Dim instrument lights

[akart]

!986 K20: My instrument lights are really dim. New battery,alternator and cables and yes I do know how to rotate the reostat on the light switch, Could my reostat be bad??
Thanks
I love this forum,Man.

[RedBed]

Mine were dim so I replaced them all with LED and now they are bright. Maybe it's just the bulbs?

[donw1986]

Mine have always been dim, i also replaced with led and they are very bright now, but with led mine wont dim with the dimmer

[RedBed]

I think I read somewhere that if you leave 1 or 2 of the standard bulbs in the dash, and do the rest LED that you can still dim.

As far as mine, my eyes are getting older, so I don't even want to use the dim feature!

[donw1986]

Ok thanks i will give that a try

[sweetk30]

empty the white gauge cluster holder . clean it real good . chrome spray paint it . also do the back side for the cover that goes on top of this as it reflects back in .

and 194 bulb = 2 candle power
and 168 bulb = 3 candle power

so swap them all for 168 . . . unless you are doing the led swap .

but mine i did years ago i am happy with chrome paint trick and all 168 bulbs.

[TKCR]

Same here, I put LEDs in mine. Much brighter now. I know all cars have the dimming feature, but I wondering how many people actually use it. I know I don't. I'm with RedBed.
This isn't the best pic I have, illustrating the led lights. But just having the key on, you can see the choke light, how much crisper it looks. Also the A/C controls, it's lit up a lot better than before. And this is in a very lit garage. But while you have the cluster out, it would be a good time to freshen it up. Polish or get a new lens, that makes a big difference too.

[akart]

Originally Posted by sweetk30

empty the white gauge cluster holder . clean it real good . chrome spray paint it . also do the back side for the cover that goes on top of this as it reflects back in .

and 194 bulb = 2 candle power
and 168 bulb = 3 candle power

so swap them all for 168 . . . unless you are doing the led swap .

but mine i did years ago i am happy with chrome paint trick and all 168 bulbs.

I like this solution and will try it.
Thanks for your suggestion.

[sweetk30]

if you have not played with chrome spray paint go real light on the coats . it runs easy .

[Richard2112]

Those circuit cards on the back of our dash aren't known for holding the best ground connection when they age. I just spent the day hardwiring mine. Still ain't done yet.

[akart]

Originally Posted by sweetk30

if you have not played with chrome spray paint go real light on the coats . it runs easy .

Not going to do any painting. Just change the bulbs to those 168 jobbers and look at the reostat and clean up the contacts w/alcohol and Q-tips. That's all she's going to get. Just looking for a little improvement.

[85/Silverado]

I never dim my truck they are fine all the way up. My new Lincoln will blind you turned up.

[biggsteve97]

I cleaned the housing, painted it gloss white, and installed canbus LED194 bulbs so the dimmer still works. In my 87 Silverado I added whiteface overlaysbut left my 89 K5 Blazer stock black guages. Super bright, even more so with the white face overlays. Got the canbus led 194 bulbs on ebay 10 for for $6 about 5 years ago, i think they might be a little more now.

[Desert_Eagle02]

Mine are pretty dim as well. I'm getting ready to put LEDs in mine. Already have the bulbs just waiting for the opportunity to install them.

I was just wondering though, what should I use to clean the bulb contacts on the board. I want to make sure they are all clean and make the best connection.

[RedBed]

I used a little contact cleaner and a q-tip + a bit of bulb grease on each. And they are still a pain. Occasionally have to wiggle them to get them to work.

[Desert_Eagle02]

Ok thanks. I have both of those. Now just have to find the time to do it. I've never had the cluster out and apart. Not really looking forward to it haha. But it seems pretty straight forward.

[Dayton601]

Just replaced mine with LED's from O'Reilly's and no they won't dim, have to say it looks 100 time better, also Desert_Eagle02 I found that it was easier to remove cluster if the dash was loose or removed, my dash is brand new from direct dashes, I went ahead and removed it, it only takes a couple seconds after removing screws , reason why I say this, is that if you have an older dash and your trying to mess with the dash right above the cluster, it could crack when trying to get that little extra wiggle room, that and its easier to get to the metal screws that hold the dash cluster in, also anyone who plans on doing this, if you have the time its better to order them off the internet from amazon or superbrightleds.com ..I just happen to be at the auto parts when I saw the ones i bought, not thinking about doing a price check, but later found them to be at least 1/4 of the price on line,

[Desert_Eagle02]

Thanks Dayton601. My dash is also new. But I'll probably remove it anyway if it makes it easier. I'm going to try and be very careful with the cluster. I don't want to break the 40 year old plastic. Also I got my LEDs from Amazon. Pretty sure it was $10 for a box of 10.

[rgunlock]

When you are removing the wiring harness from your cluster, do it with some care. It connects to a bunch of copper "fingers" from the circuit sheet that fold down into the "socket". They can get pretty mangled if you don't pull the connector nice and gentle.

[RotaryRocketeer]

Grab a sliver conductor pen just in case you damage part of the printed circuit around the bulb sockets. Cheap insurance.

[Richard2112]

...or you could hardwire your dash

[Desert_Eagle02]

Maybe a stupid question but how do you replace the bulbs behind the heater controls and the windshield wiper switch? Just curious before I start tearing into it, don't want to mess anything up.

[Dayton601]

remove the metal screws holding the pieces in, it gives you enough wiggle room to reach in and turn the lamp holder and then you can switch them out,

[Desert_Eagle02]

Originally Posted by Dayton601

remove the metal screws holding the pieces in, it gives you enough wiggle room to reach in and turn the lamp holder and then you can switch them out,

Thank you. Got them switched out.