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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Very Dim Dash Light Solution?

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Very Dim Dash Light Solution?     len47merc 02-09-2015 @ 2:18 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1165 Joined: Oct 2013 instepdrive - respectfully submitted, the dimmer switch we are all referring to is a black plastic knurled knob found mounted under the dash just to the left of the light switch and ~4" behind the light switch (toward the firewall). The knob is oriented vertically and points at the floorboard. Your last response suggests you might have thought we were inferring the dimmer switch was incorporated into the light switch itself - we all instead were all referring to this black knob/rheostat under the dash. If I misread or misinterpreted your reply and you do not in fact have the under-dash switch then at least I stand corrected and will need others to weigh-in with their experience in this regard. Steve instepdrive 02-09-2015 @ 1:22 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 6 Joined: Jan 2014 Thank you for your suggestions. It should be noted that my light switch does not have a dimmer. Only pull the light knob one notch for parking and dash, then all the way for the headlights. I replaced the bulbs and the sockets look good and clean where they snap into the dash. The dash wiring looks like it is fairly new. The headlights and parking lights are strong for a 6 volt, but the dash lights are hardly noticeable even in a dark garage. TomO 02-09-2015 @ 8:16 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 The 55 bulb is quite a bit brighter than the stock 53 bulb, but neither of them will be a normal brightness if they do not receive at least 6 volts. A voltage drop test will show where the voltage is being lost, dash dimmer switch or light switch. As the previous posts have pointed out the dash light dimmer is the most common culprit. Clean the bulb sockets where they mount to the instrument cluster for better grounds. You can check out your ground circuit by connecting the POS or Red lead of your meter to the POS battery post and the COM or black meter lead to the bulb socket. The meter should read 0.1 or less when the lights are on. If it reads higher, there is excessive resistance in the ground circuit. This could be the grounding cables or excess paint. Tom len47merc 02-09-2015 @ 5:11 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1165 Joined: Oct 2013 Assuming your grounds are good (kubes40 comment), having had a similar problem, removal of the rheostat, cleaning with a good electronic cleaner and lubricant, working it several times through the entire rotation and cleaning after each iteration, then reinstalling, restored full operation of the dimmer switch and brought the dash light brightness to assumed close or equal to original levels. May have been a fortunate one here but worth a try before bypassing the switch all together or becoming contortionist to get to the back of the instrument cluster. You may find this same process useful with other interior switches as well. Steve This message was edited by len47merc on 2-9-15 @ 5:12 AM Old Henry 02-08-2015 @ 10:04 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 738 Joined: Apr 2010 I repainted all of the backlight area of my gauges (the surface the light shines on to reflect on the gauges) with white gloss paint. I think they may have originally been white but age had yellowed and dulled them. Made a noticeable difference. Bypassed my dimmer switch too. 4dFordSC 02-08-2015 @ 7:35 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 266 Joined: Oct 2009 My solution was to bypass the rheostat, and it made a big difference. kubes40 02-08-2015 @ 4:20 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3394 Joined: Oct 2009 There is no true "solution". Rather, there is only some minor improvements to be made. 1) Make certain your grounds are GOOD! 2) You can swap the bulbs for ones with a slightly higher candle power. If memory serves, you can only increase the CP by perhaps 200% as there's very little room to fir a larger and even brighter bulb in your cluster. 3) Finally, take a good close look at the rheostat. Those switches typically zap the amperage to the bulbs. I might suggest you bypass that switch if authenticity is not your #1 priority. Mike "Kube" Kubarth instepdrive 02-08-2015 @ 3:35 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 6 Joined: Jan 2014 My 40 Coupe's 6 volt system provides reasonable headlight power, but the instrument panel light is barely visible. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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