I have a number of instrument kights that are not working, including the radio. I checked the fuses and they seem fine. How do I trouble shoot and replace bulbs if needed? Can this be done with everything in place or do you have to start removing the dash? Hoping it's possible with everything in place! Thanks
Hope you have small arms! The dash lights can be reached from underneath if you can physically fit. Plastic base that twists into the back of instrument housing. Clock/tach. location has two light bases that push in & they will be attached to a pair of grey wires. Wiring for the others is incorporated into the printed circuits on the housings. Radio has to come out as the light bulb is on the top. May be possible another way but I haven't found it. Take the radio out first & this will allow better access to the instrument lights. Look at a chassis manual for bulb types. They are not all the same.
It's worth the effort. I replaced my 36 year old bulbs and I love driving the car at night because the dash now looks awesome! I actually removed the dash and replaced the bulbs and got new llenses from Year 1.
Much easier with the dash out ! If you try it with the dash in, watch out for sharp metal edges and projections that will try and bite you - you also run the risk of disturbing electrical connections that don't take kindly to being jostled. Removing the dash pad, radio, or ash tray (if it has one), may give easier access too ! :beer :TU:
Removing the dash? OK - so I can see where it will be MUCH easier if I take out the dash for this project. The person I bought the car from had recently replaced the instrument housing with a rechromed unit and he also replaced the lenses. He also told me that the bulbs were all replaced yet there are many that do not work. Also, the clock does not work. So, can you guys provide a step-by-step guide to removing everything and puting it back into place? The person I bought the car from said it took him most of a day to replace the housing and lenses. Also, what's the best route for repairing the clock (who do I send it too?). Thanks!
You have to remove the dash pad and there is a risk of cracking it. Look at www.Buickperformance.com for the instructions.
Give this a try yourself. The mechanics are simple. a drop of household oil and you see the mechinism start working again. Once the spring winds down it will hit two contact and reload again via eletrical charge. Clean contacts with very fine sand paper also. Worked for me...up and ticking now for more than a year.
I replaced my bulbs with most things in place. I just took out the radio, and ash tray, as well as the insert with the trishield logo on the very right of the dash. I was able to reach most items through the radio hole, and the others, i reached down from underneath. I would have taken the dash out again, but i already went through that and put it back in, so i didnt wanna do it again. When taking off the dash pad, dont forget the two bolts on the right side, and in the middle, i cracked mine because i didnt know about them. Reaching is made easier, if the seat is all the way back, and you lie kind of upside down, with ur head near the pedals and ur feet at the top of the seat . Get creative, reaching isnt easy. And have some bandaids handy.
OK - I've started my BULB replacement project. I really started out thinking I was going to simply replace the radio bezel with a new rechromed unit. But, since I already had the radio out I thought I would remove the clock to try to get it working. Once I got this far it seemed like I might as well "go all the way!" I did clean and oil the clock and it is now running and keeping accurate time after more than 36 hours of testing. I also polished the lens and it looks like NEW!! I did find a bunch of bulb sockets without bulbs altogether. So, I need some help with knowing what bulb part numbers I need to get in order to replace things. My thinking is to replace ALL BULBS since I will have easy access at this point. Also, is there a BULB for the radio so it lights at night? The radio is dark also so I'd like it to work correctly as well. Here's what help I need: List of bulb part numbers for the following items. Also, is there a newer brighter bulb option for each of these? I'd really like to the illumination at night to be very easy on the eyes: - instrument illumination (Speedo, Oil pres., Fuel, Temp) - turn signal indicators (L & R) - clock illumination (sockets are different from others) - High Beam indicator bulb - RADIO Bulb - Anything else I'm missing I'm hopeful that these bulbs will be available from the local autoparts store. If any of these are special order items lease tell me where to get them. Thanks everyone!!!
