Fixed a Bunch of Misc Stuff Behind the Dash Today

[8thTon]

One of my instrument cluster bulbs was intermittent.

The headlight switch was clearly a cheap after-market unit, and it felt that way, plus the LED that illuminates the light symbols on the dash was the wrong color.

The turn signal flasher would randomly click due to a fault in the turn signal/hazard switch - it worked otherwise but was quite annoying.

Also the automatic trans gear indicator was not well aligned with the gear you were in.

All that got fixed, and the instrument cluster got cleaned up. I used a headlight and turn signal switch out of the junkyard, and it was good to have gotten to take apart the ones in the junkyard first so I knew what to do. It bugs me when small stuff does not work properly!

 

[txgocartB3000#2]

Good job.

Ray

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

It always feels good to make progress

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

 

[Ranger850]

Sometimes, when things that didn't work, now do work, it's like a brand new truck. Congrats on you accomplishment.

 

[8thTon]

Thanks guys, but as luck would have it I wasn't done. Those whiteface gauges make it damned near impossible to tell if the backlights are on if it's bright, which it was yesterday. I went back out after dark to find that a different cluster bulb was now intermittent, and another was just out.

So I went to work early and got home in time to take it apart again - I'm getting pretty quick at it now! Fortunately the last time I was at the junkyard a bunch of cluster bulbs fell into my tool bucket, so I was able to get it working properly.

I also noticed that the screws on the forward gearshift tube bushing clamp were loose, and I was just able to get a torx wench in there to tighten it. Not really sure how that happened.

Then before I quit I looked under the front because I wanted to confirm seeing some blue poly sway bar bushings, which I don't think are stock. Sure enough that what they are, but one was obviously not tight. There was quite a bit of slop, which is now gone. I guess that was the slight click I've been feeling occasionally.

It can take quite a while to learn a new vehicle, especially if your new vehicle has had 15 years of
unknown things done to it!