joes86vette

Hi,
The Center Section of my instrument Cluster just went dark the other day... Well I should say that It went partially dark a few weeks ago and then completely dark just the other day... Seems like one bulb went out and a few weeks later another one went out. This is only in the center section of the cluster where the fuel Gauge is located.

Rest of the cluster is fine and lights just fine... Fuel gauge also works fine as well as all gauges... Just no light in that center section.

Is it difficult to replace those bulbs? Has anyone put a write-up together on that procedure by chance?

Thanks so much!!

Joe

HlhnEast

You may have lost the ground in the center section. The solder joints between sections are notoriously prone to cracking. Look over the panel real good at all the solder joints while you are replacing bulbs. www.batee.com has a good corvette section with dedicated LCD instructions.

Good luck!

jfb

The lamps are fairly easy to replace. Remove the dash cover over the cluster and you will see 4 bright silver light reflectors over the 4 cluster lamps and they pull off exposing the lamp. Wrap a piece of overlapping masking tape around the bulbs and use a needle nosed pliers on the overlap and pull the lamps straight out, they have two parallel pins. You can test the lamp with an ohmeter to determine if they are blown. To replace the lamps, slip some tubing over the lamp and push it straight into its socket, hold the lamp with a rod while you pull the tubing off the lamp. The lamps plug into a socket that rotates and if you mistakenly rotate the lamps, the sockets are behind the circuit board and you will have to remove the cluster and the circuit board to reinstall the lamp socket, so be carefull not to turn the lamps while removing or installing.
These lights operate very hot and the sockets make connection with two spring fingers on the circuit board and the circuit board oxidizes over time and the connection becomes poor. If you replace the lamps and still have trouble with the lights staying lit you may have to remove the cluster and the circuit board so you can clean the circuit board contacts.

86PACER

It depends on weather or not the plastic bulb holders are broken. If not, you can simply remove the front trim, remove heat shield caps, pull the bad bulbs straight out, and press the new ones in right from the driver seat without removing the cluster. You'll need needle nose pliers with tape on the jaws. You can also shrink a tube of heat shrink around the bulb to grab it and have something to pull it by as long as you have a heat gun. Don't do it with a lighter. With front trim removed, turn the ignition key on to see which ones are not lighting up. Wipe your finger prints off them when done. Better yet, don't touch them with your skin.

The bulb holders become brittle with the heat of the bulb. If any are already broken or you break one in the process, then you must take out the cluster, remove the back metal cover, carefully separate the two circuit boards (this can be difficult), and install new ones from the inside while withdrawing the broken pieces. They twist into place from behind.

There are four of them. Bulb# 882. I got mine at Napa. They are not cheap and not that easy to find at the parts stores. About $9 each with holder from what I remember.

Remove the two lower steering column bolts to lower the steering wheel for extra clearance. Tilt steering wheel all the way down and unscrew tilt lever. Without removing the lower column bolts, even with steering wheel all the way down and forward, fishing the cluster out without risk of scratching something is difficult.

joes86vette

Gentlemen ~ Thank you very much for your kind and detailed Replies. This should give me what I need to tackle this one

Is it difficult to remove the dash cover?

I have done a lot of work on my 78 but not much on my 86.... So I am not as familiar with her.

Cheers ~ Joe

jhammons01

^^No, not difficult. Did you read on Batee.com??

The one thing that tripped me up was lifting on the dash pad enough to get the thing out. Just a lot of screws and plastic need to be removed carefully. But not difficult

There was on metal tab on the back of the upper right hand side that wanted to scratch up the underside of the dash pad.....I had to manipulate that....and the left comes out first.

Other than that, batee.com tells you step by step what to do.

joes86vette

Well I did visit bantee's site and I thought it was a typo in the link because It didn't seem to be about corvettes but about some guy.... Well I looked a little closer and found a link in his website regarding C4 Repairs.

I'll look at the materials tomorrow.

Thanks so much!!

Joe

86PACER

No. Open the drivers door and remove the screws on the side. The rest are along the front of the cluster front trim. You'll need to unscrew the steering wheel tilt lever to fish it out. If the lever is tight, it has a provision towards the threaded end of it for a small wrench. I pull the top edge of the trim down first. Don't let it catch the bottom of the upper dash pad.

http://www.batee.com/corvette/dcrg/index.shtml

joes86vette

Thanks a Bunch!!