Ford Ranger Red Gauge Needles - The Ranger Station

Want to change the look of your Ford Ranger gauges and give them red gauge needles? All you need is a red permanent marker, a 7mm and 8mm socket and driver, and some time.

WARNING: Always disconnect the negative battery cable, then the positive battery cable and wait two minutes before working in the vicinity of the airbag impact sensors, steering column or instrument panel to avoid the possibility of accidental deployment of the airbag, which could cause personal injury.

You need to remove the (4) 7mm screws that holds the dash cover under the steering wheel. There is a metal retaining pin holding it in to the top corners. Be careful pulling it loose that you don’t break it.

Then remove the (4) 8mm screws that hold the metal plate in place so you can access the (2) 7mm screws hidden behind it that holds the dash panel in place.

Remove the (2) 7mm screws above the AC / Heater control panel, and pull the panel away from the dash. You don’t have to remove it completely, just enough to get the dash panel out from behind it.

And then finally the (3) 7mm screws above the instrument cluster.

There are (2) 7mm screws on the left side….

and right side of the instrument cluster that holds it in place. Remove the (4) 7mm screws and pull the cluster out far enough to unplug the (3) harnesses from the back of it.

You’ll also need to disconnect the shift indicator. It snaps in to the bottom of the cluster.

With the instrument cluster out, remove the clear plastic cover to get to the gauge needles.

I placed tape over the part of the needed that I didn’t want the red on, and used the edge (side) of the marker tip to paint the face of the needle.

Only do the face, not the sides.

Be patient and take your time. Give each coat a chance to dry to make sure you get enough red on there to get a uniform coating over the whole needle. If you miss a spot, it will show up at night with the lights on.

WARNING: Don’t use paint, it’s not transparent and won’t let the light pass through your gauges so you can see them at night. Only use a red Sharpe permanent marker.

Also, don’t clean your gauges with any cleaning solutions. Just wipe them off with a clean damp cloth if you feel the need to clean them.