My DIY amber/red gauge cluster

[dudeling7]

I was feeling a little bored tody and decided i wanted to change my crappy stock yellowish guage cluster to a more amber or red colour.
Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!


I went down to the autoshop and bought some red caps for the cluster globes and replaced the stock blue ones. 15 mins later i was very pleased with the outcomes.

All i have to do now is figure out what i want to do with the needles leave them white or but some red globes that light them up. So if anyone is bored and has some time this is an easy little diy you can do hehe :D

Heres a pic of the outcome. Picture makes it look a little pink but its more red in person
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v643/dudeling7/IMG_05842.jpg

Wynode edit: Disclaimer

[EG5[KRT]]

yeah i did that but then they fade and look gay pink >.<

or u could dim it a bit so it looks darker red.

[aimre]

Looks good :thumbsup:

maybe put blue ones in for the needles

[dudeling7]

damn the caps fade? hmm maybe ill get leds or something a little better later on then. yeh might try adifferent colour for needles, ill give a few a go. :thumbsup:

[lenz]

i painted my needle lightbulb blue but it turn out green so i kept it like that

[ECU-MAN]

nice look dude

PS moved to DYI section

[dynasty]

wanna show us what those 'caps' look like? im tempted to do, thanx

[dudeling7]

yeah sure ill try get a pic up for you.

Basically they are small coloured rubber caps that you slip onto the globe. Got them for 2 bucks :)

[Menthu Rae]

they're like a mini condom, but for lightbulbs :P

[insouciant]

i'm all for diy but, how exactly do you change them is what i want to know :D

[|N|]

do u have a pic of the bulb itself?
i want to replace teh bulb with red ones instead of puttin a condom on ,.... thx

[BlitZ]

where can u buy red bulbs from? no one seems to sell them

I had the condoms on mine.. they turn from red to pink to orange in 4 weeks..

do the type r's running red bulbs?

[krasyvy]

mine faded too

:-(

[ek4-guy]

cool looks like my ek vtir only d tach in mine goes to 9,500rpm not 8,500 but looks good well done

[BADHBT]

proper way to do it is to remove the actual cluster apart and work your way to removing the black face
then you use nail polish remover and slowly remove any coloured glue surounding the dials
and use led

havnt done it but remembered reading it somewhere

[NightKids]

yeah the problem is no one sells these bulbs !

[dark138]

where can u buy red bulbs from? no one seems to sell them

I had the condoms on mine.. they turn from red to pink to orange in 4 weeks..

do the type r's running red bulbs?

TypeR/TypeS runs on halogen bulbs. Direct 12V. They shine onto this red transparent plastic to give the red glow. but red wasn't really the color for me so i did this


http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/vbgarage.php?do=thumb&width=175&id=2263

[dark138]

you can use any color LEDs you buy from Jaycar. but you will also need a 300ohm resistor and solder it at the anode so it doesn't kill blow the LED.

[NightKids]

Oh damn that's so complicated, don't people just sell different colour bulbs?

[dudeling7]

Yeah i was thinkin about using LEDs but i thought that the light distribution would be in a very small area, leaving patches that are brigher that others on the cluster.

[NightKids]

yeah i think coloured bulbs would be a better option...

[dark138]

you can solder multiple LEDs in a parrallel circuit to get the same effect. (point them at different directions and such)

the only big difference between led and blubs is that leds are focused forward, and bulbs have an all round shine. And leds have a specific light specturm, so unlike bulbs, a blue led shinning through red film won't get you purple. there simply won't be any lights shining through.

[mj3610]

hey i wanted to change mine i saw them at kmart the other day, basiclaly a dome light, parking lights and the gauge cluster light (this long thin bulp) for $7, and its blue just the color i wanted, how hard issert to change the cluster light? what do you actualli have to do on a eg?

[TeMp]

TypeR/TypeS runs on halogen bulbs. Direct 12V. They shine onto this red transparent plastic to give the red glow. but red wasn't really the color for me so i did this




http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/vbgarage.php?do=thumb&width=175&id=2263



sif not go red! :wave:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90/Finson/Interior/Interior.jpg

[h22a jdm]

sif not go red! :wave:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90/Finson/Interior/Interior.jpg

damn dats nice :) :) :) :)

[NightKids]

wish i could get that effect on my eg

[panda[cRx]]

not a fan with the red on the dc5s, have never liked it :o

[TeMp]

']not a fan with the red on the dc5s, have never liked it :o

u no your lying to urself! :D

but in the foto the red looks a bit pinkish...

