My girlfriend has a 99 explorer Eddie bower the dash lights and tail lights sometimes go out last time I checked the fuses they were fine will check again she does home health care so we drive a lot the last owner had a system in it he took it out when she bought it he just un hooked the box the wire we ran hidden but the dash around the gauge cluster does not fit right so it has been off I'm desperate to keep her safe does anyone have any clues we can't afford to get it looked at right now as I just wrecked my old school regal causing ,e to loose my job any help would be a god send

 

Are you or your girlfriend comfortable with checking wiring and reading a wiring diagram? If so, I can provide you with the factory wiring diagram for the lighting system which will help you pick a point (such as the headlight switch) and confirm if you are getting good power to the switch and through the switch when the lights fail to work. From there you could determine which section of the schematic to focus on next (circuit from battery to headlight switch or circuit from switch to bulbs).

I should ask as well, do the headlights, front parking lights, and brake lights also stop working at the same time, or it's really just the dash lights and tail lights? If the headlights and front parking lights continue to work, that could possibly significantly reduce the number of areas you'd need to look.

You also could removing the panel that doesn't fit quite right as well as the radio to see if there are any wires there that might be making a bad connection or possibly even have exposed copper wire that might be shorting out momentarily.

-Rod