91 Eddie Bauer Explorer dashboard & running lights are out.

[thecrewdan]

Hi everyone,
Hope your staying cool/ or warm what ever the case may be.
91 E.B. Explorer driving home yesterday had light on for safety when it got dark notice I had no dash lights also no running lights in rear. All other lights working fine.
Chilton manual shows interior fuse # 11 parking lights and fuse #4 for dash. Replaced both still nothing.
Any ideas what I do now?
Thank you for your time
Dan/ pdx

 

[fixxxer]

Do your idiot lights still come on? what about brake and reverse lights? It's possible that it's a bad ground but I need that info first.

 

[thecrewdan]

explorer dash & running lights

hey Fixxxer,
thanks for your response,
Yes all lights are working
only the lights that illuminate the dash at night and
the running lights in the rear.
when I say running lights I mean the lights that come on when you turn on your head lights.

Brake lights/ head lights/ turn signals/ flashers are working fine.
Also when you turn key to the on position, not start
all warning lights and gauges respond normal.

i remember in the older fords when your dash lights went out you knew you had no running light.
could I be replacing the wrong fuse? and are the dash and running lights on the same fuse?
Thanks again Dan

 

[fixxxer]

I have different fuse numbers in my manual;
fuse 13, 5amp dash lamps Gnd#104 lb/r to fuse (hot with headlamp sw)
fuse 10, 15 amp park lamp/lic. lamp Gnd#204 br wire to headlamp switch t/w to fuse
The only thing these two circuits have in common is the headlight switch. The only way to tell if it's the headlight sw. is to jumper the wires in the switch. for the parking lights and dash lights with a 12v pos. source.
(ok, little strange typo. the diagram says 5amp for dash, a drawing has it at 10 amp.)

 

[thecrewdan]

dash and tail lights

hi again,

Here is new info.

This is to establish points of reference.

Interior fuse panel:
Release the handle
the unit drops down hinged from the top.
In the bottom right hand corner is a large circular object maybe a buzzer or a blinker.

go parallel form the round unit to the middle of the fuse panel.
now straight up to the top of the panel
there is a fuse laying on its side unlike the others that run up and down. hope your still with me

That fuse has no power on either side.
all the other fuses are hot.
If I jump 12 volt to that fuse holder
I get both dash and tail lights.

Which leads me to believe that circuit is put together like the 91 ranger.
Where that same fuse holder controls dash and parking light.

The fuse panel under hood is all hot.
So I guess at this point
!. Is it possible there is another fuse inline ?
2. How to establish which wire supplies power to that fuse holder and where the power comes from.
Thanks Dan

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've renamed, and moved your thread to the stock 91-94 section.

 

[stopNthink]

I think ive found a possible solutions to your problem!

Try hitting the Yeild Button, on the top of the steering wheel and below the spedometer...

for some reason i was working to pull out my radio, and happened to have hit the yeild button taking off the dash...

Next thing i noticed,... The rear lights werent working, the flashers weren't working, nor were my in-dash lights.

For some reason i think theres a short in the yeild button, and it bypasses all the current right to the battery... not a very good thing seeing yeild lights are mandatory in my district! ( who uses that anyways! *couch Honda civics Couch*

Neways ! hope it helps.... take care mate!

 

[explorerguy94]

Mine has the same problem. Keeps blowing out the fuse. If pull the switch all the way out the headlights work but no tail lights or park lights. I have to push it in just enough to a certain spot before the headlights go out and the park lights and taillights work but I still have no dash lights. Right now I got a flash light on my steering column. I'm gonna try replacing the switch but it might be a wire shorting out. I put a 30 amp fuse in it last night and my dash lights flickered and made a popping sound so I pulled the fuse out and it wasn't blown yet but the wire inside was black.

 

[boggs1227]

just a idea and a thought ....has the front indiacator lights been checked ( and are any of them out ?) .reason i say this is that back last year i think someone had a simillar problem .they kept blowing a fuse under the dash and could not figure out why till a mechanic told them to check the bulbs in the lights .the turn signal and parking lights use a small bulb and when the filiment gets broken sometimes the loose part of the break will come in contact with the other part and cause a direct short ( or at least something to this effect ) .

idk maybe this will help .