Gauges work but don't light up

[99ESV6]

So my speedo, tach, temp, fuel gauges all work but they don't light up. Neither do my HVAC controls. However for a brief time a few weeks ago, all my HVAC controls lit up at night for a 15 minute drive but when I turned the car off and back on they turned off again.

I've checked both fuse locations 3 times. I've taken out each fuse and they all checked out OK. However some of them had some blackness on the "legs" so to speak, is that normal?

I haven't checked the bulbs behind the dash because I'm not sure how to. I know there's 2 screws in the bezel, then 4 holding down the gauges but I don't know how to access the bulbs. A DIY or some pictures of where the bulbs would be, would be great.

Any other ideas?

EDIT: All other lights (dome, all exteriors) are working perfectly fine and I've never had any issues with them.

[littlerick]

sounds like a wiring problem somewhere, but yes take out those 6 bolts you pull the cluster to you and there is connectors on each side that come right off then the cluster comes out and you just twist out the bulbs you need changing, there should be 5. they are easy to spot when you get the cluster out

[littlerick]

also have you made sure your dimmer switch is all the way bright?

[99ESV6]

also have you made sure your dimmer switch is all the way bright?

Yeah, it's all the way bright. Are those bolts or screws? I haven't taken a good look but they look like screws to me. Do you need any special tools for remove the bezel, gauge and/or lights? Or just a flathead?

EDIT: What about the HVAC lighting? I removed the bezel for the radio and HVAC but I have no idea where the bulbs are for these?

[mrjaydeeone]

there are 2 screws that hold the black trim piece around the gauge cluster and then 4 screws that hold down the gauge cluster. You don't need any special tools just a philips screwdriver. As far as the bulbs for the HVAC they are built into the HVAC unit

[littlerick]

the hvac is a pain to change out the bulbs (atleast it was for me i just done mine yesterday). you gotta take it out, which seems easy at first, but the cables are the hard part to get them to pop out, after that you see two little connections you can turn and they come out and pop in the new bulb. problem was, the connections were hard to get to. if you have any more questions i'll be happy to help

[99ESV6]

Well I changed the bulbs on the gauge cluster. I'm about to try them out but I made an idiot move. I was read to re-attach the battery but I noticed when I was removing it that the nut wasn't very tight so I sprayed some WD40 on it and loosened it some. However when I went to reattached the battery, positive first then neg...when I touched the negative, it sparked a tiny little bit and I tried a couple more times wiping off any excess WD40 but it still sparked a tiny bit soooo haha how long do I wait or what should I do?

I attached pictures of HVAC control so maybe you can show me where to take them off and I also noticed on the back of my gauge cluster, I'm missing two light. Anyone have an idea of what those are?

http://ft4321.picturepush.com/

[littlerick]

on the hvac, its on the very back, there are 2 twist buttons that are black. they are kinda deep in but you have to completely remove the hvac. on the spark i would just wait a few minutes then try it again. the 2 that are missing i know one is traction (forgot the exact name) if you flip it over you can tell which one is which

[99ESV6]

on the hvac, its on the very back, there are 2 twist buttons that are black. they are kinda deep in but you have to completely remove the hvac. on the spark i would just wait a few minutes then try it again. the 2 that are missing i know one is traction (forgot the exact name) if you flip it over you can tell which one is which

Ok, the gauge cluster works. It looks awesome.

For the HVAC, I'll have to try again tomorrow because I don't know how to remove the HVAC. I removed the 4 screws so it's loose and the 2 screws for the plastic molding so I can pull it out slightly but if I try to undo the cables on the back, it won't let me since the switch knobs on the front are in the way.

[littlerick]

you gotta get the clip out of the bottom that holds the cables on, the you can use a small flathead and push the little tab in to pop the cable off. i didnt remove anything from the front of mine.