[STTICH]

temp..tats the best d5cr interior i've ever seen :thumbsup: :)

sif ..go red !! :p

[TeMp]

temp..tats the best d5cr interior i've ever seen :thumbsup: :)

sif ..go red !! :p


haha thx kev...

man don't u no i get another 20kw from my interior? :p

[STTICH]

extra 5kw more if the defi control units turns red as well :p

by the way vince..any of the pics taken nite turn out alright?

[dark138]

red boring...

[dudeling7]

DUde that red looks awesome! did you change them with leds? or is that stock?

[TeMp]

DUde that red looks awesome! did you change them with leds? or is that stock?

yeah most of it is stock with some after market guages

[dark138]

um... i will take a picture when i get my headunit back. all blue

[stanleym]

just finished turning my whole dash blue looks pretti good needs a lil work to fix small bits but i changed gauge cluster a/c cigarette lighter glovebox door light and auto shifter will post pics soon

for gauge cluster i used the led lights not that bad with fade

if u sue the flat tipped 10mm led wedge base it distribute the light even across the cluster i used the normal bulbs as i had them around

[TeMp]

just finished turning my whole dash blue looks pretti good needs a lil work to fix small bits but i changed gauge cluster a/c cigarette lighter glovebox door light and auto shifter will post pics soon

for gauge cluster i used the led lights not that bad with fade

if u sue the flat tipped 10mm led wedge base it distribute the light even across the cluster i used the normal bulbs as i had them around

pics!!!

[dark138]

thats cool man, i was thinking about doing that, but i am not set of whether to make my interior red or blue.

[stanleym]

pics!!!
ok i said i would get pics here they are....sorry somenoto very good but there u go i dont have steady hands like a surgeon lol

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/stanleym_69/gaugecluster.jpg
gauge cluster...... used 3 10mm wedge base led's fit in easy looks nice useing the flat tipped led will distribute the pic more evenly

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/stanleym_69/climatecontrol.jpg
prob the most difficult i ordered 5mm flat tip wedge base for the a/c i had to remove the base so i could use the metal with transistor or wateva to wrap around the already made casing that fit into the a/c light holes took a bit of time and i broke a few wires so soldering iron had to come out lol but managed and very happy no hot spots like i have seen else where

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/stanleym_69/shiftplate.jpg
fairly simple i used a wedge base again for this 5mm but had to file down slightly inorder to fit properly not a drama
i will need to remove the orange coor as it wont let blue through but that isn't to bad although light is under or infront of the 1 so it dont light up

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/stanleym_69/numberplate.jpg
very easy change didn't use led but u get the point lol

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/stanleym_69/doorlight.jpg
can see many in this the door light was changed so blue when door opens a the additional lighting for maps etc is blue aswell

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/stanleym_69/bootsubs.jpg
had to include color for the subs lol my precious hahahahaha

o the boot light and the glovebox and the door light/ map light are a festoon bulb 31mm in size i got 6 small leds oon each one will give a few hot spots but not bad

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/stanleym_69/all.jpg
all my dash lights without doors open the best i could do hahaha

let me know what you think i open for suggestions etc jus give me feedback thanks

[chalky]

Yeah where can u buy the bulb caps and how difficult is it to get behind the speedo to change them?

[stanleym]

chalky not sure where to buy the caps from buy i got led for my blue interior if u want where u can get led's from om me and ill let u kno

[chalky]

i can get led's no problemo just not sure how difficult it is to get behind the dash to change em (im no pro) and did u have any problems putting everyhin back together?

[stanleym]

pm sent to u

[bigdongers]

bulb caps should be available from Repco or Super Cheap Auto or similar shop

[Civique]

hey just wondering if it the same process even if u have a digital km display but have have a normal rpm and petrol gauge

[stanleym]

coudlnt' be positive but i have seen some1 that has changed the clock light b4 wouldn't kno how to do it.........

so do u have both digital and normal display??
if so normal display would be easy

[Civique]

coudlnt' be positive but i have seen some1 that has changed the clock light b4 wouldn't kno how to do it.........

so do u have both digital and normal display??
if so normal display would be easy

i only want to change the lights behind the dashboard, the only problem is that i have a digital km display and have been told that attempting to take this out could knock a wire connection, possibly stuffing up my readings and making my displays (eg. speedo, temp etc) go backwards upside down and topsy turvy....is this true???

