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-   -   How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue) (http://www.mach1registry.org/forums/showthread.php?t=114108)

Stopsign32v 06-15-2011 12:25 AM

How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
I think this site needs more step by step "how to"s. So I made this one.



Use this link http://www.mikefordmustang.com/write...er-mustang.php for the basics. Even though this is for a SN95 and not a Mach 1 everything is the same up until you get your gauge cluster loose from the car.

There are two plugs that you need to press clips in with your finger while you wiggle them loose to get the gauge cluster loose from the car.

Once you get the cluster loose from the car and flip it over to take out the bulbs you will run into a white case around it (see below). Use a star screw driver to get the brass screws out.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...32v/gauge4.jpg

At this point you are ready to take out the bulbs. You need to turn the white clips attached to the bulbs counter clockwise. They are small so a pair of needle nose pliers helped me alot.

For me the bulbs were a MAJOR pain in the *** to get out the clips at first using only my hands. I then used a work set of gloves that have rubber on the fingers. Whatever you do make sure you don't squeeze the bulb too much or you could break it. Instead get a good grip with two fingers on the bulb, hold the white clip with a pair of needle nose pliers and pull apart.

Now you are ready to put in your LED bulbs. It should look like this...

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...32v/gauge2.jpg

Install the LED bulbs back into the gauges but do not install the white case around the back of the gauges yet. I'm going to tell you a short cut...

Go install the gauges back in the car with the white case missing BUT BE CAREFUL not to hurt anything behind the gauges!!! Now plug in only the plug that is closest to the passenger side. This will allow you to see which bulbs are working and which aren't without having to take everything back apart. It should look like this...

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...32v/gauge1.jpg

Now turn the lights on and you can see which bulbs are working and which aren't. For me at first only the far left and far right ones worked. I had to pull some back out and switch them around and some I had to just play with the LED bulb in the clip and how it was seated. After they all light up you are ready to reinstall.

You will need to unplug them again to reinstall the white case. When you unplug the only plug in you used to light them up, again...BE CAREFUL. The white case keeps the green motherboard from becoming detached from the gauges. So hold it gently so it can't detach and move the plug side to side, not up and down like you normally might.

After this you can use the first link again and just reinstall everything like you took it apart. Then your gauges should have gone from this....

STOCK
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...32v/gauge5.jpg




to this
























NEW
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...32v/gauge3.jpg

Stopsign32v 06-15-2011 12:33 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
The bulbs are here http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-b....html%23ipanel and are the 74-xHP3

Now if you get the "cool white" bulbs your gauges will look like this...

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...32v/gauge6.jpg

I like the factory look of white, just not the dim look. So I figured out you need to get the "warm white"

The cool white is more of a 6000k HID look and the warm white is a pure 4500k HID white look.

sideways03 06-15-2011 12:36 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Excellent. I will be doing this. Thanks :CHEERS:

cruzmach1 06-15-2011 01:52 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Nice! Thanks for this!!!

ASH302 06-15-2011 04:44 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
man thanks for the write up, i would agree for sure need more how to's and write ups, helps out alot, this one should become a sticky, also i'll prob be doing this soon, just alot better for seeing it and looks great,

would be kewl to switch mine to yellow, that would be nice,

again thanks for the write up, really helpful

ASh

my fear 06-15-2011 07:44 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
does the dimming feature still work?

frisko4one5 06-15-2011 09:58 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
How many bulbs do u need to order ?

Mach828 06-15-2011 10:08 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Hell ya. Thanks man :CHEERS:

Stopsign32v 06-15-2011 10:09 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by my fear (Post 1398229)
does the dimming feature still work?

yes

Quote:

Originally Posted by frisko4one5 (Post 1398241)
How many bulbs do u need to order ?

5

Bwahl602 06-19-2011 04:50 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
ive been thinking about doing this... what i really want to do is get rid of the green stuff in the center of the dash.. how do we ditch the green illumination of the heat/ac/trac control etc

Fenixfire 06-19-2011 01:53 PM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Id love to make everything blue in the car. Problem is my boost gauge is green to match the green gauge cluster and the green center console. Would be nice if all of it was blue. Just seems like alot of work and I dont think you can change the stock stereo to blue.

