Changing Light Bulbs

[BushidoCowboy81]

I recently bought a pile of drop in LED light bulb replacements for pretty much everything BUT the main head/tail lamps and fog lights. Stuff like the map lights, dome light, trunk light, etc. What I need now is a little guidance about where to find instructions about how to access and replace these bulbs. Since most of the housings are plastic I don't want to risk forcing anything and damaging it. Any and all advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Ben

 

[bobflood]

I recently bought a pile of drop in LED light bulb replacements for pretty much everything BUT the main head/tail lamps and fog lights. Stuff like the map lights, dome light, trunk light, etc. What I need now is a little guidance about where to find instructions about how to access and replace these bulbs. Since most of the housings are plastic I don't want to risk forcing anything and damaging it. Any and all advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Ben

Owner's Manual. They have them on-line at one of the Ford sites if you don't have one. Good luck.

 

[BushidoCowboy81]

Thanks Mate!

 

[drdoom]

Most of those just pry out using a mini screwdriver. All plastic so be careful. Step lights and front maps are like that for instance. Also note the front map light bulbs mount in a holder, contacting a delicate flex PCB which is known to be problematic. The rear maps pry out the clear lens and there is a Phillips screw to bring the whole fixture down. The cargo light it pries out also to access a festoon. The glove compartment it's easiest to just remove the small holder to do a bulb swap. The engine compartment is straight plug in. The instrument cluster and vanities I am not familiar with, but otherwise that is a rough overview on a 97.

 

[drdoom]

Cowboy you can also find here many detailed instructions on LED conversions High mount stop light, gauges, domes, etc.

 

[chefduane]

.... The glove compartment it's easiest to just remove the small holder to do a bulb swap. The engine compartment is straight plug in.

Wait a second, Doc. Are you saying you have glove compartment and engine compartment lights in your '97? I have the exact same vehicle as yours in a '98 (SOHC 4.0l XLT 4x) and don't have either. I did retrofit a engine compartment light, but not a glove box light. I want one! <harrumph!>

EDIT:
Yep, '98s do not have a glove box light NOR a glove box lock. A retro fit is possible with a '97 glove light assembly. Gonna' check that out. Also, a '97 glove lock mechanism can be retrofitted but you have to find a lock mechanism with a matching key.

 

[drdoom]

Chef, you have me wondering if I have the locking glove compartment...just went to look, and there is no lock.

 

[koda2000]

Chef, you have me wondering if I have the locking glove compartment...just went to look, and there is no lock.

my '97 has the under-hood light, but no glove box lock. i had wondered why Ford never put a lock on the glove box. none of my trucks have one (not that having one it would stop a thieve for very long... lol).

the only semi-hard thing to get out is the instrument cluster. i Googled how to do it and found a great write-up on the subject. it's a bit of a PITA. i have a bunch of LED's which i will someday install in the instrument cluster, but the thing that holds me back is the polarity thing with LED's and the inability to test the cluster lights before re-installing it. i need to figure out the light related pins so i can bench-test the cluster before installing it. unless you have a pair of surgical rubber tipped needle-nose pliers, remove the glove box light to change that bulb because there's just no way to grab it.

BTW, the early '90's GM pickups had a cool engine compartment light that you can remove from its holder and extend on its wire, kinda like a mini drop-light. if you want to add an engine compartment light. i just bought a bunch of decent quality mini LED mini flash lights (at Autozone) and stuck them in the glove boxes on each of my trucks. they come in handy and the batteries last for ever.

 

[Flash]

i just bought a bunch of decent quality mini LED mini flash lights (at Autozone) and stuck them in the glove boxes on each of my trucks. they come in handy and the batteries last for ever.

For what it's worth I bought a couple of those glass breaking hammers with the seat belt cutter and a built in LED flashlight.

I saw an ad for them and knew that if I didn't have one then I'd need it, you know, like a spare tyre.

And after seeing how hard it is to open a window on a submerged car on Mythbusters I decided not to tempt fate.

One of them even has a flashing red LED.

 

[koda2000]

For what it's worth I bought a couple of those glass breaking hammers with the seat belt cutter and a built in LED flashlight.

I saw an ad for them and knew that if I didn't have one then I'd need it, you know, like a spare tyre.

