How To: Replace Gauge Cluster Bulbs

[Ben]

Originally Posted by fosley

Ok, so several people have asked about changing the lights in the instrument cluster. I have done it several times now, so I took pictures. The pictures were taken with a camcorder, so they suck, but they are better than nothing, I guess. If you have better pictures, email the links to me and I'll use yours instead.

Tools Needed
- Small-to-Medium Phillips screwdriver.
- Thin flat screwdriver (or similar) for prying.
- New bulbs to replace the old ones with.
- ('91-92 Owners) Fairly thin arms, or a little sister with thin arms.

Time Required
- Maybe an hour the first time you do it.
- 10-15 minutes afterwards.
- A couple hours if you're taking pictures of everything.

Skill Required
- If you can do any other modification to your car, you should be able to do this one.

Step 0 - Before Modifications
It's stock!


Step 1 - Remove the Ashtray
Start by removing the ashtray.


Step 2 - Remove the Two Lower Screws
Remove the two screws holding the center surround in place.


Step 3 - Getting to the Center Surround
Remove the shifter surround by prying up from the rear unti the two snaps pop out, then sliding your fingers forward and popping the front two out. Then pull the surround back and up to clear the base of the center surround.
(No Pictures Yet)

(Unlike what I originally posted, you don't have to remove any screws, and you don't have to pull the entire cover off the center "hump"; just pull off the black plastic thing that surrounds the shifter.)

Step 4 - Clearing the Way Some More
Remove the screw under the ignition switch, and pry down on the knee panel to move it out of the way.


Step 5 - Removing the Center Surround
Pry the center surround away from the dash, and pull it out and inch or so. Disconnect the 3 plugs from the back (hazard switch, cigarette lighter, and lighter ring LED).


Pull the surround out and set it aside.


Step 6 - Removing the Left Surround
Remove the screw to the left of the ignition switch. This also holds the instrument cluster in place.


Pry the left edge of the surround away from the dash.


Pull the surround out a couple inches, then disconnect the tabs holding the vent in place. There are two on the left side (shown), one on the top, and one on the bottom. You can get it out without disconnecting it, but it's harder and might break something. Also, if you can't get to the tab on the bottom, it will act as a hinge, so you'll probably be OK without removing that one.


Disconnect the dimmer switch.


Remove the surround and set it aside.


Step 6 - Removing the Upper Trim
Remove the screws to the right and left of the gauge cluster. They also secure the instrument cluster itself.


Pry each end of the trim out, then set it aside (sorry, no cool picture of my ever-growing pile--I thought I took it, but I guess not).


Remove the final screw holding the bottom-left corner of the instrument cluster in place.


Step 7 - ('91-92 Only) Disconnecting the Mechanical Speedometer Cable
Note that the instrument cluster can only be pulled out about an inch, which is not enough room to get behind the cluster.


(This part may hurt, especially if you don't have skinny arms.)
You have to disconnect the speedometer cable by reaching above the A/C ducts, through a hole in the dash frame, and behind the speedometer itself. You may have to rotate the clip to squeeze the tab. Once you squeeze the tab, gently pull the instrument cluster and speedo cable apart. If you are squeezing on the tab properly, the cable will slide right off.


(You will get some grease on your fingers, so bring a rag.)


Step 8 - Disconnecting the Instrument Cluster
I'm told that the stock (turbo) boost gauge uses the same connector as the stock (N/A) voltmeter. If you have an after-market mechanical gauge, it will have a vacuum line that will have to be disconnected. I doubt it will be a problem, but I leave that up to you.

You can now pull the cluster out 4-6 inches.


Disconnect the two connectors on the left, and the automatic shift indicator if you have an automatic. The ones on top are normal; the one in the center is for the auto.


Disconnect the final connector from the right side of the cluster (you may want to come from the right side, instead of reaching all the way across). You can see the mechanical speedo connector under the blue connector.


Pull the cluster out. The thing that looks like a cigarette lighter is the '91-92 speedometer cable. You can gently pull on it at this point to get an extra bit of slack, which makes it easier to put back together later.


Step 9 - Changing the Bulbs
Here's the back of the cluster. There are 4 bulbs that change the back-lighting. The 5th bulb of the same size is for the low fuel indicator, and doesn't need to be changed unless it's burnt out.