XSELLR8 06-19-2011 03:01 PM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Just ordered mine! :eyebrows::eyebrows: I'm guessing the bright white ones were the "warm white?" I didn't see any other white it could be.

Thanks for the write up and part #:hail1:

ASH302 06-19-2011 10:26 PM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
i would like to do yellow, i guess simple question can yellow be done, i'm guessing it is what ever choice of bulb you go with and that is what you get???

ASh

XSELLR8 06-20-2011 12:05 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by txmach302 (Post 1399233)
i would like to do yellow, i guess simple question can yellow be done, i'm guessing it is what ever choice of bulb you go with and that is what you get???

ASh

When I bought mine I saw the colors were:Soft white, Cool white (kinda blue), red, green (lime) blue, amber (yellow..) or purple. My order came out to $20.44 shipped.

ASH302 06-20-2011 01:53 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by XSELLR8 (Post 1399256)
When I bought mine I saw the colors were:Soft white, Cool white (kinda blue), red, green (lime) blue, amber (yellow..) or purple. My order came out to $20.44 shipped.

sweet i think i'm going to try the amber(yellow) ones, i know my amber fog light bulbs worked great, so i'm sure it will be the same for this, i just hope it looks good at night, more of where its easy to see everything and not hard, that is the only reason i did HID's on mine, is cuz its just so hard for me to see at night and when its raining and other people on the road just hard to see so the HID's help me out alot

ASh

ASH302 06-20-2011 01:53 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by XSELLR8 (Post 1399256)
When I bought mine I saw the colors were:Soft white, Cool white (kinda blue), red, green (lime) blue, amber (yellow..) or purple. My order came out to $20.44 shipped.

if the amber looks like the blue up in the picture above than it should work fine, i'll be placing my order soon, not in a rush, just glad someone did a write up on this and showed some pictures

ASh

Danny 06-20-2011 02:11 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Very cool, I had no idea we could even change out the bulbs. By the looks of it I will probably not be able to go with red because then it will all just be red, kind of a boring look picturing it :(

Danny 06-24-2011 03:28 PM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Anybody know what type of led buld we need for lights around the A/C knobs area?

XSELLR8 06-24-2011 04:31 PM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by txmach302 (Post 1399272)
sweet i think i'm going to try the amber(yellow) ones, i know my amber fog light bulbs worked great, so i'm sure it will be the same for this, i just hope it looks good at night, more of where its easy to see everything and not hard, that is the only reason i did HID's on mine, is cuz its just so hard for me to see at night and when its raining and other people on the road just hard to see so the HID's help me out alot

ASh

Kind of along those lines, my Wife's G35 has orange instrement lights and it makes the redline really hard to see. Just FYI. I think it would look cool, but I stayed with white because other than the Bullitt and Cobra R, no other Mustang up to 2004 was equipped with White guage lights. :worship:

cruzmach1 07-03-2011 01:29 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
3 Attachment(s)
Installed mine today! Went with green to match my Aeroforce Gauges. It sure was a pain in the a$$ to get all the LEDs on.

Stopsign32v 07-03-2011 08:39 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Now THAT looks good my friend!!! Did you try my shortcut to checking all the LEDs?

cruzmach1 07-03-2011 09:18 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Stopsign32v (Post 1402518)
Now THAT looks good my friend!!! Did you try my shortcut to checking all the LEDs?

Thanks! Yup I sure did

32v Mach1 07-10-2011 12:50 AM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
Thanks! nice how-to, just ordered the cool white LED's for mine

XSELLR8 07-10-2011 02:32 PM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...o/df04a1e3.jpg

Mine turned out really nice! I didn't take off the white cover on the back of the cluster for fear if messing up the mother board. I was able to remove and replace the bulbs with needle nose pliers. At first, only one bulb didn't work, so I bent the clip towards the white base of the fixture and it worked just fine. Thanks for the write up and buying info!!

NastyNate 07-10-2011 08:04 PM

Re: How to: LED gauge install (white like stock, not blue)
 
This was the FIRST mod that I did to my Mach. I also put a red and blue LED in the AC knob It looks sweet! .... STILL havent been able to get git of the **** GREEEN odometer tho!


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