My grandpas Excursion has 280,000 miles and I guess this is the first thing to quit, so its about time. Anyway, the lights that light up the Speedo and other gauges on one side don't work. Is this just a bulb? I doubt it, what does it take to fix these lights. I don't even know what kind of lights they are, whether it is a bulb or what. Do you have to take the dash out?

 

You actually have to remove the dash and the guage cluster in order to change to bulbs. (before you start, go to autozone and get "194 bulbs" they come in packs of two you'll need about 10)

Heres how:

I. Start by totally removing the radio. You can get the radio removal tools from any auto parts store. (Instructions on how to get the radio out are on the package.)

II. If you look at the gaping hole left by the radio, you should see two bolts sitting at the top of the hole. Those two bolts are really the only thing holding the dash in place. Get them out.

III. Once you have those two bolts out, tilt the steering wheel down as far as it can go. (You'll probably have to move the gearshift into "1" in order to have enough clearance to get the dash off.) From there, all you have to do is pull the dash forward and should pop right off. Be careful as to how you're doing it because you could break it.

IV. Next are the bolts holding the gauge cluster in place. Get those off, gently lift it off, disconnect the cables (don't worry they're foolproof), and you're ready to change the bulbs.

V. The bulbs that go to the speedo, fuel guage, etc. are the white "*****". All you have to do is gently (maybe firmly) twist and it should come out. Carefully pull the bulbs out of the white casing simply plug the new one in, put everything back together, and you're done!

Make sure and replace all the bulbs regardless of their condition so you don't have to do this again. If you have any difficulty don't be afraid to PM me or post. Take care.

 

Toreador...I'm impressed!

 

anyway that its possible to change the color from green to um, um, blue, or something like that?

 

Has anyone tried using LED 194 bulbs for the instrument gauges. I am not sure whether they are 'dimmable' or not?

I have several that need to be replaced as well, and I intend to replace all of them.

Good advice.

 

Yes it's been done! A fellow named Ford_Forgotton has replaced all the lights in his truck with LEDs.

his site is http://www.forgotton.net, IIRC.... may try getting in touch with him, or he may even have a page on his site about that.