Twist the socket counter-clockwise an 8th turn or so until you can pull it straight out. To change bulbs, just pull the old bulb out and put the new bulb in. The stock bulb has a blue-green condom over it to tint the white light.


The bulbs can go into the socket either way; there is no set positive or negative.


On the LEDs I bought, the connector wires were a little too close to the center, so sometimes they wouldn't contact the socket. I bent them out slightly and they worked fine afterwards.


Step 10 - Testing the New Look
Don't put everything back together yet. I did that then found out that my bulbs were crap. So I had to pull it all back apart to put the stock bulbs in until my LEDs arrived. Instead, connect the dimmer switch and the 3 electronic connectors for the cluster. I think you only have to plug in the middle connector, but I've heard that it might make your airbag light come on, so plug in all 3. Don't worry about the automatic shift indicator or the mechanical speedo cable just yet.


There have been some cases where the bulbs don't seem to light up, even when they are properly in the slot. Mostly it's just a bad connection, but sometimes a bulb will work in one slot but not another; try putting a different bulb in the non-working socket, and the non-working bulb in a different socket. Also, cleaning the contact points on the socket and the circuit "board" may help.

Step 11 - Putting It All Back Together Again
Once you're satisfied with your lights, it's time to put everything back together. Assembly is just the reverse of disassembly:
- Disconnect the dimmer switch again and set the surround aside
- Put the cluster in the hole.
- Connect the 3 primary connectors.
- (Auto Only) Connect the auto shift indicator.
- ('91-92 Only) Kill your arm reaching through the A/C duct, and reconnect the speedo cable. Don't squeeze the disconnect tab, and push the cable and the cluster together until it clicks. Gently pull them apart to make sure the cable is connected (that is, put tension on it to make sure it won't pull apart).
- ('91-92 Only) At this point, you may want to start the car and get up to 5+ mph to make sure the speedo works. So far it's worked every time; I just made sure the connector clicked.

- Set the cluster on the pegs.
- Insert screw into lower-left corner of the cluster.
- Snap the upper trim into place, and make sure the holes line up with the upper tabs of the instrument cluster.
- Insert the left and right screws that hold the trim and cluster.
- Loosely put the left surround where it belongs.
- Connect dimmer switch.
- Slide vent into the tabs on the surround. Press until they all click.
- Press surround onto dash until all clips are in place.
- Insert the lower-right screw that holds the surround and cluster.
- Loosely put the center surround where it belongs.
- Connect the hazard switch, cigarette lighter, and lighter ring LED. Make sure both prongs on the cigarette lighter go into the connector; one slid outside the connector and my lighter didn't work until I re-connected it properly.
- Push the surround into place and snap everything into the dash.
- Snap the knee panel up into place.
- Insert knee panel screw below the ignition switch.
- Replace the shifter surround, by inserting the tabs into the slots on the center surround, then clipping the front tabs into the center "hump" cover, then clipping the rear tabs into place.
- Put the final two screws into the bottom of the surround.
- Put the ashtray in place.
- Enjoy your success.


Other Options
Once you know what you're looking for, it's not hard to just reach behind the cluster and take out the sockets, replace the bulbs, then put the sockets back in. You still have to disconnect the mechanical speedo cable, if you have one, but you don't have to disconnect the electronic cables. You do risk dropping a socket into the innards of the dash, but if you want to try multiple bulbs it might be worth it to save yourself from the hassle of connecting and disconnecting all the electronics from the cluster.

If you are trying out different bulbs, make sure you connect the dimmer switch, or you won't get anything.

[Ben]

The LED bulbs in question that Fosley used were WLED-x5 LED Wedge Base Bulbs from Superbrightleds.com (this is where I get my stuff). Here is a link: Super Bright LEDs - Miniature Wedge Base Bulbs

[o6spdracer]

Thanks for taking the time to write this up. Did you get any hot spots on the gauges with those bulbs? Are there other bulbs that would fit besides the WLED-x5? It just might be time to do this and the rest of the bulbs too.

[Ben]

I didn't use those bulbs in my cluster (because I didn't know about them at the time). From the pics, it looks like there are almost no hotspots. Just remember that there are hotspots with the stock bulbs, so they hotspots will be about the same with LEDs.

