ED. Posted June 8, 2005 Share Posted June 8, 2005 I will be installing the nw instrumet cluster screen tomorrow and I want to replace any burn't out lights. They all seem to be working fine except one looks a little dim. I cant see the 160 as well as the other numbers so I was curious to know if there are lights behind it or around it? Any pics/diagrams would be great. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRAND_LS 4 Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 I will be installing the nw instrumet cluster screen tomorrow and I want to replace any burn't out lights. They all seem to be working fine except one looks a little dim. I cant see the 160 as well as the other numbers so I was curious to know if there are lights behind it or around it? Any pics/diagrams would be great.Thanks! ← I have the same issue with the 160, but BARELY noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
branshew Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 I don't have any pics, but I have taken the clusters out of my '95 ES and '93 LS and they were both fairly similar. Here's what I can tell you: Removal You may want to disconnect your battery before doing this (I didn't and didn't have any problems, but it's up to you) Remove the outer plastic trim and the screws that hold the cluster in place. Lower your wheel to the lowest position and extend it outward as far as it will go to give you plenty of room. Once you get the cluster loose in the dash you will need to disconnect the wires that attach to it. There are several different sets of wires that run into multi-pin plugs that attach to the back of the cluster. These can be difficult to remove as there is not much slack in the wires and you'll have to squeeze your hands behind the cluster and use a small screwdriver or other tool to push down on the clips to release the plugs. You have to work the plugs one at a time as once each is removed it allows access to the others. Once all plugs have been removed carefully negotiate the cluster out of the dash opening and be careful not to scratch the plastic cover on anything. The Cluster Itself Set the cluster face down on a soft towel or preferrably a rubber pad so you don't scratch the plastic face. Make sure you are not standing on Carpet at the time to prevent any static while you are handling the circuit boards. You will need to remove the top plastic outer shell and possibly an outer circuit board to gain access to the lower circuit board where the backlights are accessed. There will be some thin ribbon cables that link the two circuit boards that have to be removed and possibly some other wire plugs between the upper and lower circuit boards. Be careful when removing these as the clips and pins on the cables are very fragile and can be damaged easily. There are two sets of screws that have to be removed: short and long. The short screws hold the outer circuit board to the frame assembly. The longer screws that are threaded only half way supply power between the circuit boards so make sure you don't lose any and make sure they are tight when you put them back in so that they are making contact with the board to deliver the juice through the screw (but not too tight or you'll crack the circuit board!) On the rear of the cluster you will be looking at several different bulb connectors that will be color coded different ways. The green bulb holders are the ones for the backlighting. These usually surround the cluster dials. The gray and black ones are for your warning indicator bulbs, gear selector, and turn signal bulbs. There may be differences to that setup on the '96 in terms of color code, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. Misc. Have you looked at replacing them with LED bulbs instead of regular incandescent ones? Lextech lighting offers several different combinations. For the ES they had the "sixteen" which was eight LED bulbs with 2 LEDs per bulb as well as the "thirty two" which was 4 LEDs per bulb. Lextech's site should have a decent resource for you as well. You could also try here: LED Bulbs When I replaced the backlight bulbs on my ES I used regular incandescent (but should have gone the LED route) I had trouble finding 14V bulbs. Everything at the auto parts store was 12V. 12V will work, but expect it to burn out faster under the increased voltage. I would suggest that while you're in there that you go ahead and replace all of the backlight bulbs - that way they will all be fresh and you won't have to repeat the process again later as the instrument cluster is something that shouldn't be handled too much. Lastly - if you happen to need to drive the car with the cluster out it can be done. Remember though if you turn the key to the ACC position and send juice to the car (started or not) without the instrument cluster plugged in - your airbag warning light will come on and need to be reset. Jim Walker could possibly provide some guidance here for you - do a search on LS clusters and see what you can come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ED. Posted June 9, 2005 Author Share Posted June 9, 2005 Wow great writeup that will definetly be helpful. One quick question. if I disconnect the battery how will I be able to move the steering wheel? Or do I move the steering wheel out then disconnect the battery? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ED. Posted June 9, 2005 Author Share Posted June 9, 2005 Never mind I found it. Thanks again for the writeup branshew. I will definetly be printing it of when I go to work on the car! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blake918 Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Wow great writeup that will definetly be helpful. One quick question. if I disconnect the battery how will I be able to move the steering wheel? Or do I move the steering wheel out then disconnect the battery?Thanks ← We stripped our entire car with the battery plugged in, and everything was fine. You are going to want to remove the plastic housing on the steering column. If you don't, it will be nearly impossible to get the cluster out, and you'll probably scratch the plastic up too. 1 philips at the bottom and 2 behind the steering wheel which are readily accessible if you have your car running and turn the steering wheel as necessary, and the little cover comes apart in 2 pieces. I thought the '95+ had cold cathode lighting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
branshew Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 I thought the '95+ had cold cathode lighting? ← I think you're right. I think even the earlier gen LS had the cold cathode. From what I have read I believe that only the needles, speedo and tach are cold cathode. Given the location of the dim "160" a brighter (LED) backlight bulb in that area may help somewhat. I don't know as much about the later gens of the LS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blake918 Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Makes sense to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ED. Posted June 9, 2005 Author Share Posted June 9, 2005 Does that black piece below the cluster just pull right out? I am confused. I dont want to break anything! thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRAND_LS 4 Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Does that black piece below the cluster just pull right out? I am confused. I dont want to break anything!thanks ← If its the same as my 98, you need to stick a knife into the upper two openings and push hard so the clip will release the cluster. Of course that’s after removing the screws on the buttom. You will notice on top of the cluster 2 plastic pieces, that’s where you insert the knife or small screw driver, and push. its a pain in the rear, but it will come out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logic Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 I will be installing the nw instrumet cluster screen tomorrow and I want to replace any burn't out lights. They all seem to be working fine except one looks a little dim. I cant see the 160 as well as the other numbers so I was curious to know if there are lights behind it or around it? Any pics/diagrams would be great. Thanks! Go to www.lexls.com and look at the lighting section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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