Dash/Instrument Cluster lights not lighting...

[Venomos]

Hopefully someone can give me an idea of where to go with this...I have a 2002 Ford Taurus SES. It has the 3.0 Flex fuel motor. I have gone through and replaced the Headlight switch and checked all fuses...I even traced the ground down by the passenger kick panel and cleaned the ends and bolt where that attaches.

I go to turn on the headlights and the entire dash cluster is black...minus the turn signals and they are lit solid until you use the turn signals...Im lost! This seemed to all have started around the time frame that there was a TSB on the vehicle for a leaking wiper cowl...in which caused a blower motor failure. Well shortly after about a week, I started to notice probs with the dash lights coming off and on at different intervals, sometimes staying on for hours at a time and going out for about 10 mins...then it got worse over the case of a few weeks. Now I am left with them not coming on at all. Im hoping someone else here has had this same similar problem or can tell me where to at least try next.

Probs:
-No Dash lights when the lights when the headlights are turned on.
-Turn signal indicators light up solid unless they are in use.

[shorod]

Welcome to the forum!

There have been others reporting what appear to be similar symptoms. You may want to search the forum to see if any of them have found solutions or if their symptoms match yours (bad flex cable for instrument cluster, ground issues, multifunction switch, etc.).

Is it just the instrument cluster lights, or are the button lights for the HVAC, radio, and power window and lock buttons not working either?

-Rod

[Venomos]

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Well I have been spending a few hours reading and reading...found alot of neat interesting stuff on these cars! LOL!

As to your question....No, all the other lights work, HVAC, Radio, Door Panel Switches, everything but the actual dash cluster itself. Problem is, in the searching I have been doing, nothing was a dead giveaway that this will fix it or has worked for me...Ive seen stuff about the multifunction switch, the relay under the dash to the left of the steering column, and the ground you mentioned earlier, along with someone else saying about pulling the whole cluster itself out. And one person saying the dimmer fixed his...which is what i thought was my problem. I am ordering 2 more headlight switch assemblies just to make sure the other one i tried wasnt some freak accident type of deal that was bad already too. Otherwise Im kinda at a loss with what to do with this dumb car. I also am expierencing the door ajar light coming on which i seen off of another post about the door pin scenario...so that will be problem #2 if I can ever figure out and fix #1, which I hope will fix everything else! LOL!

Thanks for any input and help!

[shorod]

Since the rest of your dash panel lights work, the problem is not with your dimmer/headlight switch. Unfortunately, you're probably to the point where you need to get the voltmeter out, pull the instrument cluster, and check for illumination voltage to the instrument cluster.

If you have wiring diagram questions for the instrument cluster, etc., let us know. There are a few of us (myself included) that have the factory service manual for your 2002 Taurus.

-Rod

[02taurus_sel]

I have a 02 Taurus SEL and started having the same problem instrument cluster bulbs not light, L/R signal indicators continuously on until I selected the left/right turn indicator, then they would flash normally, and yet all the
other dash lights worked ( radio, heater, etc) OK. The problem was intermittant.I posted/read reviews and tolerated it for quite some time. I finally removed the instrument cluster, replaced ALL 5 bulbs, replaced the cluster and have not had any problems since. I had to buy the Radio Removal tool through Snap-On, about $13.00
A couple hours work, but well worth it.
Good Luck