instrument panel lights
 

WHere are they located on a 1995 Dakota? Do I need to remove the entire dash board? Just the screws in the fake wood? Can they be acessed without removing anything? One is burned out. CHanging them to red would be cool, I saw someone gave some great suggestions for how to do that. I just need to fix the one that isn't lighting up for now.

The BULBS are located behind the gauge cluster. Yes you do have to remove stuff to get to it. First the panel below the steering column, then wood bezel, then you can unscrew the Gauge cluster. Behind the Cluster you will need to remove 2 round wire connectors. It can be a tight space for the hand. Getting them back on is the challenge. Just be thankful you don't have a pre 94 where they have the cable driven speedometers. The bulb holder just twist off, then pull out the bulb.

For color you can buy some rubber slips to go over the bulbs. Or you can spray paint the bulbs, high heat paint will help with them fading due to heat. But the color is giving by a dark sheet under the gauge face. You can remove it and paint it, or get some transparent paper with the color you want and cut it to fit.

Remove knee bolster. Remove wood grain trim. remove dash cluster. Replace lights as needed. Be careful pulling the cluster out. Your shifter wire is attached and so is the speedo cable.

Yes you can change the colors. I used blue. Better to get bulbs that have blue glass, if you can find them. The bulbs with covers suck and the ones with tint fade fast.

I had a bulb go out on me tonight in my cluster too...just the left side went out. I have a few questions...
How many bulbs?
What bulbs are they?
Do they plug in, push in and have to be soldered?
Easy to pull cluster?

If I am remembering right they are small oval ones. They are common. The slide into a holder that twists into the circuit broad.

Was it a 194 bulb?
Like this:
http://www.bulbtown.com/v/vspfiles/photos/PC194-2T.jpg

I don't know of the part number, but yes it did look like that and so does the holder. The bulb slides out of the holder.