Dash Lights
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Junior User
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From: St. Johns
Dash Lights
Have an 88 250. The dash lights worked when I first bought the truck but then stopped working about a month later. Don't think all the lights went out at the same time. Stick of not being able to see my gauges at night. Can't figure out why they're not working anymore. Instead of ripping the dash apart does anyone on here have any external lights to illuminate the gauges or have any ideas of what to use. Thanks ahead of time.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,538
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From: Des Moines
Have you checked any fuses?
And it's not that much work to pull the dash apart to replace the bulbs- it's probably a lot easier than you think.
Besides, and I can't swear to it, but an 88 might be old enough that you don't even have to pull the dash apart. You may be able to reach up from underneath and remove the caps that hold the bulbs in place.
But that comes from my knowledge of Chevy's- I don't know if that's how Ford designed their gauge clusters or not.
And it's not that much work to pull the dash apart to replace the bulbs- it's probably a lot easier than you think.
Besides, and I can't swear to it, but an 88 might be old enough that you don't even have to pull the dash apart. You may be able to reach up from underneath and remove the caps that hold the bulbs in place.
But that comes from my knowledge of Chevy's- I don't know if that's how Ford designed their gauge clusters or not.
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Junior User
Joined: Sep 2010
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From: St. Johns
Ya I checked the fuses not the problem. I don't want to replace the bulbs because I don't think it's the problem. They all worked and then one day they all stopped working the chances of all of them blowing or going bad at the same time like that is slim. I think it's a bad wire or one being shorted but I can't find it so instead of dealing with more of a headache I was seeing if anyone had any external light ideas first.
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
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From: Sand Lake, MI
Could be in the headlight switch, the dash lighting is separate from the running lights.
The coil wrapped around the switch, the dimmer rheostat, or its contact dies often (gets ripped right out of place, gets all tangled in itself etc etc) especially the auto parts replacement switches.
Myself I got tired of replacing the switch all the time in my 94, I jumpered dash light and running light circuits directly behind the switch. No more dash light dimmer function but I never use it anyway, always run dash lights set to full bright.
The coil wrapped around the switch, the dimmer rheostat, or its contact dies often (gets ripped right out of place, gets all tangled in itself etc etc) especially the auto parts replacement switches.
Myself I got tired of replacing the switch all the time in my 94, I jumpered dash light and running light circuits directly behind the switch. No more dash light dimmer function but I never use it anyway, always run dash lights set to full bright.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 333
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From: Lawton, OK
Have you checked any fuses?
And it's not that much work to pull the dash apart to replace the bulbs- it's probably a lot easier than you think.Besides, and I can't swear to it, but an 88 might be old enough that you don't even have to pull the dash apart. You may be able to reach up from underneath and remove the caps that hold the bulbs in place.
But that comes from my knowledge of Chevy's- I don't know if that's how Ford designed their gauge clusters or not.
And it's not that much work to pull the dash apart to replace the bulbs- it's probably a lot easier than you think.Besides, and I can't swear to it, but an 88 might be old enough that you don't even have to pull the dash apart. You may be able to reach up from underneath and remove the caps that hold the bulbs in place.
But that comes from my knowledge of Chevy's- I don't know if that's how Ford designed their gauge clusters or not.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 333
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From: Lawton, OK
Super Bright LEDs ? LED Lights, Bulbs, and Accessories
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Hotshot
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 11,958
Likes: 228
I've seen them on classic Mustangs and Ford trucks as well as all kinds of other vehicles and everytime I see them it doesn't look nearly as good as regular bulbs. Here is why they don't illuminate evenly.
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Senior User
Joined: Oct 2010
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From: Lawton, OK
That's why you get the right bulb. That site I linked to has a bulb for every automotive application. It has bulbs with zero-degree angles to 180-degree angles, LED "tower" bulbs that have 360 degree angles and go in certain locations like park lamps. Bulbs with a single LED, bulbs with 12 LEDs on a single bulb, it's nuts with the many different kinds they have. I didn't know there were so many kinds available. The pic you used as an example has the wrong bulb for that application.
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