Guys,

On my 96 explorer sport there is a light burned out in the instrument panel by the 100-120 mph part of the speedometer. Does this whole thing come apart by the 3 bolts above it going into the dash? Or remove the whole dash?

Also, the oil pressure and temp gauges are not reading right. I replaced both sending units with no luck. What would I look for when I take it out to fix these gauges and the burned out bulb?

Thanks

 

There's a bit more than taking out the 3 bolts in the top. There's a plastic panel under the steering column that needs to be removed - one screw on each corner at the bottom plus removing the hood latch. Not sure on your's but some models require removing the park brake release too - if its not holding the plastic panel on, don't remove the PB release. Spring clips on the top of the plastic panel so a gentle pull will get it off.

Behind that panel is a metal panel held on by 5 or 6 screws. Remove this metal panel.

I think there are 5 screws holding the instrument cluster bezel on. The three you mentioned on the top and 2 on the bottom. You will also have to pull out the radio panel a few inches to get this bezel out. The radio panel has 2 screws right under the radio that need to be removed. The corners are held on by spring clips so pry carefully at the corners to pop them loose. Don't pull on the sides or you may crack the trim panel. The radio panel should slide out about 3-4 inches which will let you get the instrument bezel off.

To remove the instrument bezel, pull out gently on all corners to release the spring clips. Once free, pull out the left side far enough so you can remove the wire harness for the light and dimmer switches. If you have tilt steering, tilt the steering wheel down as far as it will go. If you have auto transmission, put the gear shift into 1. The top middle is about the widest part of the bezel so if you pull out on the middle to where it clears the dash, the rest should come out easy.

The instrument cluster has 4 screws, one in each corner. Remove these. Pull out the insturment cluster a few inches then start tilting the top back in to the dash until it lays almost on its back. Remove the shift indicator. There is a plastic tab on each side. One moves up, the other down to release the indicator - slide it out.

Move the instrument cluster out from the dash until you can reach the wiring connectors on the back. There is probably 3 and each has a tab to press to release it. Don't worry about which one goes where, they only fit where they belong.

Once out, all the lights are marked and have twist out connectors. I believe the ones that light the panel are labeled "INST" and are the larger connectors. The smaller connectors are the warning/indication lights. I believe the bulbs are #194.

I would replace them all if you do this since its a lot to go through for a burned out bulb. Can't remember how many there are but about 6-10.