With the right bulbs you will notice the speedo a little brighter than the clock & gas on either side. I repainted the inside of the instrument housings a few years ago while the car was apart. Speedo 2 # 194 for back lighting. fuel guage & ind. lamps 2 # 194 lower & 1 # 161 upper. Turn signals 2 # 194, clock 2 # 1893, hi-beam 1 # 194, radio 1 # 1881. Water temp 1 # 168, oil pressure 1 #168, generator 1 # 168, brake warning 1 # 168 glove box 1 # 1893, ashtray 1 # 1445, map mirror 1 # 563. Should be stock at Carquest or NAPA. I believe I had trouble with the # 1881 & used # 1893. Both are 2 candle power.
Look for the GE Nighthawk bulbs. They are much brighter than the regular bulbs, and make a big difference in the gauges. Wal-Marts carry them.
I bought some 1893 bulbs for the heater control light sockets but they do not appear to work in the CLOCK sockets, they seem different. Are these suppose to use the same bulbs? I'll check again. I like the idea of the GE Nighthawk bulbs they only seem to offer the 194 bulb. Will the dash look strange if ONLY the 194 bulbs are the Nighthawks? Thanks!!!
Chassis manual shows # 1893. My manual is for '71 but I'd bet '70 was the same. Original sockets on the gray wires for the clock?
Yes, single GRAY wire for clock. The sockets for the heater were 2 wire and the bulb fit better. I tried the 1893 in the Clock sockets and doesn't want to seat into the socket. I will try again as I could be wrong. Thanks for double checking. Where in hte manual are you finding the bulb part numbers? I have a 1970 manual and the wiring/dash diagram does not show bulb part numbers. Thanks!
Update Well, here's an update on my little project. I removed the entire dash and instrument cluster. It was actually easier than I expected and following the instructions from the link Jim provided was very helpful. Once the cluster was removed I took each gauge out and removed the lenses so I could polish each one. They came out very nicely. I also took each gauge apart to clean the inside and carefully clean the gauge face to remove dirt and dust. I used those cans of air for cleaning computers to blow out the gauges. I also replaced ALL the instrument light sockets and bulbs, using the GE Nighthawk bulbs as suggested. I had to go to 2 different Wal-Mart stores to get enough bulbs. I tested each one before reinstalling. The clock never worked so I took it apart and cleaned and oiled it. It kept perfect time during a 48 hour test. I was having trouble with the light sockets looking different from the others. I finally realized that the metal bulb retainer and socket clip was missing. I replaced those and they work great. Once all the gauges were removed I took the headlight switch and lighter out. I posted in "Parts Wanted" looking for new ones and "Bruno" from New York is sending me both. I also had a new set of woodgrain decals so I installed them and it really makes the dash cluster look like new. I took the Heater Vent control out by disconnecting the cables. Then I took it apart and cleaned the 37 year old grease and dirt so the levers would move smoothly and easily. I put some lube on the sliders and reassembled. I did notice that the BLUE cable has the Clamp bracket broken on the cable end. Any ideas on how to repair this so it can be secured to the bracket? I also have the radio out and cleaned it up to look like new. I needed to replace the bulb since it was burnt out. I noticed what appears to be the REAR speaker wire under the dash, even though my car supposedly did not come with this option. Is that standard, to have common wire harness to support all options regardless of how each car was equiped? My BIG task remaining before putting everything back together is to strip and repaint the dash metal framing and the steering column. I need to make sure I use the correct paint and finish so I'm researching that currently. I also need to overhaul the steering column LOCK. I haven;t figured that project out yet so I'm looking for advice and a "how-to." More to come later.... Thanks for the help so far!
Re: Update Find some thin sheet metal to make a "clamp" to wrap around the cable. A soup can or coffee can lid is about the right gauge. A Dremel tool would be handy for this. After you wrap your clamp around the cable, mark and drill a hole to install the screw that will retain the cable to the control unit. Trim off any excess metal before you secure it.
I was wondering, does anyone know of a LED bulb that will work in a dash, and dim? I haven't found any, but I think that my Electra's dash would look good with LED's and I'd never have to replace them again!
