jacksonmullet

Yesterday I just finished up doing this. Everything went as expected, had to flip some bulbs around, to get all the polarity correct. I noticed that someone had been in there already to swap out factory bulbs before I owned the car. The size of the little bulb holders varied, but they still worked. I guess when ever the guy took apart the dash to do that, he stripped out a couple of the screws on the back of the guages. Now once I got all the leds working the needles do not light up on the rpm guage, or the speedo. Everything else works fine though.any thoughts? I am guessing it has to do with the stipped screws, but if so is there anyway to remedy this without replacing the guages? Thanks

OLD_HATCH

I dont remeber off the top of my head, but I believe the needles have their own bulbs and maybe bouncing the cluster around damaged the bulbs. I think the screws are for gauge functions not lighting.

jacksonmullet

can they be replaced?

Ken1997TL

The screws conduct electricity, if the impedance is off (from using different screws than stock) then you'll screw up the needles.

I know because i put in the wrong screw for my engine coolant temp gauge.

jacksonmullet

regarding impedance, its not as if the screws act as a resistor, right? if not then as long as they are present, and in the correct order, everything should work, right? but if some threads for the screws are stripped, and the screw is unable to sink as deep as required, then that lack of connection could cause too much impedance, and that alone can cook the bulbs which light the needles?

jacksonmullet

got the tach working the other day...but no luck on the lighting of the needles. I took the entire cluster apart, had the actual gauges taken out to see if I could find a bulb to replace, but I found nothing... it seems to me the bulb is located inside the needle itself? Now what?

OLD_HATCH

now that you say that, I doremember the needled having 2 contacts in the base.

going to have to get another custer and either swap needles or the whole gauge.

jacksonmullet

BLAST! that sucks

OLD_HATCH

yup

don't feel bad, it's happened to a couple of us

jacksonmullet

Well I found the led that was not working... it was in the black cover by the at the base of the needle...tried to replace it, no luck, ended up dropping 140 on a new cluster, pulled the gauges out of that one and put them in my cluster so my mileage would remain the same... for a 20 dollar mod, got a little expensive....all is good now though.

OLD_HATCH

Like I said, dont feel bad its happened to some of us. Including me. They look good now though.

jacksonmullet

sure do! next is bi-xenons