Howdy folks! Got another problemo with my Bronco. It had been a while since I messed with my bronco in the dark, but when I drove it this evening, I noticed none of my dash lights work. No heater control lights, gauge lights, gear selector, or wiper lights. All used to work. I replaced the gauge cluster and light switch to get them working in the first place. Any ideas?

 

Ck fuse? Did you rotate the headlight switch back forth='s bright/dim? Might be time to replace the headlight switch again.

 

Fuse looks fine at a glance but I’ll try to actually pull it and inspect it closer. I rotated and jiggled the switch **** to no avail.

 

Update! Fuse was blown due to a short. I have isolated it to the turn signal switch. Any idea how or why the turn signal switch would cause a short? Maybe the gear indicator bulb?

 

Bad contacts, worn or loose wiring? Cracked broken plastic rocker switch letting things move around to much?

 

Improper radio installation.

The common mistake is to use the blue-with-red-stripe wire as a ground, since it shares a connector with the yellow switched-12V+ wire, and that will blow that fuse the first time you turn on the lights and hit the brake.
That blue-with-red-stripe wire is for the dial light in the original factory radio, so if it gets grounded, it will pop that fuse.
I'm not sure how the turn signal switch could play into it, but I guess the tail light bulbs could be routing the ground back to the gauge-light side.

 

I should also mention that the turn signal switch is brand new. And I don’t have a radio installed currently.

 

But I'm still thinking that the problem is due to an errant grounding of your Instrument Panel lamp circuit, or of the tail light circuit. Dunno for sure that these trucks are like that, but every other Ford I've had shared the fuse between the tails and the instrument panel lamps.

Maybe the new cluster's IP PCB doesn't match the truck's wiring harness?

 

It’s strange. When I pull the TS switch plug, the lights work fine with a good fuse obviously. When the TS switch is plugged in, the lights struggle to illuminate and blow the fuse.

 

Mountain Dewd, that sounds to me like you have a problem with a ground inside the turn signal switch. It’s not a real good ground because that would blow the fuse instantly. Maybe one of the wires has a bare spot that gets into a piece of metal.

 

BINGO! Turns out the wire for the gear indicator light was pinched. Rerouted it and everything works perfect. Thanks guys!