[stanleym]

i cant be certain but i would think that if everything if done correctly and no wires are removed etc and only the bulbs are taken out if should be ok.....

i dont accept any responsibilty if u do attempt this and it goes wrong though

[Civique]

i cant be certain but i would think that if everything if done correctly and no wires are removed etc and only the bulbs are taken out if should be ok.....

i dont accept any responsibilty if u do attempt this and it goes wrong though

lol dnt worry im not goin to sue you :p

anyone else have any feedback on this matter???

[mocchi]

my cluster starts to melt.

happens around the screws on the cluster. the plastic area starts to melt.
gonna change it back to normal. i think the paint builds up heat from the light bulbs.
dam.

[stanleym]

serious... thats no good...
i havn't notced any melting etc what bulbs are you using....

plz dont say parker light leds
what wattage are they

[mocchi]

they are.. narva light bulbs
they look exactly the same with the original bulbs.
honda dont have these bulbs, the have smaller bulbs but same wattage.
honda sells these bulbs for like $3 each..lol narva ones cost $0.70 each.
its 12v emm cant remember the wattage.

its been 2-3 months since i did this amber cluster thing.

:zip:

[newmski]

does anyone have templates of the actual gauge faces for an eg civic. my friend just did his supras and it actually look really good too my suprise so i wanted to give it a whirl

[RIVAL]

i painted my cluster bulbs with amber die you get like a nail polish brush with it worked really good no problems at all at it been about 4 weeks since i did it, and i did my climate control ones, dont bother with the climate control ones unless you have time on ur hands

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/Rival00/amber.jpg

[Civique]

i painted my cluster bulbs with amber die you get like a nail polish brush with it worked really good no problems at all at it been about 4 weeks since i did it, and i did my climate control ones, dont bother with the climate control ones unless you have time on ur hands

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m85/Rival00/amber.jpg

nice goin :D very innovative!!! but where did u get this die from??

oh and i was quoted $20 for a pair of green led's to replace the normal ones ion my dashboard (and i would need 5 bulbs so that works out at 60 big ones + another largish globe aswell), does any1 think this is a bit pricey???

[RIVAL]

i got my die from a shop called Sprints i dont know if u have that shop but im in adelaide, they should have it at supercheap auto and autobahn if you have them shops

60 bux to change the colour damn thats quite abit for a little diy, my die was $7

[kraiye]

nice goin :D very innovative!!! but where did u get this die from??

oh and i was quoted $20 for a pair of green led's to replace the normal ones ion my dashboard (and i would need 5 bulbs so that works out at 60 big ones + another largish globe aswell), does any1 think this is a bit pricey???

did u try dick smiths?

[nigs]

Here's mine done and installed by "lenz"
Bulbs were $5 a pair if I remember right, used 3 pairs.

They didn't fit snug so we wrapped some paper around edges.
We short circuited one cluster though T_T
I was lucky enough to receive another one for free 20 mins later.

I've only had them go out once and my ride is pretty rough and bouncy.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i55/vteclol/eg_interior_04.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i55/vteclol/eg_interior_02.jpg

[dudeling7]

yo nigs did u buy red bulbs? coz i used red caps and hey fade after a few weeks!! where can i get red wedge bulbs which are not led

[nigs]

Bought mine from a place called 999 Automotive.

Yer don't use LED, apparently they just give you spot light affects.

[wildom69]

Since we're on the topic....anyone know how i can make the needle glow?? Do i need a bulb or do i paint it? Coz i put in blue LEDs behind the cluster and its kinda hard to see the needle in the dark. But i like what you did with the climate control...might do that later when i have time.

[A.G.System]

The needle is lit up by the 2 globes that face the dash.

If you look at the cluster from behind usually they are the top bulbs on either side. (once cluster is out youll get the idea)

i replaced mine with blue on my old EK and left the dash the reddish orange i had and looked pretty cool.

[dudeling7]

on a DC teg they needles are lit up from behind rather from above.

tegs have a transparent needle that lets light run through it while EK's have opaque ones that reflect the light shining onto it.

LEDs are not really good to use as they do not cover a large area unless you have the right ones.

[nrl_bulldogs]

I used Tamiya Clear Red Acrylic paint (had it for a model car) on my globes and they turned out pretty well. Will take some pics later. I wanna do the climate control as well. Is it possible to change the demister light? Which globes on an EG light up the needles?

http://users.tpg.com.au/quocle/guages.jpg

[A.G.System]

id say that by looking at that diagram its the top center one.

The other 4 gauge lights if you notice are on an angle and follow the basic light pattern.

[LIV3]

by any chance you got the steps it took to change to red/amber?

