Gauge cluster removal/ LED bulb install

1. Pull cluster a. Remove scuttle vent covers in front of driver i. Three obvious screws in leading edge, two hard to get to upside 8mm(?) hex head screws on trailing edge b. Disconnect speedometer cable union in vent area (unless you have a one-piece cable) c. Remove 5 hex head bolts from perimeter of cluster lens d. If your steering wheel comes off easy, pull it, if not, don’t bother e. Standing outside the car with door closed but window down; push (gently) on speedo cable with left hand while pulling (gently) on trip meter knob until it starts to come out, then grab the edge of the cluster and tease it out a bit (not all the way yet) f. Disconnect the speedo from gauge i. Reach behind and undo the screw or sleeve fitting and just leave the short cable lay back there for now g. Disconnect the three wiring connectors i. These come apart with a wiggle and a tug h. Cut the O2sensor timer wire (FI cars) yellow/red (or just yellow), it’s the only wire that isn’t in a connector of some sort, don’t sweat cuttin’ it, you can strip the ends back and wire nut it back together if you want the silly light to work i. Wiggle the cluster out past the steering wheel 2. Remove cluster lens a. Remove 4(?) black Philips head screws from the back and separate the two halves 3. Remove light diffusers a. There are 4 plastic “globes” that the 4 main gauge lights live in, they “diffuse “ the light but will be in the way of the LED, I’ve tried smaller LEDs that fit they didn’t do the job i. Method one: man up, grunt and go; 1. Put a small screwdriver handle or dowel or something into the diffuser from the backside, put it on the bench so there’s pressure pushing “up” on the thing from the back, grab the front side with a pliers, there’s flat spots on ‘em but it doesn’t really matter, squeeze a little, twist pull and push, they come out pretty easy, few splinters of white plastic will come off but do you really care? I don’t. ii. Method two: skittish and afraid; 1. Find every plastic “weld” that mates the circuit board to the rest and “undo” them with dremel sanding wheel or exacto knife or whatever, then when all separated you can just take the diffuser globes out from the between the two halves and start putting the halves back together, using super glue or a solder gun to remelt the “rivots” 2. I did method two once and have used method 1 ever since, it’s just too much work to take that stuff apart when you’re never putting those diffusers back in anyway, trust me, you won’t care 4. Put everything back together 5. Optional but recommended; lightly clean with fine sand paper or whatever, every nut/washer contact point and bulb holder contact point 6. Put new LEDs in main cluster bulb spot (74), put a 12 volt source on the tabs in the diagram below (outlined in yellow, diagram courtesy of Bob Brown!), if they don’t light, rotate bulb 180 degrees (LEDs are polarity sensitive so will only work one way) 7. Reassemble

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