Well these bulbs are nast suckers to replace, i had 2 of em blow, decided to just let it be as it has been really cold and i didnt want to risk the plastic cracking.

Today, it was pretty decent out so i decided to try it out.. after mush agrivation and cruddy instruction from somewhere, i finally was able to get to the two bulbs i needed to get to...

its harder than u may think.. and when u need to move the shift lever and you have no emergency brake.. better becareful and watch cause the truck rolls! yeh, fun day...

its fixed thought! and has new oil and engine restore in it!!

Nice work. What's 'engine restore'?

its a gel like oil that you put in with your oil.. restored compression etc...

http://www.restoreusa.com/

youd be surprised at how well it works!! I swear it really does

Anyone else heard of that stuff? Looks like snake oil to me...

snake oil?

A sham, doesn't work. Placebo effect.

A product that has been proven to not live up to the vendor's marketing hype. The term comes from the 1800s in which elixirs and potions of all kinds, even ones that supposedly included the oils from snakes, were sold as a cure for everything that ailed a person.

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What makes you so sure that it's doing anything?

its a lot more responsive. quick accel etc. better compression im guessing
combination of new oil and this works wonders... its a very thick lube, almost like lube you see them apply to the crank shaft on new assembelys.. well not that thick.. but you get the point.

It gave me that "oompf" that i wanted that i didnt get brfore i out it in

Restore will help old engines it fills scratches ETC . I used it on demo cars. I just wounder what else it plugs? Some swear by it.

Yea the clusters can be a pain . I have swapped so many that I can do it in under 20 minutes . And thats with speedo swap.

Letshope it continues to warm up>

Yeah that's a good point Larry... Same idea as the radiator quick fixes... Yeah you pour the metal flakes into the coolant and it'll plug up your pinhole, but what else is it going to plug up? After a bit of research it seems that many people swear by that product (Restore). Anyone else here use that stuff and notice a difference in the engine operation?

When i replaced cluster bulbs i was terrified of breaking the plastic...but the dang thing is held on with clips and once the 2(or 4?) bolts are out you just have to pull on it.
Damn ford and their clip fetish!

I have heard of auctions using that stuff when they sell cars.

One time I got an 80s T-Bird from an auction and as soon as I changed the oil the car ran like crap.

When an engine is on its last legs and in serious need of a rebuild...it works well (for a while). I have never used it, but some people swear by the stuff.

I have not had my explorer dash apart, but the ranger was easy (15 minutes maybe). I have had the entire dash completely out of it before. I mean the vinyl part and all.

Brian_B said:

When an engine is on its last legs and in serious need of a rebuild...it works well (for a while). I have never used it, but some people swear by the stuff.

I have not had my explorer dash apart, but the ranger was easy (15 minutes maybe). I have had the entire dash completely out of it before. I mean the vinyl part and all.

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the dash pieces were easy to get out, twp torx screws but the cluster its self is a pain, guta take the lens off and everything its just not fun. Gutta take the parking indicator out too..

i had a buddy i went to highschool with, used some of that stuff on a 89 corrolla. I mean this thing had a hard time pulling it own wieght. He put some in for about 2 oil changes and on the final 3rd one. He decided to go out and beat on it, I guess it opened up some power. because he slid across 4 lanes of highway, a center median and then hit a pot hole and ripped off his from wheel, spindle and all. Said he was doing over 100 when he ate it.

NeXtras said:

the dash pieces were easy to get out, twp torx screws but the cluster its self is a pain, guta take the lens off and everything its just not fun. Gutta take the parking indicator out too..

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Yeah...the parking indicator on the ranger was not too bad. Once you have done it a few times anyway.

I eventually removed the indicator and shift arm from the comumn when I swapped in a C5 and a floor shift. LOL

Brian, I think your Explorer has the same dash as my Ranger... It's more work than it ought to be to get into it, but the only thing that was hard (as opposed to time consuming) on mine was getting the cluster out, and if you've got a tilt wheel, it's probably easier.

Here's where I had to take it down to to replace the cluster lights and heater knob lights: linky

I hear you on plastic crap in the cold, NeXtras- I had to replace my blinker switch in December (needed it because I was driving into Boston the next weekend, and I like being the only guy in the city who uses blinkers...)... Sure was scared I was gonna bust some of that plastic (it's harder to get off a Ranger than an F-150, which I've had apart, also).

john112deere said:

Brian, I think your Explorer has the same dash as my Ranger... It's more work than it ought to be to get into it, but the only thing that was hard (as opposed to time consuming) on mine was getting the cluster out, and if you've got a tilt wheel, it's probably easier.....

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No clue if your ranger and my explorer have the same dash. I lost track of the rangers after the 2nd gen ones (89-92). I have tilt in my explorer, but hope I don't have to pull it for a long time.

On the ranger, I unbolted the two bolts that held the steering column up. It dropped to the seat and was out of the way (after unhooking the gear indicator). No tilt in it.

EDIT: Found a pic of the explorer dash:

Brian_B said:

No clue if your ranger and my explorer have the same dash. I lost track of the rangers after the 2nd gen ones (89-92)

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My truck is the same as my grandmother's '99 Explorer, which looks just like yours on the outside, so I assume the dashboard is the same, too.

Here's my truck all together- best pic I have of it, anyway.

You should be fine for a while yet, I made it to about 220k, and the PO and I both run around with the headlights (and consequently the dash lights) on all the time.

EDIT: Yes, they're the same, you've just got a few more wires to deal with on the center bezel/radio surround.

I run the lights almost all the time too.

I wish I had access to a Canadian junk yard. They have a DRL module (mucho Dinero from a dealer!!!) and all the American explorers have the plug in for them already.