After owning my truck for a year, I just discovered that my CEL bulb doesn't work. I kind of feel stupid and am a little pissed. I checked codes with the Hypertech last night and had one for the O2 sensor. I wondered why the CEL light wasn't on, now I realize its because the former owner probably gutted the cat and disconnected the bulb so the light doesn't stay on.

I hate working under the dash, but I'll have to get to it. Any advice or good tips and tricks on replacing the CEL bulb? I have the Haynes manual and the PDF file for the 2001 Ram Service Manual. Its just nice to get some words of wisdom from those who have done this before.

Now on with my rant about being pissed. I want the CEL light to work so I know if there are problems with the truck. I've tried getting codes using the on/off trick with the ignition and could never get any codes. I thought it was because that feature was locked out for my year. That may be the case, but now I realize the CEL may have been flashing, but since the bulb was out, I couldn't tell. I do feel dumb about never realizing the light never came on, but in my defense, there are so many other warning lights that come on with the ignition that I just missed it. I just went out to my truck and looked in the owners manual to check where the CEL should be located. Found it and verified that it does not come on.

So I'll have to poke around under the dash and see if its just a pulled bulb or what is wrong. Thanks for any advise guys.

 

It's not hard at all. You just get the dash piece off and unscrew the 4 bolts holding the gauge cluster in. Then it just pulls right out. On the back side, the bulbs are all right there and you will see little descriptions by the slots as to which one is which. The bulb at your dealer is less than $1. You just twist the old one out, twist the new one in. Piece o' Cake!

One word of advice I have for you...If you have some mileage on your trip calculator that you are planning to keep (oil changes or mpg, etc), write it down, because it will get erased.

 

Thank you very much. I just picked up the bulb at the dealership. I was hoping I didn't have to yank the instrument cluster out, but I guess I'll have to. I just worry about cracking the plastic molding around the dash. I also learned the bulb number is listed in the owner's manual. I may have known that, but forgot.