Intrument illumination

[MagicWagon]

1981 Autosleeper - Should it have any illumination to the dials ? I only have a speedo and a fuel gauge anyway, but it's quite disconcerting to not be able to see how fast (or otherwise!) you are going or how much fuel you have left when driving in the dark.
If so, is it likely to be bulb(s) or is there a fuse just for this ?
If not, is there a mod/upgrade to add illumination ?

[lloydy]

Pull the top off the dash pod and you will see the bulbs, likely just blown and needing replacing.

[Smiffo]

I find I had to `hit` the top of mine to get the speedo lights working sometimes....
It was the blue ribbon that is a bit worn I think.

Recently changed it for another, but oddly not driven in the dark yet so don't know if it's improved.

In answer to your question though - yes, there should be illumination when your lights are on.

[marlinowner]

Speedo not lit up is an mot fail.

[MagicWagon]

Oh dear. Didn't realise it was an MOT fail.
Thanks, I took the pod off and tested the three bulbs in their holders. Two of the three bulbs are good. And I dont have 12v across the contacts on the blue ribbon thingy. The other "warning" bulbs light up OK. Could it be a fuse ? or is it something more tricky ?

[MagicWagon]

Thanks guys. Took the top of the dash a second time. It needs quite a lot of force. I don't know if it was the jolt it got pulling this off again, or my realisation that there is a control for dimming/brightening the dials, but the two good bulbs are now working. It wasn't just that I had them dimmed, as even on the dimmest they give enough light to notice. I'll see what they are like in the dark but might get some LEDs replacements from ebay. Anyone tried these ? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161979152038" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Smiffo]

Thanks guys. Took the top of the dash a second time. It needs quite a lot of force. I don't know if it was the jolt it got pulling this off again, or my realisation that there is a control for dimming/brightening the dials, but the two good bulbs are now working. It wasn't just that I had them dimmed, as even on the dimmest they give enough light to notice. I'll see what they are like in the dark but might get some LEDs replacements from ebay. Anyone tried these ? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161979152038" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Covkid is your man for LEDs - he has made a few posts on them.
Try a search Here or on the WIKI, they do look rather good

[CovKid]

I dumped the ribbon entirely and hotglued 2 x 10mm LEDs (around 99p each) straight into the light holders with a couple of suitable resistors. They won't blow in my lifetime. Purists will pay more for proper bulbs or LED copies but I can't see the point myself. I'm now modding them with tri-colour LEDs, just for the hell of it

Everything in sidelight position is all LED on mine now - saves getting a flat battery if you leave the lights on. The only bulbs (possibly) worth retaining are headlight bulbs.

[MagicWagon]

Thought maybe I could maybe use some of the leftover led strip light from my internal lighting installation. I think I'd have to use in groups of three though, so that may be too bright. And where would I connect the wires to anyway ?

[CovKid]

I tried that. Messy to connect and hard to position the strip to get the right illumination. Plus strip is not as long-living as regular LEDs. Tends to crack and part company.

10mm ones only need slight reworking of plastic illumination pods (is that what they're called?) above clocks and they pop straight in. I even hotglued the resistors down next to them. Makes it all very stable and no need for the dimmer either (unlike bulbs) which is why I got rid of dimmer altogether. I drive with sidelights on all day so dash lights come on at same time. You don't notice them on a bright day but as soon as you go under bridges or trees, the clocks are lit up perfectly. The dimmer became a more useful 'chicken switch' and just blends in.

[MagicWagon]

While we are on the subject of the plastic illumination pods, whilst investigating, I took these off and a metal plate fell out of each one, maybe (one went down inside the dash). I can't work out for the life of me where they attached, or what they are for. I put them back without these. Any ideas ?

[Tinium]

Thanks guys. Took the top of the dash a second time. It needs quite a lot of force. I don't know if it was the jolt it got pulling this off again, or my realisation that there is a control for dimming/brightening the dials, but the two good bulbs are now working. It wasn't just that I had them dimmed, as even on the dimmest they give enough light to notice. I'll see what they are like in the dark but might get some LEDs replacements from ebay. Anyone tried these ? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161979152038" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not tried any off ebay, but I got a set of direct replacement LED's from Campervanculture, nice and easy to fit and made a lot of difference:

Bright white:
http://campervanculture.com/shop/t3-das ... led-white/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Warm white:
http://campervanculture.com/shop/t3-das ... arm-white/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can also recommend getting the heater LED while you're at it. I never realised it was supposed to light up!

http://campervanculture.com/shop/heater ... golf-polo/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers,
Ben.

[CovKid]

If you're fitting low-consumption LEDs, and in this instance they are more than enough in terms of light output, the metal plates don't matter. They're basically a heat shield for the original incandescent bulbs which run hot and needed the dimmer out of necessity. As for SMDs, you'd need very poor eyesight indeed to need clocks that bright. I found getting a good light to the clocks is far more about positioning than how bright they are. We're talking night driving here. I spent several evenings trying different LED bulbs and theres a fine line in achieving just the right level of illumination. As I say, 10mm ones go in with very minor reworking and as they're not over-driven at all, they should outlive you and probably your grandkids

That said, you can attack it in a way that suits you. For me its about keeping power consumption as low as possible but with good results. If you do have to leave your vehicle with sidelights on for an extended period such as a breakdown, you want to be sure you don't have a flat battery within a couple of hours. Mine are ok for a couple of days. Theres a place for bright bulbs but I'd say dash clocks are not one of them.

While we are on the subject of the plastic illumination pods, whilst investigating, I took these off and a metal plate fell out of each one, maybe (one went down inside the dash). I can't work out for the life of me where they attached, or what they are for. I put them back without these. Any ideas ?

[MagicWagon]

Thanks. I went the easy route and ordered the eBay led ones. £10 for 4 in warm white. I will let you know the result.

[CovKid]

Wise choice on warm white