Anyone know what that trailor looking indicator is for. I noticed it when I was detailing them.Bud

 

all leds that i have seen will not dim if you want them to, just flicker and go out

 

Great pics Bud. All you wrote 100%. I have never changed the row of warning light bulbs, they are tiny, capless 1.2 watt each. And quite invisible in daylight! See here for example and bulb reference number:

EB286 286 Car Capless bulb 12volt 1.2 Watt Pack of 10 | eBay

I would love to have brighter ones, if available, but LEDs would have to be the thing as I am sure higher wattage would melt their tiny plastic compartments. Anyone got any ideas?

What I did do was wire two brighter external green repeaters for the turn signals, in parallel with the standard bulbs, into the end covers of the warning llight strip, as these are both not bright enough, are hidden behind the wheel and easy to forget. See each side in this photo:



Greg

 

Replacement LED Warning light bulbs

Bud, Guys
It's raining so I hit the Great Google. Came up with these which should repeat should, be direct fit into the warning light strip. After a bit of a search I found some white ones.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-Bulbs-L...item589b8f9a1d

The swap is quite easy to try as changing the warning light strip bulbs is just a matter of removing the strip of coloured plastic covering the bulbs, not an instruments out job. then the bulbs just pull out of their holders.

I have orders some and will post how they go in, if at all.

Greg

 

I also ordered the bulbs to replace the warning lights. I believe they are the same led mentioned above. I never really had a problem with the existing ones.
Also waiting on the blue gage replacement led bulbs.
Since I have to remove the front section of the cluster to fix the wood fascia I previously installed, I'll be able to get at those green covers. Just hope I don't get "hot spots" without the diffuser green cover.
I did ask the seller about dimming and he said they should but we'll see. I do know the led strip lights do dim.
New question!
Are the instrument cluster lights part of the bulb failure system from rest of the car? When I changed my plate lights to led, I got a constant bulb failure warning constantly. I now have "error free" LEDs to try. They're totally different from first bulbs so I hope it workes.
As for dimming, I personally can't believe it would be necessary regardless of the brightness. I've been driving with barely any light up to this point! And the center console lights are bright but don't dim anyway! Never understood why the dimmer doesn't do any thing but instrument cluster.

 

Greg

 

OK!! Just finished the blue led swap out. I removed the black front of the housing and unscrewed the green covers. A couple are a bit dodgy to get out!
Swapped the bulbs for four light blue LED's AND added a 4" strip of blue led to the inside center of each large gage. Wanted to be sure to get enough light.
ONE THING! Don't put back together until you test it. I had 3 bulbs wrong, neg to pos, pos to neg. THe LED's do have to be plugged in one way. So if you test first before you put black front panel back on, you can see which ones are plugged in wrong!!
This photo is in my garage and not totally dark but I can tell it'e going to be AMAZING!!
Now if my computer geek of a brother CAN change the trip computer bulbs for me, It'll be really HOT!

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At night, you loose the red sections on the gages but who cares!! It is amazing!!

 

Now, can anyone tell me how to change the switches beside the trip computer. They are barely lit but I want to swap to blue too

 

Instruments look terrific Phil. Could you please explain about where exactly you placed the LED strips?

Also, do they dim,

Congratulations

Greg

 

I'll post photo of the strip. Basically on the rpm it's between 6 and 9 (on a clock) mph it's between 3 and 6.
No, they don't dim but really not necessary as they aren't too bright.
Any idea as to changing the lights in either the center switches or the ignition and light switch?

 

The 'illumination' in the surrounds to the ign and light switches is by fibre optic driven from the opticell unit fixed next to the gear lever cluster. It is the same thing that gives the 'illumination' to the heater controls surrounds.

The trouble is that the fibre is only about 2mm wide and pokes into the switches from the side, so no space to get in a bulb or LED into the hole. The surrounds are a sandwich construction, a solid back and a front that lets light through where it should. I think that it is possible to prise off the back of the switch surround to reveal the front, light-emitting bit (the sandwich is only about 5mm thick, if that). I reckon you could somehow build a lightproof backing cowl and fix an LED strip or an LED into it. You would have to run wires to it, obviously.

Worth a play with (say) the lightswitch surround, and then roll it out from there. The ignition and light switches have space behind them, so a home made cowl is quite possible. The heater controls do not, so they would be more of a challenge.

Greg

 

Is it possible to put brighter led bulbs in the fiber optic system? My switches simple don't light up at night. It's so faint

 

I do not think so. The problem is the rubbish quality of the fibre optic system itself.

Greg

 

Ordered the green led replacement bulbs now. I like the blue but now that I can't change the other switches and such, I'm going back to the green. I think it'll be just as good as the blue since its far brighter and cleaner colored.
In the process of removing the green light covers, I must have done something to the rpm gage. I unscrewed the metal face to get a bit more access to cover screws and must have tightened to much when replacing.
I HATE these old clusters!! Sooo finicky.

 

I just put in some amber LEDs under the dash they look soo neat!!

 

Where did you get the power from? Bud

 

I tapped into the cig-lighter light for neg and i just found some red wire with 12+ under it and used that. they go on when the lights go on and dont get messed up with the dimmer switch.

 

I added blue strips under foot wells also. Make sure you tap into the cigar lighter light bulb, not lighter it's self. They won't dim though with the cluster.
I also added a small led under the arm rest in center console. It lights up the ski slope! Ran the wire under the interior plastic backing of lid and under the bin itself.

 

I put white LED strips (probably about 12 leds on the strip) underneath the center console pointing down into the footwells......



It's kind of indirect lighting if you will. It looks quite nice a night. These are activated by the doors opening, not on all the time