trmaggie98
Registered Member
I have had my 85 jimmy for almost a year. The other night a new problem popped up. When I get in, and it's cold, the dash lights do not work. After about 15 minutes they come on and work fine. Any suggestions?
CK5
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Dash lights
- Thread starter trmaggie98
- Start date
The dash lights in our trucks are famous for being crappy.
They're little tiny bulbs -- 168 and 194 will fit -- in plastic sockets with brass contacts which twist into the plastic instrument cluster with a flexible "circuit board" with veeery thin contacts.
Point being there's lots of places to go wrong.
It could actually be the dimmer part of the headlight switch -- I'd jiggle it and see if that changes anything. If so, start with the switch and not the dash itself as the switch is easier to get at.
Assuming the switch doesn't change the behavior, the solution is to tear down the dash and pull the instrument cluster, which is a bit of an undertaking, especially if you've not done it before. (In this latter case you will really want a service manual, Chilton's or Hayne's or something, though of course we'll do our best to help too
)
Anyway, once you have the cluster out, you replace the bulbs (they're cheap enough) , maybe even with LED replacement types. I bend the metal leads on the bulbs out a bit to make a good connection with the socket.
Then hit the socket connections with fine emery paper, and maybe bend their leads out a bit. I would NOT try to sand the "circuit board" as it will disappear into nothingness if you go too hard. If it looks corroded, maybe try something really fine, like 1000# body paper.
At this point, some guys will tell you to remove all the gauges and spray-paint the inside of the plastic cluster silver -- IIRC you can also do the inside of the big metal piece with the holes. This makes it more reflective and supposedly brightens things up in there. I've not done this myself.
Then you reassemble, cutting your fingers and moaning and kvetching and swearing at the speedo cable. (Actually, I find it much harder to get OUT than back in, but either way my arm doesn't have enough elbows.)
-- A
They're little tiny bulbs -- 168 and 194 will fit -- in plastic sockets with brass contacts which twist into the plastic instrument cluster with a flexible "circuit board" with veeery thin contacts.
Point being there's lots of places to go wrong.
It could actually be the dimmer part of the headlight switch -- I'd jiggle it and see if that changes anything. If so, start with the switch and not the dash itself as the switch is easier to get at.
Assuming the switch doesn't change the behavior, the solution is to tear down the dash and pull the instrument cluster, which is a bit of an undertaking, especially if you've not done it before. (In this latter case you will really want a service manual, Chilton's or Hayne's or something, though of course we'll do our best to help too
)Anyway, once you have the cluster out, you replace the bulbs (they're cheap enough) , maybe even with LED replacement types. I bend the metal leads on the bulbs out a bit to make a good connection with the socket.
Then hit the socket connections with fine emery paper, and maybe bend their leads out a bit. I would NOT try to sand the "circuit board" as it will disappear into nothingness if you go too hard. If it looks corroded, maybe try something really fine, like 1000# body paper.
At this point, some guys will tell you to remove all the gauges and spray-paint the inside of the plastic cluster silver -- IIRC you can also do the inside of the big metal piece with the holes. This makes it more reflective and supposedly brightens things up in there. I've not done this myself.
Then you reassemble, cutting your fingers and moaning and kvetching and swearing at the speedo cable. (Actually, I find it much harder to get OUT than back in, but either way my arm doesn't have enough elbows.)
-- A
