How do you change the instrument panel dash lights on a Ford Taurus - Mercury Sable?

Answer 1

When you see two green arrows and have no dash lights !!!

A sharp rap with the palm of your hand on the dash just forward of the steering wheel will light it up every time. Repeat when needed.

Remove radio/climate control panel

Remove upper steering column cover

Remove headlight switch and unplug it.

Remove upper trim panel (the one that surrounds the instrument cluster and has three air conditioner vents in it)

Remove four screws holding instrument cluster, pull it out enough to unplug the electrical connections at the top rear, remove cluster. Light bulbs are in twist/remove sockets in back. Take them out to replace bulbs

You don't have to remove the whole dash to replace the bulbs. You only have to remove the individual componets that are illuminated, like the heater control head and instrument cluster. Each piece will have a bezel or trim piece around it. You will have to study each piece to see if there are any screws, but you may only need to pry it loose. If you don't see any screws, carefully pry just a little bit on each corner of the trim cover to see if it comes loose fairly easily. Once you get each trim bezel off around the item you want to remove to replace the illumination bulbs, then there will be four 7mm screws on the heater control head, and there will also be four 7mm screws on the instrument cluster. As you remove each item, unplug the connectors, and turn it over to reveal the little bulb sockets. Each socket comes out with a 1/4 turn counter-clockwise to remove it.