Recover first wee will be here when you are ready but ........
You posted in the 80 to 86 truck area not the 87 to 96 and I dont know if it has a different setup than our years?

But did you say you have no lights at all, no head lights, tail light, dash lights?
Head lights do not have a fuse in the box like the tail and dash lights so I would check fuses first.
Head lights have a breaker in the light switch on ours that can trip if over loaded but resets when it cools off.
If the head light switch did not get power the truck also dose not get power, ON OURS, so guessing the switch has power to it.

The other issue OURS has is power goes from the switch to the floor mounted dimmer switch.
All this dose is switch power to the low or high beams of the bulbs. It has 3 wires - power from the light switch in and low out or high out.
This switch can go bad and not switch and the plug gets all crapped up and not make connection.
I dont know where or how yours switches high / low?

Also dont over look 2 burnt out head light bulbs and maybe all the others too?
A test light works to check the plugs / sockets.
Again this is on our trucks and I dont know how your 88 is setup for switches / relays (if any) etc.
Good luck
Dave ----

 

1981 ford f150 dash lights workeds on the right side but not the left side. The signal lights stopped working. Replaced switch now they are working. So what time i had it part tried clean the instrument cluster up and changing out some bulbs but that didnt help any. What do I need to check to see why the lights on the left side isn't working?
and the only light on the top roll that works is the 4x4 light.

 

When I was rebuilding my truck and came time for the gauge cluster I removed it from the truck to work on it.
I pulled it completely apart for a good cleaning. I also added a factory tach at that time.

When you undo the gauge nuts b careful the studs DO NOT TURN or you will break them and they will not work.
With the printed part laid flat I took some 1200 grit sandpaper and lightly sanded on the contacts. Be really careful where the plug goes as they like to pull apart there.
I also sanded the nuts were they contacted the printed part.
I also did my best to clean the bulb holders at the contact points and also bent them out just a little to make better contact.

I replaced all the bulbs with LED's. Use the color bulb for where it works or the color may get washed out.
I used green for the main gauge lights, white for the turn / high beam (was too bright so had to use clear tape to tone it down) and think white across the top.

Now part of the problem besides burnt out and / or dirty bulbs it the green color caps over them.
With age they turn cloudy and will not let light though and why you cant see the gauges.
Most throw them out but now you have white light for the gauges if you use normal bulbs.
LED's will not fit with the colored caps.
Most LED's do not dim and can only get installed 1 way to work so if they dont you have to pull them and flip them 180* for them to work.

For the needles do not use model paint. It may look good but it may be too heavy and the needle may not track right and you may not see it at night. I know this firsthand
There is a special paint for the needles if you do a Google search you should be able to find it.

Dont forget to clean the contacts on the plug as that can cause problems too.
Put it all back together and enjoy.
That should about cover it.
Dave ----

ps if you find the printed part is broken depending on your year and cluster, lights / gauges / tach, you could get new ones from LMC

 

A common failure with the cluster is the copper strips that rub on the large wiring connector come loose. Check yours. If some of them are loose, super glue works great to glue them back onto the clear plastic. The wire you are concerned with is a lightblue with a red stripe. You should see this wire going to the large plug on the cluster, and this same wire also runs all over the dash to light up all the night time illumination. You can check it for voltage when the headlights are turned on.

 

it doesn't have relays yet but i ordered some. truck is 40 miles away.