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HOW TO: LED Dash/Instrument cluster


wickedbuick
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Ok, I had wanted to do this for a long time and finally did it. It may not be exact to each car but this is what I did for my Regal.

This mod will lower power consumption from 270milliamps to 60milliamps for each bulb you replace. It will also make virtually no heat and last a very long time. If you have burned out bulbs in the dash, even more reason to do the mod!

LEDs offered come in: natural white(5000k), blue, green, amber, and red. There is a blacklight bulb for anyone that is into that kinda thing too lol

 

 

What you will need: (may not be the same quantities for all vehicles)

 

 

11 twist in sockets. They are Doorman 85835 and can be bought in local parts stores or ordered.

11 LEDs. I needed 7 of my color (blue) and 4 natural white for the turn signals, highbeam indicator, and low fuel light. Best thing is to confirm the quantities you need before ordering.

 

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**** The LEDs are found at http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fspecs%2FWLED-xHP5.htm ******* These are the brightest ones that fit directly in the dash without being to long or wide.

 

 

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What to do:

 

1) Remove the dash pad and/or trim on the dash.

 

2) Unplug the connector on the cluster.

 

3) Remove the cluster from the dash. Twist out the bulbs that are in there now. Set aside if you plan to keep for whatever reason.

 

4) Insert the LEDs into the sockets and then twist them in.

 

5) Plug in the cluster and turn on the lights to verify all are working. If not, flip the socket 180 degrees and try again. They are polarized so they will only work when installed in the right direction.

 

6) After you have verified all the bulbs work, including the turn signals and highbeam, install the cluster in the dash.

 

7) Plug in the cluster, reinstall any trim or dash components you removed and admire the work!

 

(To verify if the low fuel bulb is installed correctly, you will need to use a multimeter or probe to determine which contact is positive and negative. Follow the traces on the circuit board over to where it leads, and with the cluster plugged in and powered, check for power. Once you know which side is positive you will need to test the bulb/socket in a different hole to determine what side of your socket is positive. Now you can install the bulb where it belongs and know it will light up when you're running out of fuel!)

 

 

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Notice how much brighter the boost and water gauges got and how the color changed from that yellow to a white! The LED's are 5000k where the stock ones were more like 2700-3000k spectrum. Overall it gave the interior a new, fresh look and fits your style more!

 

I ordered several more LEDs and replaced corner markers, floorboard lights, ect. Anything needing a 194 bulb will take those. There are also some "festoon" style bulbs I got for the dome and map lights. Enjoy!!!!!!

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Edited by wickedbuick
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I have already rewired my headlights with a new harness I made. It's simple, only needing some wire, a relay, and a fuse holder. It boosted my lights from 11.2v to 14.4v when running! That was a big difference in output and only took about an hour to make the harnesses for low and high beams! When I can, I'll post some pics of the lights on for you to see how they look.

 

Next thing I'm working on is LED taillights. Not sure how I will approach it. Its between a bulb that fits the stock sockets, which won't be as custom looking but will be lower load and heat and much brighter. The other option is getting PCB (printed circuit board) in strips and making my own lights with component LEDS. Either way it will be brighter and better.

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don't expect plug-in bulbs to be bright for the tail/brake lights..... most of them are actually quite dim. at least get some kind of guarantee or return policy first.

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Yeah, I'm still comparing the options but superbrightleds.com has some excellent products to offer and take the labor out of making a socket style replacement for various styles. I've made several circuit boards for LED's on other projects so I'm not opposed to making my own. Brightness is one of my deciding factors.

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so we're talking $7 a bulb x 14 bulbs? so essentially $100 to make your dash brighter? I like the idea, but I don't think my wallet agrees

 

and now we see why i did mine for $.07 each by using discrete 3mm LEDs + resistor. :lol:

 

The big question- Can you dim them?

 

if it were the newer style dash/headlight switch, i would think so, since the 1.5W headlight switches control illumination via PWM, but i'm not sure about the older setup.

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This was plug and play and I could have made some myself too but I like the quality here and I am happy with the end result! I only put this out there to help others that might wanna go this route.

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so do the ones you recommended dim? Or are they full bright. I figure my lights are about 50% out, perfect timing. Where are the dimming LED's?

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I don't have a way to test that because I don't have the stock switch module. I replaced it with toggle switches and my dash wasn't bright enough as it was so I never needed to dim it. I like how bright it is now...

 

They are variable voltage, being that they can safely operate between 9-18v. I don't know how the old switches control the dimming but I would imagine it would dim but can't verify that.

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  • 3 months later...
This was plug and play and I could have made some myself too but I like the quality here and I am happy with the end result! I only put this out there to help others that might wanna go this route.

And its an awesome idea people should either take your advice and use it or get the hell out and mind there open business I think this is sweet dude keep up the good work and cool mods

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  • 1 year later...

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