1994 F150 Dash Light

[1994F150]

In my f150 when I turn the headlights on the light on the radio and heater come on but the lights on the dash stay off. What might be my problem?

 

[5.0Flareside]

well not for sure but the headlight switch is where you can spin it. yours might be spun around to wear the dash light is off. or your dash bulbs could be blown.

 

[Skandocious]

Theres a lot of lights in the dash, seems pretty improbably that they'd all burn out at once. If you radio and heater controls are lit up but not the dash then I think Chris might be right-- twist the knob. Sounds like it's dimmed down all the way.

 

[john112deere]

Doesn't the twist knob dim the radio and heater knobs, though? It does in my Ranger.

*All the bulbs in the dash burning out at once does seem unlikely...were they all lit (whole panel evenly illuminated) before it stopped working?

 

[Skandocious]

I don't believe it dims everything but I could be wrong... I seldom ever dim it.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

On my 72 it will I dont see why they wouldnt do it on a newer one.

 

[1994F150]

The radio does dim when I turn the knob if that makes a difference.

Also the lights haven't worked since I bought the truck so I don't know if they burned out one at a time but I doubt they did

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Any fuses out?

 

[1994F150]

Nope thats the first thing I checked

 

[5.0Flareside]

whats the first thing you checked? the fuses?

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

I dont know if these generations have em or not but theres a voltage regulator on the back of the cluster that will screw with the dash lights if its bad.

 

[1994F150]

Yeah fuses

 

[5.0Flareside]

check the dimmer. i almost bet thats what it is.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

If his radio light dims then its workin fine.

 

[blacksnapon]

The dash lights are on the same circuit as the radio and heater lights. Because the last two are working, that will narrow it to the circuit (wire from the splice that splits the circuit), the connectors in the back of the cluster, or the cluster itself.

 

[1994F150]

Alright I will follow the wires back and try to find the problem, the only thing slowing me down now is how to remove the headlight knob to get the dash off, how is it done?

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

On my 85 theres a small button on either the top or the bottom of the switch itself and ya push it down then the knob and the rod will come out with it. Ya have to reach it from under the dash and feel for it.
Heres a pic of the light swicth for my jeep but it should be similar to this.

Heres a close up of the button.

Heres what it looks like after its pulled out.

 

[Old_Paint]

Pull the knob out, and you'll see a small spring clip in the end of it designed to tighten the grip on the shaft as you pull out on the knob. Push that in with a small screwdriver, and the knob will come right off. Wear some kevlar gloves, because you may wind up stabbing your hand with that screwdriver.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Could be that type too forgot that they did em that way.

 

[blacksnapon]

Alright I will follow the wires back and try to find the problem, the only thing slowing me down now is how to remove the headlight knob to get the dash off, how is it done?

Pull the cluster out, and using a voltmeter or test light, see if one terminal gets power when the lights are turned on. If so, cluster, if not, circuit.