Cluster bulbs replaced but still looks horrible
#1
Moderator
Thread Starter
Cluster bulbs replaced but still looks horrible
I bought some LED white and blue bulbs off ebay. After replacing the factory bulbs with the white LED's, the backlighting came out yellow. So I tried the blue LED's. It came out white-ish, but dim as hell. There's dark areas across the speedo and rpm. I thought these LED's would be brighter than the incandescents.
Has anyone successfully replaced the bulbs with something that works? The blue bulb condoms are deteriorating, so if I need those then I'll need to source new ones as well.
Has anyone successfully replaced the bulbs with something that works? The blue bulb condoms are deteriorating, so if I need those then I'll need to source new ones as well.
#2
Senior Member
I have LEDs in mine. Problem j had was bright spots, and then very similar spots. The needles were another story.
To help the blue LEDs disperse light more evenly, I sanded the tip flat and then sanded the entire bulb so they looked frosted. That fixed the dim spots and bright spots and made the gauges light up evenly. The blue bulbs are not enough to light the needles though.
This was the tricky part. I bought smaller, red LEDs. Files them as flat as I could and hot glued 3 per needle where the acrylic end of the needle would travel. Once I was sure they were in place correctly, then took black paint and painted the sides and back because the red drowned out the blue. It quite a project! Ended up good, has lasted well over 10 years. But yeah, took lots of trial and error and patience.
To help the blue LEDs disperse light more evenly, I sanded the tip flat and then sanded the entire bulb so they looked frosted. That fixed the dim spots and bright spots and made the gauges light up evenly. The blue bulbs are not enough to light the needles though.
This was the tricky part. I bought smaller, red LEDs. Files them as flat as I could and hot glued 3 per needle where the acrylic end of the needle would travel. Once I was sure they were in place correctly, then took black paint and painted the sides and back because the red drowned out the blue. It quite a project! Ended up good, has lasted well over 10 years. But yeah, took lots of trial and error and patience.