[TreyMR2]

I went to the web site and I'm trying to decide on a color. I just want the brightest white they have. Would that be the "cool white"?

EDIT: I want it to be as close a match to this as possible. I want to get all my gauges to match a little.

[Ben]

The cool white would look like my gauges (I have the cool white):





The warm white is like a plain jane light bulb, so it is kind of yellowish

[TreyMR2]

Alright thanks, definitely getting cool white. Also you wouldn't happen to know a way to make the gauge cluster lights stay on anytime that the car is on would you? Like where they're on whether the headlights are on or not.

[ItzMR2u]

Does anyone know how these work with white face gauges?

[Ben]

Originally Posted by TreyMR2

Alright thanks, definitely getting cool white. Also you wouldn't happen to know a way to make the gauge cluster lights stay on anytime that the car is on would you? Like where they're on whether the headlights are on or not.

The LEDs are much brighter than stock, but in the daytime you won't even know that they are on. Its not like the electroluminescent gauges of new cars. But if you really wanted to, you can find the power wire for the bulbs and wire it to something that normally has power in ACC position, like the radio.

Originally Posted by ItzMR2u

Does anyone know how these work with white face gauges?

It should, just as long as it still uses the factory bulbs for light.

[TreyMR2]

Originally Posted by Ben

The LEDs are much brighter than stock, but in the daytime you won't even know that they are on. Its not like the electroluminescent gauges of new cars. But if you really wanted to, you can find the power wire for the bulbs and wire it to something that normally has power in ACC position, like the radio.

yeah, I'm just trying to get it to be as super close to a match with my boost and oil pressure gauges. I got a spare lens for the gauge cluster I might see if I can like put a light tent on it to make the lights more noticeable kinda like how my other gauges are, idk. You wouldn't happen to know where would be the easiest place to find the power wire is do you?

[honda_bar]

I think I finally found my color ben, I love the cool white.

[Ku-sama]

****... that took like 3 hours without pictures.... I have some big ass hands though... I had some severe problems with the odometer cable.... lol... thanks for the write up... I felt like punching my car a few times in the process... everything on these cars requires you to be some tiny little left handed Asian dude.

[turbo16lbs]

Originally Posted by Ku-sama

everything on these cars requires you to be some tiny little left handed Asian dude.

Haha I hear ya. I'm 6'5". Good things come in small packages though

Originally Posted by Ben

The cool white would look like my gauges (I have the cool white):

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...2/DSC_0473.jpg



The warm white is like a plain jane light bulb, so it is kind of yellowish

They look outstanding!

EDIT: Nevermind just caught your other thread. Thanks.

[fosley]

I originally posted this on the other board that shall not be named, but you might read through it just to see what some other people are doing. For instance, some people suggested sanding each of the LED bulbs down so they are flat to reduce hotspots. I tried this for my friend's Mustang (aftermarket bulbs), but while it made it brighter, it also focused the light more towards one spot, as I expected. However, those were cheap ($20) gauges, and didn't have the fancy light-spreading plate behind them, so I don't know for the MR2. You can view the original thread by clicking here, then adding "oc" after "mr2" in the address bar. You have to be a member at that site to see anything, but some of that info might be useful.

Also, here's some info about other lights in the car:

Originally Posted by fosley

What's Next?
Now that your gauges look really cool, you want to do all the other lights, right?

Without going into exact details (yet!), here are the ones that are easy:

To change the keyring, remove the center console surround, pull the knee-panel off from below the steering wheel (4 screws, you took one off in Step 4), then remove the screw on the right lower right side of the ring. Pull the keyring out, then you can see the wires leading to the bulb. Twist the socket 90 degrees or so, then pull straight out. Remove the old bulb, replace with a new 74-type bulb of your choosing. I used the "74 Wedge Base LED bulb" from superbrightleds.com.

(Automatic Only) To change the shift "boot" light inside the shifter assembly: remove the center hump cover (four screws near the back, remove the shifter surround, two screws at the front connecting to the ashtray tray), then unscrew the 3 screws holding the cover in place. You can lift the cover a little (but the shifter is in the way, preventing you from pulling it all the way off), then reach up and grab the socket. Twist 90 degrees, pull it straight out, then replace the 74-type bulb. Warning: I used the same bulb as in my keyring, and it was *bright*. I'm going to re-paint all the black to cover the cracks and see how it works then. Otherwise, it would be best to use a dimmer bulb.

