LED’s in gauge cluster

Daryl

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So I swapped out the stock bulbs for LED bulbs (from LMR) in my gauge cluster. Removed that annoying ABS bulb so I don’t have to constantly see it. I’m happy there. But... not entirely happy with the Diode Dynamics LED bulbs. They illuminate the left half the Speedo and the right half the tach. They do not get quite as bright as I had hoped; the range of bright to dim doesn’t seem very broad. And, they just don’t illuminate all the gauges well in the entire cluster.

Did I do something wrong in the installation? The bulbs seem to fit in in either direction in their little slots, but maybe they’re directional? And if so, how do you tell by looking at each bulb which way it’s supposed to be installed? Or, is this just a crappy brand? The 2 DD LED’s for the rear license plate work great and I’m happy there(result was what I was expecting/anticipating).

Would appreciate usable feedback on this as after the reinstall and that moment of anticipation... huh, not so impressive! Wah-waaaaaah!
 

ttocs

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leds have hot spots where the light is brighter and others where it is darker just because leds have a very focused light. I have often thought that if someone really wanted to make a neat gauge display rather than replacing the individual led lights, put an 4-6" led strip on the top of the gauges shining down and maybe even shining up and it would be so much brighter and even and you could also use the opportunity to do a multi colored strip and then choose exactly what color you want as well as change it if you want.

Also have you tried turning the key on with the bulb out? The ecu should try to alert you that there is an issue with a bulb not working and do so by making a very loud beeping for 30 secs after you start the car. If your really going to go this rout just do it right and stick some tape or a band aid over where it shines and you will not get the noise. Of course your abs could fail at any time or get worse since we never did diagnose the problem.....
 
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Daryl

Daryl

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True. Never went full route on remedying the ABS situation. Short of replacing the ABS leads, I did dismantle each corner and thoroughly cleaned each pin.

Those ABS sensor leads are pricey!
 

ttocs

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trust me I remember and think this rout your taking to "fix" the abs is completely wrong and I just hope you do not learn the hard way. A paper clip is literally all that is needed to do the diagnostic and see what it says the problem is.
 
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Daryl

Daryl

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Ok guys, I’ll go give it a shot. Let you know in a bit....
 
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Daryl

Daryl

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image.jpg Well, tried 2 different combos : 180’d the socket with bulb attached, then 180’d each bulb in their respective sockets. Same result each time.

Conclusion: reinstalled original bulbs. Works fine. Just doesn’t get as bright as I might like. Oh well, I can live with it!

Anyone want some (5) LED’s?
 

MyLittlePony

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they should look like this
ca887b68a31acac83a0da2129ce57ae9.jpg


You people need to drive your cars more!

I have 192k on mine. That averages about 7,385 miles! That’s considered low! Anything less that 10k a year is considered low mileage. You guys simply aren’t driving! That fuel is going to go bad. Rubber is going to get dry/hard.

View attachment 6660
Conclusion: reinstalled original bulbs. Works fine. Just doesn’t get as bright as I might like. Oh well, I can live with it!

Anyone want some (5) LED’s?

so... ...are these LEDs dimmable? And if so, is the knob cranked to the maximum brightness?
 
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Daryl

Daryl

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I don’t know if they’re dimmable . Check the pic for reference info
 

apsmith49921

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I bought some cheap ones off Amazon for like 10 bucks. Came with 10. Did the gauges license plate lights and probably do the climate control

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
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Daryl

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Daryl

Daryl

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ttocs,
How about NO! Scotty don’t! Geez, get those out a ‘70’s van with a license plate that reads,” if this van’s rockin, don’t come knocking”? Lol
 

MyLittlePony

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ttocs,
How about NO! Scotty don’t! Geez, get those out a ‘70’s van with a license plate that reads,” if this van’s rockin, don’t come knocking”? Lol

If you do it the right way, you don’t actually ever see the strip. I’m betting that was what he was trying to say. Shouldn’t look tacky at all. You are essentially backlighting everything that has the bulb removed from its socket.
 

ttocs

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exactly when its behind the gauge face and done right you should not see the strip, just the light it emits. Did you think I meant just stick it to the plexi on top? I guarantee it would be brighter and give a more even glow across the entire face. The color change is just a bonus but if you don't want it you could save money and put a white strip in there.
 

apsmith49921

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You people need to drive your cars more!

I do drive mine lol I got it with just under 27k on it in august. Been waiting on an exhaust for a month so it hasn't moved. Hopefully tuesday I get it back up and running

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

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