Instrument Panel Bulbs

[Dude68]

Want to replace all the bulbs in dash with LED. Are they all the same. Found replacements on LMC. Clear is not listed but white is. Is this the color to replace. There are 10 of them

[58 Special]

I think if you have a non tilt automatic you might have trouble with using an led bulb for the one that lights the shift indicater. I think I remember someone having to change one back to incandescent.

[Dude68]

I have 3 speed. Thanks I found a post on here and ordered the cool white 194 bulbs. Looks like the turn signal and bright light bulbs won’t improve with led bulbs.

[franken]

Maybe check grounds and voltage to ground before swapping things.

[cj847]

As indicated above, you'll probably find many of your bulbs are good but the socket or the connection between the socket and the circuit board is corroded.

[Classics Fan]

Originally Posted by 58 Special

I think if you have a non tilt automatic you might have trouble with using a led bulb for the one that lights the shift indicater. I think I remember someone having to change one back to incandescent.

I recently replaced all my incandescent panel bulbs with LED and can confirm this. Also retain incandescent for the high beam indicator. I used green LED’s for all others and am very happy with the result.

[awryexperiment]

I replaced mine with some from the jungle website. They were cheap and bright.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNVBL98Z...n_title_5&th=1

[Dude68]

These say they are 194's in a 30-pack. I ordered some in green. Gonna see how they look.

[bwl101]

Originally Posted by Classics Fan

I recently replaced all my incandescent panel bulbs with LED and can confirm this. Also retain incandescent for the high beam indicator. I used green LED’s for all others and am very happy with the result.

Got pictures of the end result?

[Dude68]

They have not arrived yet. The truck does not have power yet. I will need to figure out how to test the dash panel with the new lights before I install the dash.

[tim_mc]

I went with SuperbrightLEDs and am happy with them.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/194-...packamt-Single

[Classics Fan]

Originally Posted by bwl101

Got pictures of the end result?

Here ya go. I got the bulbs from Amazon.

[68 TT]

Just make sure you get some that are dimmable and buy more than you need so you have spares that are the same output and color as what you used.

I put them everywhere in my 95 and they ended up being too bright in the cluster so it hindered my night vision on dark roads. The ability to dim them was critical.

No matter how long they are supposed to last doesn't mean they always will. I had several on my truck fail in a few different locations. The colors from different manufacturers are not always the same and really show up sometimes. My roof top clearance lights were always going out and the amber bulbs really showed the different colors from different makers. Same goes for the white in the cluster bulbs. Get spares so you have matching replacements.

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by awryexperiment

I replaced mine with some from the jungle website. They were cheap and bright.

Me, too. That was 3 years ago and they still work. Can't remember which style bulb I'm using for the fiber optic cable. Speaking of which, that cable is a bee-atch to route, or I'm doing something wrong.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071ZXTDBD


BTW, I also installed a new printed circuit. Always had trouble with even stock-type bulbs not working and had to frequently re-seat or jiggle them.

[Rust_never_sleeps]

For night vision, you could switch to orange or red lights, but then your dash will look like a BMW

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by Rust_never_sleeps

For night vision, you could switch to orange or red lights, but then your dash will look like a BMW

Hey, I remember that from the days when I had a 78 320i. An OK car, but not great. That was when the A/C system (which sucked) and radio were dealer installed. I guess Europeans didn't want or need A/C back then.

[Dude68]

Any suggestions on how to test the dash panel lights with the panel off. I want to try the green ones and the white ones to see which color I want to go with.

[dmjlambert]

I tested mine at the kitchen table using a small 12v battery out of a UPS (computer uninterruptable power supply) and using alligator clip test wires. Here is the diagram of the panel.

Connect the neg terminal of the battery to a case screw using one of the test wires. Connect the pos terminal of the battery to another test wire and touch the free end of the test wire to whichever place of the instrument cluster connector that you want to light up. Be careful not to touch the pos wire to the case of the instrument cluster. I used a business card inserted between the printed circuit and the metal of the case right at the opening for the instrument cluster connector to make sure I didn't touch the alligator clip to the case. As you can see in the diagram, terminal 8 is illumination, terminals 9 and 10 are direction signals, terminal 11 is hi-beam indicator.

My suggestion is be careful and don't go poking around on other terminals trying to light up other things unless you know what you're doing or you may fry some gauges or fry circuit board traces. You can see the traces of the circuit board, make sure you can see the traces are going to the bulbs you want to light up.



hi-res click here

[Dude68]

I got my bulbs in. The superled bulbs in cool white looked good, but the green bulbs from Amazon are the ones I went with. I snapped a pic and it was too fuzzy, but it looks just like the post above by classicsfan. Thanks to dmjlambert for the idea. I used a battery charger to test the lights.

[jjzepplin]

Originally Posted by tim_mc

I went with SuperbrightLEDs and am happy with them.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/194-...packamt-Single

Now this looks like the shift indicator is well lit! Are they dimmable?

[Dude68]

I do not know yet I have not attached the headlight switch

[Already Gone]

I used Yorkim Bulbs, I believe the number was T10, and they have been in the dash for 6/7 years now with no burnouts.

[Dude68]

Green ones looked the best

[Dude68]

My turn signal lights in dash panel worked when I tested them initially, then stopped. I changed bulbs and they still do not work. I may order a new circuit panel. Dash lights are good.
My generator light comes on when key is turned but not oil light, temp light or brake light. I can't remember if these lit up when the truck was started.

[dmjlambert]

I believe oil light, temp light, brake light should light up as a bulb test during crank, but I am not 100% certain on that. I'm more familiar with the gauge cluster that doesn't have temp or generator lights. Generator light should be incandescent to have it tell you about overvoltage as well as under voltage and the polarity can swap on that bulb which incandescents don't care about, LED not appropriate for that position (or any position other than illumination in my opinion). I suggest insert conventional incandescent bulbs in turn signal positions and also make sure the front parking lights are flashing with turn signals correctly, before bothering to replace something like the printed circuit with a brand new chinese printed circuit that may be inferior. These are just my suggestions. In a previous post I gave the wrong diagram and pinouts for testing because the info I gave was about a gauge cluster not warning light cluster.