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Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. I hope this how-to video helps you out, and next time you need parts for your vehicle, think of 1AAuto.com. Thanks!
In this video, we're going to be working with our 2001 Ford Ranger. We're going to show you how to remove and reinstall the instrument panel, so you can change out the dash bulbs in the back. These often go dim or burn out and make it difficult to read your gauges at night.
If you like this video, please click subscribe. We have a ton more information on this truck, as well as many other makes and models. If you need this part for your truck, follow the link in the description over to 1AAuto.com.
Here are the items you'll need for this repair: 7mm, 8mm sockets, ratchet, and socket extension.
Remove the three 7 millimeter bolts along the top side of your dash bezel with a socket and ratchet. Remove the two 7 millimeter screws on the center trim bezel below the radio. We use a small flat-blade screwdriver, with some tape on it to keep from marring our dash services, to pry out on this center trim panel. Reach back and disconnect all of the electrical connectors. The antenna pops right back and out. This last connector for the four-wheel drive selector is going to have to be pried up on with our flat-blade screwdriver. Remove this 7 millimeter bolt that was covered by our center dash panel.
Remove the four 7 millimeter bolts: one here, two below the hood release, and one all the way by our left foot, using a 7-millimeter socket and ratchet. Slide the knee pan forward toward you to release the hooks and remove it from the vehicle. Remove this 7 millimeter bolt through the access hole in this steel reinforcement behind the knee pan. Remove these three 8 millimeter bolts using a socket and ratchet. Pull back the knee panel. We'll remove this last 7 millimeter bolt.
Now we're going to put our column all the way down, if you have a tilt option. Put the key in, and shift the vehicle to first gear to get a little more room around the stick. Pull out on the dash, and lift up.
Using a flat blade screwdriver, remove this electrical connector for the interior dimmer switch. Push down on the tab. Release the other connector from the headlight switch. Shift the truck back into park and remove your key. Remove the two 7 millimeter screws on each side of the gauge cluster, for a total of four. I'm going to use this 7 millimeter socket, a long extension, and a ratchet. Once the bolts are out, carefully remove the gauge cluster from the dash. Disconnect the electrical connectors. Lift up on the tab on the bottom right in the middle of the gauge cluster. We'll lift up and pull out there. There's another tab in front of the cable on the left side we'll lift up and slide out as well. This removes the gear range selector and allows us to remove our instrument cluster enough to release the last connector. Take it out of our truck.
These bulb sockets simply pop out with a quarter counterclockwise turn. We'll remove all of the black bulb sockets because these are the ones that back-light our instrument cluster. All of the little ones are for various indicator lamps, such as your high beams, four-wheel drive, and check engine lights.
Here we have our old part and our new part from 1AAuto.com. As you can see, there are some minor aesthetic differences in the bulb themselves, but they are the same brightness. What happens with these, the majority of the time, is these bulbs, with old age, burn out, become dim, and make it difficult to see your instrument cluster at night.
If enough of these burn out, it can almost seem as if no lights are on inside of the actual instrument cluster. They’re very easy to replace. It's a great way to bring back that safety of knowing what's going on with your vehicle when driving at night. If your old bulbs have burned out, these new parts from 1A Auto are sold in a complete set to replace all the bulbs in your instrument cluster, and are going to go in direct fit, just like your original equipment, and fix you up right.
We'll install our new bulbs by lining them up and locking them in with a quarter turn clockwise. Now our instrument cluster is ready to go back into our vehicle.
Reinstall the electrical connections on the back of the instrument panel. You may have to install the range selector at the same time. All of these parts just click back into place. Then we'll lay it back in. All of the black 7 millimeter interior screws we've removed throughout this process are the same. We'll reinstall them into the instrument panel. We'll shift our truck down into first gear again so we can lay our dash panel back in. When you get pretty close to getting it lined up, take a second to reconnect the electrical connectors for both the headlight switch and the interior dimmer switch. Lay the upper dash panel back into place, and you'll see the metal clips in their holes. Line them up. Snap them back in.
Shift the truck back into park. Remove your key. Reinstall the gold 7 millimeter screw at the top right corner of that upper dash panel. Reinstall the three black 7 millimeter screws into the top of the dash panel just before the instrument cluster. Reconnect the four-wheel drive selector connector. Reconnect the cigarette lighter. There's two wires there. Reconnect the radio harness, the antenna, the fog light switch, and the AC power outlet connector. Push the center panel back into place. Then reinstall the two 7 millimeter screws at the bottom of the panel. Reinstall two 7 millimeter screws at the bottom of the upper dash panel. Reinstall the three screws for the steel knee pan. Tighten them up with an 8 millimeter socket and ratchet.
Snap in the top of the plastic knee pan. Reinstall the four 7 millimeter screws along the bottom. Remember to reinstall the hood release and the two screws that go in there.
Thanks for tuning in. We hope this video helped you out. Next time you need parts for your car, please visit 1AAuto.com. Also check out our other helpful how-to and diagnosis videos.
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