Dash pod upgrade
#61
Rennlist Member
At least on the '86.5, there is a light in the middle of the tach, presumably for some gas mileage certification purpose, that comes on to tell you you should shift. The thing is, it thinks you should always shift if you're not in 5th, you're somewhere between not touching the accelerator and "accelerating briskly," and...well that's about it. I've had it come on under 2K rpm. CLEARLY, I'm not shifting then!
I can't remember if your car is an auto, but I guess you wouldn't have this abomination in that case...
I can't remember if your car is an auto, but I guess you wouldn't have this abomination in that case...
Lol, not sure which one is the shift light up so I guess no, I didn't do anything with it. Guess I don't push it hard enough!
On the high beams indicator, it's the same bulb type as the rest, no issues at all just replaced it along with all others and works fine as you see in the pics above.
On the high beams indicator, it's the same bulb type as the rest, no issues at all just replaced it along with all others and works fine as you see in the pics above.
#63
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Howard, I'm hoping you'll have the "definitive photo" of the back of the PCB with all the bulb polarities clearly marked. That'll be a great service to the community, and with your permission, I'll update my guide with that photo and updated recommendations for bulbs.
#64
Rennlist Member
Howard, I'm hoping you'll have the "definitive photo" of the back of the PCB with all the bulb polarities clearly marked. That'll be a great service to the community, and with your permission, I'll update my guide with that photo and updated recommendations for bulbs.
I have not put my resistors inline with the pod switches yet, ran out of time today. Your parts list was excellent and saved me time and money!
I went with natural white for all of my interior courtesy lighting, I think natural white looked better with the dark burgundy of my interior, cool white looked harsh. When it came to the main instrument bulbs, I also went natural white, maybe not the best decision. Because some of the instrument/hvac/etc bulbs are only available in cool white, I think I may change mine next time I have the pod out. Since the courtesy lights and the instrument lights are rarely used at the same time, matching cool instruments with warmer interior looks best of both worlds imo.
#65
Instructor
Thread Starter
Having put most of mine in the wrong way round to start with, I'd say no as they are all working now. But do make sure you have a couple spares just in case. One other thing to note from my errors here is don't try & force the new bulbs in (easier to do when using a pair of pliers), if you can't put it in by hand (with a snug fit) just gently bend out the metal prongs until you can. The old incandescents may have warped the plastic casing with heat over the years, so not always a good fit now. Ask me how I know! lol
#66
Instructor
Thread Starter
At least on the '86.5, there is a light in the middle of the tach, presumably for some gas mileage certification purpose, that comes on to tell you you should shift. The thing is, it thinks you should always shift if you're not in 5th, you're somewhere between not touching the accelerator and "accelerating briskly," and...well that's about it. I've had it come on under 2K rpm. CLEARLY, I'm not shifting then!
I can't remember if your car is an auto, but I guess you wouldn't have this abomination in that case...
I can't remember if your car is an auto, but I guess you wouldn't have this abomination in that case...
#67
Rennlist Member
Here's some more info on this: https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...ervo-lamp.html . I also understand one of the unused buld spaces is for cat temp warning, used in the Japanese market.
Last edited by M. Requin; 03-01-2016 at 07:58 AM.
#71
Instructor
Thread Starter
Correct, but they actually don't seem to be too bright anyway. But if you do want the dimming capability you need one of Ed Scherer's units that he makes. I have one & plan on putting that in too.
#72
Instructor
Thread Starter
Howard, I'm hoping you'll have the "definitive photo" of the back of the PCB with all the bulb polarities clearly marked. That'll be a great service to the community, and with your permission, I'll update my guide with that photo and updated recommendations for bulbs.
#73
Instructor
Thread Starter
OK, need help here.
So, with the pod connected up in the car (not fully re-installed) all the warning lights look to be working as well as all the pod switches - win!
However, with the 3 wedges connected as per the instructions from Garage 9 and tested in place beforehand, the 3 wedges are not lighting up. This was the problem before I started this endeavor with the main gauge illumination not working. Time to fix it!
I'm not very electrically minded, but do have a multimeter and power test probe. Any thoughts on where to start tracing this down?
So, with the pod connected up in the car (not fully re-installed) all the warning lights look to be working as well as all the pod switches - win!
However, with the 3 wedges connected as per the instructions from Garage 9 and tested in place beforehand, the 3 wedges are not lighting up. This was the problem before I started this endeavor with the main gauge illumination not working. Time to fix it!
I'm not very electrically minded, but do have a multimeter and power test probe. Any thoughts on where to start tracing this down?
#74
Rennlist Member
The stock rheostat that dims the gauge illumination...that doesn't actually dim warning lights or pod switches, does it? Perhaps it is faulty, and basically turning those lamps off?
#75
Instructor
Thread Starter
I forgot to mention, I have a brand new one from Roger, plus I also tried it just bypassing the rheostat with a jumper wire. No joy with either.