Dash light problem.
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Senior User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 479
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From: Sonoma, CA
Dash light problem.
The other night all of my dash lights (heater control area, wiper & headlight illumination and gauges) all of them went out. I don't know if the tail lights were out but the headlights stayed on. I've searched alot of older posts for answers and it seems like the headlight switch may be suspect here as it's a common failure item? Anybody else had this experience and if so was it the headlight switch? I turned the headlight switch off in a safe location and back on and they worked again.
New User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23
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Hi Mike. I had the very same problem, same symptoms anyway. It turned out to be the rotary dimmer part of the headlight switch. It's made of ceramic, I think, and mine had cracked. The problem was obvious once I had it out and a new switch was the fix.
Hope this helps.
Roy Harper
Hope this helps.
Roy Harper
Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 30,255
Likes: 37
A cheapo flashlight is much easier on the wallet than a motel stay.
The rotary dimmer element is a common failure point. So is the circuit breaker built into the switch. Corrosion is the main culprit on most of these failures. These trucks are just OLD and the electrical systems need lots of TLC. See the FAQ at the top of the forum for more info on how to improve the electrical system.
The rotary dimmer element is a common failure point. So is the circuit breaker built into the switch. Corrosion is the main culprit on most of these failures. These trucks are just OLD and the electrical systems need lots of TLC. See the FAQ at the top of the forum for more info on how to improve the electrical system.
Mountain Pass
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 173
Likes: 2
I would check the rheostat on the light switch first, but on my 74 F350, the dash lights also quit working. What it turned out to be, was the white plastic housing that the speedo and gauges attatches to basically just crumbled where the wiring harness plugs into the printed circuit , and was not making a good connection. In my case, a good plastic housing is the cure. I guess over 30 years of use caused the plastic to break down.
