Hey all, my inst cluster is pretty dim at night, I bought some white face guages and they helped some but I still wish it was brighter. What can I do to make it brighter? I have whatever the stock bulbs are in there and I was thinking of putting some LED's back there.
mine too... it is only bright when i get off idle...the alternator is putting out more. i imagine if i used a ballsier alt, it would be better. my 70 isn't so bad tho.
Solution Even with clear glass and all the lights working properly, they aren't very bright! One easy solution is a flashlight and a GPS sensor to check your speed. lol
Dim Lights Somewhere in the archives is a post on another bulb replacement that will cure the problem. Should have written the number down myself. Been awhile since it was posted though.
I am changing all my bulbs out for LEDs. Blue and white ones for that light blue light effect and adding a dimmer switch to controll the brightness.
Hey Doug, my dad used to have a candle stuck to his dash he would light for a defroster so I guess the flashlight ideal would work!
If the bulbs are used for any period of time they get dark deposits inside. I cleaned all of the socket contacts and the printed circuit connection to the cluster, put new bulbs in, and painted the inside of the cluster flat white. Made a noticable difference. What made the biggest difference though was the installation of a modern 80 amp alternator.
Lights My lights are nice and bright in my '77 Maverick---when they are working. (About 80% of the time). I guess the contacts on that goofy circuit board vibrate? To think we sent a man to the moon with this technology!!! I'm not putting down the design, a flashlight works quite well. lol
This was a question I was going to ask. Mine can be on the dim side as well... although when I have the car at idle I get super nova lights. I've recently replaced the original altenator with a 70 amp (go figure that I replace the altenator and a week later that went and had to be repaired!!). I had a problem with the dash lights coming on when I put my foot on the brake pedal and the car was off (lights off too), which was the first clue that something was not quite right. Ever since then and the altenator and battery replacement I've noticed that when the car is idle I get the super nova dash, then as I drive they tend to dim, almost to the point of not being able to see. Its most noticable on the side where the fuel gauge is, not so much on the speedometer side although it gets a bit dimmer on that side as well. Should I see if a bulb replacement will help? Or is this something to tear the dash apart to do? How do you replace the bulbs?
Sounds like someone has been performing some wiring “upgrades” to your car. The only thing I can think of that is common between the dash lights and brake lights is that power for both passes through the headlight switch. Are your headlights, tail lights, or markers affected? My car has Shelby tail lights and when I apply the brakes those six bulbs alone draw almost 10 amps. They used to cause the head light switch’s built in circuit breakers to do strange things because the contacts got pitted. I ended up jumpering the breakers, adding heavier gauge wiring and external circuit breakers. I also had intermittant electrical problems that I eventually tracked down to the fuse block interface at the firewall. The fuse block is made up of two pieces, one in the engine compartment, the other under the dash. they plug together through the firewall. Those contacts on mine were very corroded. Had to take them apart and clean them. That was about 10 years ago and I haven’t had any problems since. The dash cluster is easy to take out. Just remove the two screws at the top of the gauge openings, reach up behind the dash and squeeze the plastic end of the speedo cable and pull it out, tilt the cluster down from the top, lift the tabs out from the bottom of the opening. You may have to remove the steering wheel depending on what type you have. The bulbs just twist into the rear of the cluster.
ty... i'll check it out. I had a blown-out bulb in the drivers side rear marker and I've replaced it, but noticed that it didn't work right away. I'm thinking that maybe there is a loose or semi-broken wire, which worries me a bit, a little bit of messing with the wire made it work right. The headlights seem to be affected as well. They will go semi-super nova then calm down, but not to the point where I can't see where I'm going. I drive this car daily to and from work and I come home when its dark so I notice the lights brightening and dimming pretty much all the time.
