Dash illumination and that clock

AG2728

AG2728

Member
Messages
120
Nearly 4 months into ownership but last night it struck me that it was the first time I have used the car in the dark. 03 4200.

I noticed that the top RH 1/4 of the speedo is not as illuminated as the rest and also the centre clock does not illuminate with the lights on.

I found an extremely informative pictorial "how to" posted on this forum by Jagpurr for removal of the instrument cluster. Exasperatingly, it seems that removal of the A post trims and entire dash top is necessary to access the cluster, so that can be a job for another day.

I am assuming that the top centre red bulb holder in Jagpurr's pic is the one that I will need to replace

image.jpg

I have 3 questions

1) Can the centre clock be removed from the front without removal of the dash top or the info screen?

2) Is the folklore true that these clocks are sealed and that there is no facility for bulb replacement?

3) What is the purpose of the the 3 illuminated red squares at 50, 80 and 100 kp/h?
 
Last edited:
safrane

safrane

Member
Messages
16,817
The 50, 80, 100 markings are just the standard speed limits on the roads and indicated on the dash
 
2b1ask1

2b1ask1

Special case
Messages
20,256
Ok; you can get the clock out the front but it is not recommended as with the dash top off you can do both jobs. The clock has two spring clips on the back and these have to be sacrificed if you are going to extract it that way. The clock is not sealed although there is stud lock on the Phillips head screws. The light is an electro-luminescent sheet behind the dial. The problem is the ballast chip will be fried. I looked at replacing it but they are not easy to get hold of. I did replace the sheet altogether with a simple array of micro LED bulbs but even with an opaic diffuser sheet the light was clumpy and unevenly spaced. But worked well enough. Eventually however I bit the bullit and bought a replacement clock from a breaker. The EL sheet has a critical voltage to get the colour right. Keep searching on here as it is all in a thread but maybe 2 years ago.
 
AG2728

AG2728

Member
Messages
120
Quite straightforward then. Not.

I was with you up until "electro luminescent sheet", had a headache by "fried ballast chip" and by the time "opaic diffuser" had been mentioned, I decided I could live with it not lighting up at night.

Thanks.
 
Phil the Brit

Phil the Brit

Member
Messages
1,499
AG2728 said:
Quite straightforward then. Not.

I was with you up until "electro luminescent sheet", had a headache by "fried ballast chip" and by the time "opaic diffuser" had been mentioned, I decided I could live with it not lighting up at night.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Don't live with it not working, it looks fantastic at night, a beautiful glow! You have to fix it.
 
2b1ask1

2b1ask1

Special case
Messages
20,256
Found it, bottom of page 3 onwards shows my LED swap out. I still have the LED clock if you wanted to try it or copy the setup. If I repeated it I would use more and smaller bulbs to smooth it out a bit.
 
AG2728

AG2728

Member
Messages
120
Wow.

I am definitely out of my depth here.

Disturbingly I am prepared to spend all weekend dismantling my dash I order to replace a 40p bulb in the instrument cluster but the clock will remain in situ.

I will have to wait until my OCD becomes overpowering and someone is almost giving a working unit away on eBay.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.