(Automatic Only) I haven't done it yet, but the shift indicator on the gauge cluster has a colored film painted onto it; I think you can get that sort of thing from an arts store, then sand off the old, paint on the new, and have those lights colored. You could try changing the bulbs (they are just 5mm bulbs with two wire leads--pay attention when pulling the old bulb off the socket, because the new ones will have to go back in the same way), but they will always be tinted green.

The clock is colored slightly green, but is mostly white, so putting a filter on it changes the color easily. I chopped a flashlight filter apart, which works pretty well. HalfSpec used some colored acrylics that look good also. I tried some transparent colored paints on clear plastic, which had good color, but the surface wasn't smooth, and made the digits look funny.

To get to the ashtray light, remove the center hump cover (four screws near the back, remove the shifter surround, two screws at the front connecting to the ashtray tray), ashtray, and center dash surround, then pull the ashtray tray out of the hole. This socket doesn't twist; it just pulls out. Replace with a 74-type bulb and put everything back together.

I don't know of any DIY walkthrough for the other components, but HalfSpec has done a lot of work on them. [Edit 10 Jan 2007] He is no longer modding them for people, but you can check out his website for pictures and diagrams and this thread for some other info.

Since this forum is probably still editing my links to the other forum, click here, then add the "oc" after "mr2" in the URL again to get to the last link in that quote.

Anyhow, I live about 7 hours from my MR2's right now and haven't touched them in a while, so I hadn't really put a lot of effort into the lights since I don't drive them and am even considering selling everything MR2 related. They're a lot of fun, but life has changed and I don't know if I can afford more than one sports car right now. So anyhow, have fun with it, and I might pop in occasionally to answer questions, but don't expect it. Cheers!

[Ben]

Thanks for the write up fosley! (for those that don't know, fosley was the original author of the write up). I'm sure it helped a lot of members here and on the OC

[MR2 Drifter]

WOW!!!, I just did this and it took me 2 hours (I was modifying some other stuff as well while I had the front dash stripped)

My car was missing a few buttons and they were under the thing that holds the ashtray...when I found them it felt like christmas because I couldn't find those buttons online without buying the whole part

But yea, my dash looks great, im going to post some pics up when I get everything done

(I'm probably going to do the Key Ring, Hazard, and Ashtray lights next)
Key Ring and Ashtray are 74 wedge base LED, whats the Hazard?

thanks for the write up, if it wasn't for the pic of putting your hand through the ac duct/vent I would of probably ended up yanking the speedo cable out...LOL

[MR2-MRnot]

probably a dumb question, more than likely i overlooked it, but which bulb replaces the stock cluster lights? key ring? air control? thanks!

[MR2-MRnot]

k i found the cluster bulb (im retarded) wat about the others?

[mr2boost]

From this old post of mine seen here ( LEDs & New Omori Boost Gauge )

"I bought some of the 5 LED bulbs from superbrightleds.com in Cool White color (type # 194 replacements with the built in resistors). " = Replaces the stock Instrument Cluster bulbs.

"BTW I have blue LEDs coming to make the Climate Control lighting blue & the buttons blue except for the defrost button (RED) & rear defroster button (RED) & the out-side air button (RED). I also got a RED LED bulb for the key ring. BTW the IC small bulbs are type #74 bulbs with a base (about 15 of them) & the key ring bulb is a standard type #74 wedge bulb & the CC (climate control) bulbs (2 of them) are type #74 bulbs with a small plastic base. Looks as if superbrightleds.com sells replacement LEDs w/built in resistors for all of them. I bought what they had so I will know when I get them. Also, the buttons for the CC use 3mm LEDs which superbrightleds.com has lots of in all kinds of colors. These 3mm LEDs will have to be soldered on in place of the OEM ones (green & amber = OEM colors)."

That should answer your questions.

Daniel

[Tycoon788]

Originally Posted by TreyMR2

I went to the web site and I'm trying to decide on a color. I just want the brightest white they have. Would that be the "cool white"?

EDIT: I want it to be as close a match to this as possible. I want to get all my gauges to match a little.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...2/DSC00014.jpg

what gauges r these??