Ok i posted a while back about my little dash light that lights up the area from 80-100 mph burning out so that area is dark when the dash lights are on. I didnt want to pay 100 dollars to have it fixed. Well tonight i hopped in my truck and turned the lights on and now the light that lights up 0-20 mph and the odometer is burned out, so the lower portion of my dash is now dark at night.
How do i fix this myself? I dont want to go ripping into plastic when i dont know what Im doing. I need a little help. Thanks guys!

 

Get thee down to Autozone, my son and buy a Haynes or Chilton manual for your truck.
Tells you everything you need to know about stripping a car apart to do little jobs.

 

I have done this for the 98 model, here it goes:

Remove the cover on top of the steering wheel (Between wheel and cluster), tilt wheel down, the cover is snapped in so a pull on gently it will remove it.

Remove Headlight switch (the tricky part). Disconnect battery first, put headlights on and pull ****. from the little slit at the bottom of the ****, insert a small scewdriver to the ceter shaft to release the ****. Rotate the **** 180 degrees and reinstall, turn lights off the on again. This is where it gets hard, the switch should remove now, but i had to use a screwdriver to GENTLY pry it out while i held the **** in the on position. Remove switch from wires.

The swich has to be removed because it hides a screw that needs to be removed next, remove all the screws holding the plastic piece that is above the cluster and under the top of the dash. Remove the piece

Remove the four screws that hold the cluster in, remove the three wire sets from behind the cluser and remove the cluster from the dash (you need to wiggle it out with the sterring wheel down, but it will come).

With the cluster out, locate the general illumination bulbs that are burnt out. They twist out, but you can't do that by hand, you need a set of pliers. If you look closly at the flexable circut board, you can see the scratches where the bulbs made contact during installation at the factory (clockwise), just twist counterclockwise. You may buckle the flex circut board a bit, but that is ok as long as you don't crimp it. Install new bulbs. Its a good idea to install all the illumination bulbs

reassemble is reverse order Job took about 1.5 hours as I was still learning, a pro can do this in 0.5 hours

Good luck

 

thank you very much for the advice. Im going to buy a manuel along with following those directions and hopefully ill have it fixed. Any other suggestoins, etc, are appreciated.

 

I forgot to metion that the gear indicator (for automatics) can be removed from the cluster through the bottom. Just spread the two tabs and slide it out.

 

Ok thanks if i get time this wkend i might tear into it. Project at hand is my 53 chevy which needs brake lines--that will be a fun job

 

Good luck Green...