DIY: Cluster Removal

[smykhaisouk]

thanks kingpuba. oh and thanks to username011 for being captain obvious. i search and found this thread and instead of starting a new one, i figured i'd at least have an answer posted here for the next guy.

[until240]

FYI, bulbs are $5 each at the dealer.

[kingpuba]

if you want cheap replacements....grab leds off ebay...i started by changing the bulbs...to ripping apart the cluster..to acetoning the needles and faceplate...

kp

[falah]

i have found this link http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...nstrument.html
but i have no idea of which one will fit??

[smykhaisouk]

i have found this link http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...nstrument.html
but i have no idea of which one will fit??

these are it:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b...s%2F74_t15.htm
for those of you who just want regular bulbs at the parts store, they wont have #74 bulb but i tried the next size up#78 and it works fine. it has the same size base but the bulb itself is a little fatter. just be sure to wedge it in pretty tight. i paid 5 bucks for a pair which is the same price for leds on ebay. your preference!

[LOVIN MY EP3]

My fuel and temp light went out so I replace it... took like 5min to do it

[andre_ep3]

i took off my mph needle, and it was a bad decision cause now its off by 10 mph and i cant get it right!

[BeaterEP]

Someone mentioned that the color on the instrument panel is actually built in, like it's a tint on the gauges themselves. So do we still need amber bulbs?
Sorry, dumbass question but like some of the old posts, my center console backlight just died last night, so it's replacement time

[smykhaisouk]

yeah that tint shuold luminate amber light ergardless of what color bulb. are you wanting to remove the tint and change the bulb color?? i thought about it but im afraid imma mess up the white finish on the gauges.

[BeaterEP]

Nah, wasn't really interested in changing colors for the same reason; I don't want to screw up the gauge cluster
I just wondered if the bulbs really needed to be amber, or if the white ones are what we need.
Guess I'll just pull the cluster and see what color everything is!

Anyone got tips on pulling that trim? Is it just a matter of pressure in the right spots, or is there some other trick to it? I don't wanna break anything else on my car LOL!

EDIT:
LOL nevermind, that took all of 15 seconds to get done. Pleasant surprise, considering how many clips I've broken on random plastic bits in this car before. At least Honda made one of these easy to remove.
So, why is the bit that car thieves want to pull off so easy to get to, and all the rest such a PITA?

[BeaterEP]

UPDATE:
So, after running down to the auto parts store, here's what I know.

• The power rating for the gauge backlight bulbs is 14V, 1.4W. Same as a 74 bulb.
• The physical dimensions of a 74 bulb are too large for the sockets in the gauge cluster. Too wide around, a little too long, and the bead on the wedge end is too long/fat.
• The physical dimensions that are needed for the gauge cluster bulbs match a 2721 bulb.
• The power rating for a 2721 bulb is 12V, 1.2W.
• Sylvania, nor anyone else that I can find, makes a 14V, 1.4W bulb that will physically fit in to the gauge cluster.
• Basically, the only people that make a bulb that's the right size and power rating are Honda. Unfortunately, I can't find a part number to save my life.

So, I've got a 2721 bulb in the cluster right now, we'll see tonight if it makes a real difference.

[BeaterEP]

So the 2721 bulb seems to work fine. Planning on just upgrading everything to LED when I get some loose change, but it's a decent quick fix.

[quik6rr]

Hey, I have a quick question, does the bulb pull out from the little black plastic connector? I went to the parts store to buy new bulbs, but they don't have the plastic piece that holds the bulb into the back of the cluster, thanks!

[Jmage]

It's funny this post is getting bumped today because I was removing my cluster this morning to see how to replace the bulb. But I failed hard because everything is closed today so no new bulb for me haha

But then I had a lil problem after reseating it in the dash, my cluster RPM needle didn't work anymore, it stayed at 0. So I removed it again and took the plastic cover off to access the needle to see whats up with it. I moved the RPM needle to 1k RPM and let it drop, it was dropping really slowly, then I did the same with the Speedo needle and it dropped alot faster than the RPM. So I pushed the RPM needle a lil bit and did the same trick and it then drop to 0 at the same speed as the Speedo needle. So just to be sure I pulled the RPM needle a lil bit and tried again and it was back to slow "drop" speed. So my fix was to just push the RPM needle a lil more into the cluster and now everything is back to normal! I'm glad I found this myself hehe

Just wanted to share

[beatfiend]

So the 2721 bulb seems to work fine. Planning on just upgrading everything to LED when I get some loose change, but it's a decent quick fix.

pics please