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The dash lights on an Explorer are used to light the warning symbols and to illuminate the speedometer, gas gauge, and RPM gauge. These lights are controlled by fuses.
Bad dash ground.
the dash and radio lights are supposed to dim when the headlights come on. Make sure you have the brightness of the dash lights turned up as much as possible.
when you turn the car on, usually the lights on the dash show up "ABS"
Just to the right of your headlight switch in the dash is your gauge panel dimmer control . Rotate the wheel up to brighten your dash lights . ( also , if turned all the way up it turns on your interior lights )
check your fuses
If tail lights and dash lights work - check bulbs
If the digital dash lights up but shows no numbers for the speedometer on a 1989 Thunderbird LX, it is possible that a fuse is blown for the speedometer and the fuel gauge. There is more than one light in the dash for the speedometer.
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They should just dim. By turning the headlights on, the engineers assumed it would be dark. Often there's a knob or wheel on the dash where you can adjust the brightness of your gauge lights.
The first check would be the fuse for the dash lights. If the dash lights are out too then it is likely to be the fuse.
To change the gauge lights on a 1998 Ford Taurus SE, the dash cover has to be removed to access the burned out bulbs. There are screws and clips holding the dash cover on.