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Green led bulbs coming in today so I'm swapping out the blue ones I put in my center cluster. Loved the blue but since I can't change the other switches, I think the green will look as good as blue since they're so much brighter than the old bulbs with green covers. I'll post pictures.
Green led bulbs coming in today so I'm swapping out the blue ones I put in my center cluster. Loved the blue but since I can't change the other switches, I think the green will look as good as blue since they're so much brighter than the old bulbs with green covers. I'll post pictures.
The International Jury will give you their opinion when the pics are up!
My warning light LEDs have arrived, but it is too cold in the garage to try them.
and just to confirm, youre talking about the buttons to the right and left of the trip computer?
on my 91, each button is a separate switch, hazzard switch & rear defog switch on the left. each switch attaches to the wood/aluminum face with a plastic bezel and metal clip behind. bewteen these switches is a metal housing that holds a incandescent bulb no color. the light diffuses through two lenses, into the switches, and i assume through some kind of green filter within the switch to give the greenish light you see within the switch markings.
almost all of the light remains behind the panel.
i assume you could go into the plastic switch and hunt down what is the color filter and switch it to blue, but these switches weren't meant to be taken apart.
Hi guys, Bud here! I've been reading all of the posts and were getting a lot of info going here, I've been waiting for one last item to come in the mail before I can finish my dash. When it comes I will install it and take explicit pics. I will also try to sum up the best parts to buy at the best cost. I found some great leds on ebay and I'll pass on the info. As far as the 4 switches (2 on either side of the trip odometer), I have not seen this socket configuration in led form yet.One might be able to solder wires to the pigtails of a T05 led and splice into the wires suppying power but the led would have to be of a rounded type and not a square SMD style as it won't fit into the socket as the filament bulb did. I've not gotten to this part yet. When I do I'll post the info. Be back, Bud
I have messed with this stuff before so had some green EL wire and a 12V driver in the garage. I took apart my binnacle and just laid the wire in there. I carefully drilled a small hole through the back of the plastic case and fed the tiny wire through. I will run it like this for a little while to see how it works at night. I did not take out the 194 lamps or the green globes, just added a few feet of EL wire inside the case.
I took a few pictures of the assembly and can post them when I figure out how to post on this forum.
This stuff is not very bright, but wrapped around the larger dials twice and across the top and bottom of the barrel dials, it lights up smooth and evenly all the way across the entire gauge face.
I have messed with this stuff before so had some green EL wire and a 12V driver in the garage. I took apart my binnacle and just laid the wire in there. I carefully drilled a small hole through the back of the plastic case and fed the tiny wire through. I will run it like this for a little while to see how it works at night. I did not take out the 194 lamps or the green globes, just added a few feet of EL wire inside the case.
I took a few pictures of the assembly and can post them when I figure out how to post on this forum.
This stuff is not very bright, but wrapped around the larger dials twice and across the top and bottom of the barrel dials, it lights up smooth and evenly all the way across the entire gauge face.
How long of a piece did you use to do that? And can the stuff be cut if I was to get a 15 foot piece of it? I have been wanting to swap all the bulbs with LED's but wasn't sure on how bright they would be because I know with those I don't think you can use the dimmer switch to tone them down.
How long of a piece did you use to do that? And can the stuff be cut if I was to get a 15 foot piece of it? I have been wanting to swap all the bulbs with LED's but wasn't sure on how bright they would be because I know with those I don't think you can use the dimmer switch to tone them down.
I only used about 3 feet of the stuff. 2 turns around the larger gauges and once across the top and bottom of the barrels. I ran the wire out a small hole drilled in the lower right corner (looking from the front of the binnacle) where the blue flex board does not interfere. I used an old driver I had laying around, not sure who made it, no markings. You have to use a driver as the wire needs an ac signal about 2khz or so to light. buy a kit from a place that specializes in EL wire.
I only used about 3 feet of the stuff. 2 turns around the larger gauges and once across the top and bottom of the barrels. I ran the wire out a small hole drilled in the lower right corner (looking from the front of the binnacle) where the blue flex board does not interfere. I used an old driver I had laying around, not sure who made it, no markings. You have to use a driver as the wire needs an ac signal about 2khz or so to light. buy a kit from a place that specializes in EL wire.
I was looking at these too. Wouldn't work I don't think in the barrels but for the round gauges maybe? Do you have yours hooked up to the headlight switch so when you turn the lights on they come on too? I am just not sure on what color I wanted in there which is why I was looking at these....
I was looking at these too. Wouldn't work I don't think in the barrels but for the round gauges maybe? Do you have yours hooked up to the headlight switch so when you turn the lights on they come on too? I am just not sure on what color I wanted in there which is why I was looking at these....
Update: There are some very good posts here over the last few years, but I would add the following summary notes to help the upgrade to LED's in the instrument cluster.