[Yasakani]

I want to know how you actually get to the cluster, i.e, how to remove the plastic in front of it, etc.
Sorry, I'm a noob when it comes to DIY, but it looks really funky I want to give it a go myself. :D
I'm guessing it would be the same for most Hondas?

[A.G.System]

You dont have to remove the plastic of the cluster because all the globes are able to be accessed from th rear.

IF you do try to remove the plastic be VERY careful because if you break one of the tabs you will need to find a replacement lens/cover.

[dsp26]

does anyone have a pic of the rear of the cluster... the diagram above is vague with the LED caps as it doesn't show which ones are T10 and which are T5...

[dsp26]

oh btw i posted this LED shop in another thread:
http://stores.ebay.com.au/warden-jp2002_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

have all the common colours and are by far the brightest EVER!!

heres a sample of the white ones in my NX coupe:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/dsp26/Dash.jpg
http://www.wardenjp.com/1wled78.jpg

[D4rk4n63l]

damn, those needles bright...

[stanleym]

yea too bright imo .. crazy hot spots....

[dsp26]

^^^no it wouldn't normally do that.. it's coz the dial faces i got were translucent and just painted over hence why light goes through the whole face...

but yeah i agree about the hotspots..... these things made great parkers though!!!

the alternative i had before that didn't have hotspots and was damn wide and bright was:
http://www.wardenjp.com/5led18.jpg
or
http://www.wardenjp.com/1led73.jpg

[dsp26]

anyways don't wanna hi-jack the thread as i did have a legit question i think...

can people please advise how many T10s and T5s in TOTAL there are for their cluster and list the vehicle model.

And original thread poster keep the first post updated. i'm sure it'd help everyone plan ahead.

Thanks in advance

[Yasakani]

You dont have to remove the plastic of the cluster because all the globes are able to be accessed from th rear.

IF you do try to remove the plastic be VERY careful because if you break one of the tabs you will need to find a replacement lens/cover.

From the rear?
You mean from under the steering wheel?
Are there any screws to take out (any covers?), and how easily is it to access the cluster lights?

[kazam]

if i wanna change the colours 2 blue, do people reccomend replacement LED's or caps?

[dudeling7]

ohh man i started this thread ages ago wen i had my civic. now i have a teg.

in my civic i think it was 2 T10 bulbs and 3 T5 bulbs (t10 parker type t 5 smaller)

in my teg its just 3 T10 bulbs.

[lenz]

dont use LED's as they shine 1 direction or caps.. get colored bulbs or get paint and dip them as u see nigs pictures on page 5 he is using colored bulbs..

here is a pic of mine wit paint dipping

[Yasakani]

dont use LED's as they shine 1 direction or caps.. get colored bulbs or get paint and dip them as u see nigs pictures on page 5 he is using colored bulbs..

here is a pic of mine wit paint dipping

Looking good :thumbsup:
How many bulbs did you change in total, lenz?
How many were T5 and how many were T10? Or any other types?

[Riviera]

love this photo lol made it to my display picture and background hahaha

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u148/Riviera001/eg_interior_02.jpg

im very keen will do this to mine

oh yea you could look at using flurescent paint on the needles and maybe setting up a black light like a UV led over each
cluster

speedo
tacho
fuel/temp

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u148/Riviera001/acr-uvpaint_250.jpg

make em glow?

[thebob]

Can you do the climate control lights aswell? Whats envolved with that. I have a CTR clutster which is orange and the standard Climate control which is white/ green.

[Yasakani]

Anyone know what bulbs (and how many of each) are used in the clusters of the EK/EM1??
T5? T10?

[int3gra_r]

Anyone here in Melb interested in this DIY? I've got an EG, and I'm planning to change the bulbs in my cluster and cliamte control. Just wondering if anyone is interested in getting it done together?

[dsp26]

holy crap.. not sure if this is the same for EG/DC but i just took off my Del Sol cluster and ALL the bulbs are T5s.

x8 for all the warnings/signals/etc
x7 for all gauges inc fuel/temp

HOWEVER, the T5/286 plugs only hold bulbs of 4.6mm any that have the widest point well beyond 5mm will not be able to screw it back on...

Unfortunately, I cannot find ANY T5 LEDs anywhere that are under 5mm... looking to buy plugs that have a wider fit at this stage... damn ay.

[xtat1k]

i just used 3 t10 blue LED's, it shines quite good but you can see where the lightbulb sits its abit brighter than the rest of the cluster. Will LED's melt the plastic surrounding my cluster? and could anyone tell me which bulbs r used for the climate control? thanks.