Speed-O needle bulb burnt out

[TheKrazyRaven]

how the **** do you get at the bulb

i've had the dash apart recently when i put my new guages in, i tried to figure it out then but i couldent

anyway how do i get at the needle bulbs?

 

[shoinoff95]

I don't know how to get to the bulb, but for whats it worth I have the bulb for my gas guage burnt out and it needs to be replaced. I would think that you will have to take the guage cluster out to fix the burnt bulb.

Anyone know what size or type of bulb these are right off hand?? shrug

 

[ckinart]

shoinoff95:
I would think that you will have to take the guage cluster out to fix the burnt bulb.

Anyone know what size or type of bulb these are right off hand?? shrug

Yes, you need to remove the entire gauge cluster from the dash (or jam your hands behind it as best you can). The bulbs are set in small plastic housings that come out with a 1/4 turn. Replacement bulbs are type 37.

For what it's worth, I had a bulb out behind the temperature gauge (far right side of the cluster) in my '94, and when I put in a new bulb, I found it to be noticeably brighter than the others. You may want to replace all of the cluster illumination bulbs if you're a real stickler for details so that they're all the same brightness.

 

[kd7kmp]

The whole instrument cluster needs to be removed. The bulbs are in little black holders that take about 1/4 turn to remove. Replace ALL the bulbs while you are in there. If one is burned out the others are not fer behind. I believe there are 20 bulbs in all on the instrument cluster. You can purchase packs of 10 form Napa for much cheaper than the typical two pack.

Kevin

 

[TheKrazyRaven]

how do you get the whole cluster out though, i tried when i put in my new guages and i couldent get it past the stearin colum cover

 

[ckinart]

TheKrazyRaven:
how do you get the whole cluster out though, i tried when i put in my new guages and i couldent get it past the stearin colum cover

You have to take the cover off of the steering wheel to get enough clearance to get the cluster out. Even then it's a bit of a chore, but it will come out. Don't forget to unhook the speedometer cable in the engine bay so that you can pull the cluster through.

 

[DHMag]

ckinart:

TheKrazyRaven:
how do you get the whole cluster out though, i tried when i put in my new guages and i couldent get it past the stearin colum cover

You have to take the cover off of the steering wheel to get enough clearance to get the cluster out. Even then it's a bit of a chore, but it will come out. Don't forget to unhook the speedometer cable in the engine bay so that you can pull the cluster through.

the steering column cover does not need to be removed. after you remove the 4 screws for the cluster, open the hood and push as much of the speedo cable into the firewall as possible. this should give you the clearance needed to get your hand behind the cluster and disconnect the 2 wiring harnesses and the speedo cable. then remove the single bulb socket on the bottom of the cluster. once those are disconnected, rotate the cluster forward a bit, you might need to stress the dash a little, but itll pop right out. oh, and position the steering wheel at its lowest tilt.

 

[ckinart]

DHMag:
the steering column cover does not need to be removed.

FYI, step three of the instrument cluster removal instructions in the Ford manual calls for removal of the steering column shrouds. I've found that with these shrouds removed, it is easier to get the cluster out of the already tight dash opening. It may be possible to remove the cluster with the column shrouds installed, but removing them (which simply requires removing four bolts) makes the job easier. thumb

<small>[ November 01, 2003, 02:02 PM: Message edited by: ckinart ]</small>