1. There is a certain risk to doing this upgrade, because you must remove and disassemble the cluster housing - which runs the risk of damaging the facias, or the plastic encased ribbon circuit that supplies power to the entire device. This circuit, and the two modular plugs that interface into it, are prone to oxidation, failure and cracking - thus making your life more miserable. Be gentle if you undertake this project - use rubber surgical gloves and handle gently at all times. Note: you do NOT have to remove the steering wheel to get the cluster out, but pulling the telescoping wheel out does help. If you do remove the steering wheel, it makes it just that much easier. TIP: carefully pry the screw covers just to the right and left of each turn signal indicator - if you break off the retaining tabs for these, it's an annoyance.
2. At the same time, this removal procedure gives you the opportunity to clean and renew the contacts for the modular plugs - which can be a contributing factor for the famous "jumping speedometer" problem. If you have this speedo issue, do this LED project as an easy by-product and you may kill two birds. Do this project AFTER you have visually inspected the speedo transducer cable and removed it from the back differential and don't "see" an issue - it may save you $200. If this doesn't fix it, at least you will have nicer lighting.
3. The LED market has matured. I used www.superbrightleds.com, but there are others. The larger wedge dial lights are #194, and the smaller wedge bulbs are #74, and come in about 6 or 7 colors. These DO NOT come with the bases - you are simply reusing the bases and plugging these into the appropriate slots (polarity matters on the 74's). If you damage the bases, you will need to obtain those elsewhere. As stated elsewhere, be careful when removing the larger bases from the cluster - don't damage the ribbon contacts.
4. As any pilot will tell you, the easiest color for your eyes to adjust to for night vision is RED - that is why almost all planes have red ambient light in the cockpit for safety. However, the clunky XJS cluster looks cooler with blues and reds and greens, so go crazy - it's not an airplane. If you are purist, buy Green but remove all of the green lenses from the housing.
5. TIP: Go to the hardware store and buy NEW screws for the facia plates, the cluster retainers, and all other locations. Why put stripped or old screws back into the newly fixed cluster. Who know, some poor schmuck 20 years from now may have to do this again! Some of the screws are bronzed or colored, but it's a nice touch to do it.
5. Good luck!
The LED market has matured now, so finding and ordering the appropriate bulbs for the cluster is easy. I used www.
To NTA FORD
I assume you have completed the installation of the LED Warning Lights on your car. In your posting you indicated three bulbs
PC74 2 lumen $1.79
B8 2 lumen $1.59
B8 6 Lumen $2.59
Which one's did you install and are you satisfied with the results?
Thank You for response and all the research you have done
UPDATE: Speaking only to the Warning lights: On my Facelift 1993 all the warning lights have a B8 5D base; and I assume pre-facelift have wedges. With the wedges you can remove the bulb with the b8 5d base the bulb is not removable. That puts a different light on the subject! I guess my question now is: Do you get sufficient illumination from 2 lumen LED's or must you go to the higher lumen? Anybody answer please.
Last edited by afterburner1; Feb 3, 2015 at 05:34 PM.
Reason: update info
I ordered my LEDs from v12s.com ($30 for the set of five). To keep the look as "stock" as possible, I ordered white bulbs and left the green covers in place. They are fully dimmable and my lamp failure module (which had not been working for some time) now works perfectly. While I had the cluster out, I added a redundant ground from the tach ground to a nut near the top of the dash, using loop connectors on each end and putting a spade connector in the wire for future removal.
I found a couple of bulbs to be a tight fit; trimming the base with an Xacto knife solved the problem.
Anywhere on this site (SuperbrightLED's) that might tell how many are required? I don't want to go and buy 6, and find out I need 7.... I also have an old Blazer that I want to replace all the dash bulbs with LED's, too and the same issue there. Before going and tearing it all apart, I would like to know how many so I don't have the dash destroyed, then put back together to order them, then tear it all apart again if I need to drive it the next day.
That's were I got mine for the 84 XJS, only thing is they do not dim, unless my rheostat is out, but the I don't drive it much or at all at night I also found some on EBay at good prices
I have been looking in vain for a dash LED conversion kit for my '92. It seems that v12s.com is no longer.
Does anyone know of an alternative source for a full conversion kit.
Alternately can anyone provide a list of all the base styles, and number of bulbs of each, needed to do a full dash and interior conversion from SuperbrightLED.,com
Last edited by The Wizard of BC; Mar 13, 2015 at 01:15 AM.
I would like to do the led conversion in my 1989 xjs coupe. I am paranoid about getting it right first time, the car lets me release the OCD within
So after using the search function and reading whats on here
1. I need 5 T10-5 LED for the dials wedge base capless.
2. T5 for the warning lights? how many though? also wedge base capless
3. interior lights are festoon type - seems like there's heaps of ebay sellers with festoons
4. the exterior lights have to be error free festoons?
think I've read myself to death and confused in the process.
