorrow as suggested concerning the dome light.

 

I wiggled the switches around today on the door frame but the dome light inside the cab still didn't come on. I rechecked the fuse and even swapped it out for another, I even put a new bulb in, but still no dome light. One thing I did notice was that the old bulb was burnt pretty much black around the center of the bulb even though the filament wasn't broken, could this be an indication or just a really old bulb about to burn out?
Forgot to mention eariler on that the interior dome light is the type that has the two side lights that can be switched on individually and they both work fine even though the dome light won't work at all.
If it stops raining I plan to pull the kick panels and check things out a little futher and see if there's a bad switch or ground.
Again thanks for your help!

 

When you get the headlight switch fixed, turn the **** all the way to the left till it clicks, and the domelight should come on. That will test part of the circuit.

If it doesn't come on, I would pull the sill plate off the driver's side rocker panel, and you will find a channel where the wiring runs for the domelights and a few other things. Follow these wires along as the go to the rear cab corner area. These wires like to get corroded and damaged, and one of them does feed the domelight.

 

Thanks! I'll check that and see if that's the problem.

 

1989 F-150, 351 Windsor, Fuel injection.
Couple of questions Please!
Is it normal for the dash lights not to dim all way off after installing a new headlight switch? Been so long since the dash lights have worked I can't remember, dash lights are working fine other wise.
Also the starter cranks good when cold, engine starts right up, but after the truck is driven a few miles and the engine warms up the starter wants to crank slow although it still starts so far. I can let it cool a few minutes and it will start right up, could this be a ground problem, starter?
Thanks!

 

Dome light out/Radio static problem solved!