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Quick dash bulb question

nad

nad

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Okay, I'm putting my dash and gauges back together, and I got the new bulbs put in, but the only thing I can't remember is which holes on the gauge pod those 2 little bulbs on harnesses coming out of the dash.

I'm wanting to guess it's either check engine light and 4wd, or seat belt and check engine light. I'm not exactly sure. Does anyone have a clue?
 
Only thing I can think of is to turn the truck on, put it in 4wd, figure out which light that is.

Outside of diesels, can't think of anything but 4WD that used a seperate harness for the light. :(
 
4WD, and the other is probably the tether you are talking about.
Does the other end of it attach tot he ash tray? If so it is no a harness.....I actually have no idea what it is for though. That bulb goes in the top pass side hole of the cluster.
 
That would be the fiber optic cable to illuminate the ash tray. They could use fiber optics, but couldn't make bulb sockets that would stay tight. :(
 
I cut that thing off the firs time I saw it.
Never knew it was fiber....oops.:haha::haha:

Thanks for the info though. I learned something new tonight.
 
Yeah, one's a gray wire and one is black. So one is for sure the 4wd? and the other one is for the ash tray, but plugs into the dash? I don't get it. Which hole does it go in? Top passenger side?
 
It's a fiber cable that runs from the ash tray to a light bulb on the dash? That doesn't really make sense.
 
Opposite. The light on the cluster feeds the ashtray end of the fiber cable.

I believe it was on the top of the passenger side of the cluster.

There is no wiring harness for it, which makes me think there is something else you've got that has actual wires. It could be the check engine light as you said, unsure if they were seperate from the cluster connector at that point. Turn the key to run, light should come on if that's it. As long as the cluster connector isn't touching metal, it won't hurt anything to turn the truck on with the gauges out.

Or you can plug the cluster in and leave it resting on the column, but you've got to be real careful with the PCB and where the connector mates up, those bare copper ends are usually already loose, and don't get any better with each connect/disconnect of the IP connector.
 
Well right now I only have the bar connected, and for some reason the check engine light doesn't come on when I turn the key on. And the left blinker stays lit for some reason. I've had this problem for some time now. But before, the check engine light worked. It's too damn cold out to mess with it right now, but I'll try to figure it out.


I dunno if you're talking about the same thing I am. The two cables I'm talking about that I can't figure out which place they go in, both have bulbs on them.
 
Only when the headlights are on. It's been doing it for like the past year, and I never went into looking for the problem.
 
Look at the ground connection in the socket for that turn signal in the grill. Not the side markers, the one in front.
Sometimes the ground tab is half broken and even though it appears to be OK, it never contacts the base of the bulb. That can force the other half of the bulb and the indicator side of the circuit to act as the return path. It can be a real PITA to troubleshoot that problem, but I have worked through it a few times before.

I don't remember all the details though, since the last time was about 3 years ago.
 
Agree on the light diagnosis. Not a bad idea to go all the way through the system on that side anyways. Check for bad bulbs as well, that is supposed to also trigger that kind of activity.

The two harnesses you are talking about are certainly for something other than the ashtray. :) I've not dealt with the mid 80's stuff for 4WD, mine is in the IP connector (why they all weren't, I have no idea) but I know for instance on the '80's, it was a seperate harness. Make sure your bulbs are good too.
 
Well what I'm actually doing is swapping all the bulbs out with LED bulbs. It isn't nearly as bright as I thought it would be, but it's a clean looking white light.

It's wayyyy too cold to mess with it today, and I woke up sick as hell, so I'm taking the day off today...
 
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