I have a '99 Sport. The lights are out on the left side of the wheel where the Cruise control switches are. Convently there is no indication of which number the lamp might be, and there is no explanation on how to change them. There seems to be patches underneath the switches, but I hesitate to explore without know- what they are. I've already done an instrument panel lamp with no trouble, so don't bother to jump in and tell me to go to a dealer. My big thick aftermarket book doesn't help any either. Thank you.
I just started this on my 96. If your steering wheel is like mine, the cruise control has a soft flexible front with a hard plastic back. If you look at the outer edge, you will see that there is a line where the front and back pieces meet.
There are no screws or clips. Use your finger nails and pry straight forward outside edge of the flexible front piece. Only the outside edge comes loose, and you don't need to remove the whole thing to change the light bulb. You only want to pry up the outer circumference of the semi-circle.
Once it is loose you can simply bend the front piece until you can see what looks like a blue plastic nut just below center of the circuit board. Using a socket that fits the nut, twist counter clockwise 90 degrees and the bulb with its housing will come out.
Don't bother trying to find this bulb at your local auto parts store. I've not been able to find it anywhere. It is low power to keep down the heat and coated with a heat resistant colored material to give the soft light. It looks like a dealer-only item.
Glenn Hagele Executive Director Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance
I suppose you could, but you would want to change the bulbs on both sides of the steering wheel in order to have the light color and intensity balanced. Also, the intensity of the light needs to be subdued for night driving so the selection of LED would be crucial. I do not know how the rheostat for adjusting dashboard light intensity would affect a LED light.
It seems that it is more efficient to break down and get the bulb from the dealer.
Glenn Hagele Executive Director Council for Refractive Surgery Quality Assurance
It was a thought, in case a guy couldn't find a bulb....me? I'd be one to crack the bulb out of it's base and solder a LED in place, 'cause they seem to last almost forever. I wonder what Jim Warman would do....or WWJWD.
You know, one would think that getting the bulb from the dealer would be the cheap, easy way to go. But it isn't. Ford doesn't sell the bulb. They sell the whole assembly of both sets of CC switches (I didn't ask the price but it has to be very much greater than the bulb in the right color is worth). They do have a clear bulb that fits but now a green one. I have been trying to get one for a couple of years. I have found some colored covers for larger bulbs that I will try to fit to the bulb.
Also, getting the switch cover off is pretty easy but getting them back on is much more difficult. It is easier to remove the airbag and get access to the switches that way. The instructions for doing this can be found on the web. Believe me, it seems counter-intuitive, but you will save time doing it the right way.
See if your dealer has part # E5RY-13466-BA. It is a clear bulb, but I salvaged the colored covers off my old bulbs and put them on the new bulbs. Some dealers carry the bulbs, some don't. I ordered mine from
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a couple of years ago for less than $4.00. You won't find a listing on their site, but if you e-mail the Owner/Operator? Torrie with the part number, he can get them for you. Shipping was $7.00 so I would try your dealer first. They run about the same price, except you won't have to pay $7.00 S&H (assuming your dealer has them). Don't tell them what the bulbs are for if you can avoid it. If you tell them that they are for the CC switch on your Explorer, they will look it up on their computer and then tell you that you have to buy the whole switch. These bulbs aren't specifically for the Explorer, but are the generic equivalent (that's why they are clear). I have heard that the part number traces to a Ford Contour though.
As the other poster mentioned, it is much easier to remove the air-bag to change the bulbs. You will spend much more time trying to fit the rubber cover back on if you want it back to the original look. I spent about 20 minutes just prying and poking the rubber cover to try and get it back in the way it was originally. When I got all done, I found that the other side was also burned out. That time I just disconnected the battery per my shop CD, removed the two screws on the side of the steering column and placed the air-bag on top of the column. I then had full access to the CC switches to remove them and replace the bulb. Start to finish was about 10 minutes without the hassles of trying to get the rubber switch covers on perfectly again.
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