And after seeing how hard it is to open a window on a submerged car on Mythbusters I decided not to tempt fate.

One of them even has a flashing red LED.

i'm not sure how you made a flash light out of a hammer, but i agree having a glass break in your car is a good idea. i think i'll make some out of some spring-loaded center punches and put them on the key rings. having one in the car is a great idea, but you have to know where it is and be able to get at it if needed, even in the dark.

 

[Flash]

i'm not sure how you made a flash light out of a hammer, but i agree having a glass break in your car is a good idea. i think i'll make some out of some spring-loaded center punches and put them on the key rings. having one in the car is a great idea, but you have to know where it is and be able to get at it if needed, even in the dark.

I didn't make it, I bought it that way. 2 actually.

This one is attached to the console right beside the driver's leg.

 

[koda2000]

oh okay, i misunderstood your original post.

 

[chefduane]

I keep a spring loaded center punch in my center console and I do have one of those hammer punches also. I hammer punch is made with an emergency-orange painted handle. Of course, as Koda said, you have to be cooled headed enough to find it in the dark as your car fills up with water!

I retro fitted a simple engine light with a fixture I got at a local 4-Wheel Parts store. Its a simple light with an on/off switch wired directly to the batt with an inline fuse.

Duralast has a simple glove box plunger switch with integrated bulb that I think I may use to cipher up a glove box light. Switch is about $10 at RA.

 

[koda2000]

I keep a spring loaded center punch in my center console and I do have one of those hammer punches also. I hammer punch is made with an emergency-orange painted handle. Of course, as Koda said, you have to be cooled headed enough to find it in the dark as your car fills up with water!

I retro fitted a simple engine light with a fixture I got at a local 4-Wheel Parts store. Its a simple light with an on/off switch wired directly to the batt with an inline fuse.

Duralast has a simple glove box plunger switch with integrated bulb that I think I may use to cipher up a glove box light. Switch is about $10 at RA.

the only problem with a simple plunger style glove box light switch is that you will need to make a little bracket to install it into. if you can find an OE switch at the salvage yard (or maybe on ebay) it's a simple install. a full time hot lead and it mounts and grounds on the stud for the glove box latch, under the 10MM nut. i use an LED bulb in mine.

for example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Explor...Parts_Accessories&hash=item33945e306b&vxp=mtr

 

[BushidoCowboy81]

Update : The owners manual was no dice. Anything other than major bulbs like head and tail light it tells me to get it to a tech.

However, thanks again everyone for the advice and tips. I'll get at it this weekend and let ya'll know how it goes!

 

[koda2000]

Update : The owners manual was no dice. Anything other than major bulbs like head and tail light it tells me to get it to a tech.

However, thanks again everyone for the advice and tips. I'll get at it this weekend and let ya'll know how it goes!

i've taken off my map light lenses and used a small screw driver to carefully pry them off. look around the edge of the lens for a space to insert the screw driver tip. seems to me my puddle light lenses were held on with screws. one of the harder lenses to get off are for the tag lights. once they're been on the truck for years, the bases seem to bond to the paint.

 

[SootsMe]

BTW, the early '90's GM pickups had a cool engine compartment light that you can remove from its holder and extend on its wire, kinda like a mini drop-light..

So did many '70s & '80s Ford pickups. We had two of them. They worked as an underhood light, with a mercury switch that turns it on when the hood is open, and it also unclips and the cord reels out far enough to reach the rear of the truck. The reel return mechanism tends to get gritted up, as they aren't usually unspooled very often. I'm watching the wrecking yards for a good used one to install in my Explorer, as it presently has no underhood light. I guess "Limited" has multiple meanings...

 

[Prince_Polaris]

Wait a second, Doc. Are you saying you have glove compartment and engine compartment lights in your '97? I have the exact same vehicle as yours in a '98 (SOHC 4.0l XLT 4x) and don't have either. I did retrofit a engine compartment light, but not a glove box light. I want one! <harrumph!>

EDIT:
Yep, '98s do not have a glove box light NOR a glove box lock. A retro fit is possible with a '97 glove light assembly. Gonna' check that out. Also, a '97 glove lock mechanism can be retrofitted but you have to find a lock mechanism with a matching key.

I've got the 98 SOHC Sport and now I'm jealous too, I love having car lights everywhere and I want one in my glove box and in the engine compartment!