Help With Digital Dash...
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 898
Likes: 0
From: Avatar Nazi Land Orange County, CA
Help With Digital Dash...
Sorry for the pic quality but you get the idea.... I jinx myself all the time... Well anyway, along with every other light going out on the Vette, add the dash to the list... along with the left side of the climate control and the top portion of the windshield washer control on the drivers side door panel, but the dash is more or less what I am curious about. As you can see it's dimmed on the right side and the tach looks to be loosing illumination as well... So is there a way to replace the bulbs that illuminate it or should I just buy new parts and is there even new parts I can buy? If so where should I look?
Team Owner
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 24,337
Likes: 25
From: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
You have a bulb out. I'd recommend replacing all four. I think 88 is when they switched from 882 to the 194s. You can supposedly get to them by pulling the circular bulb covers off the front of the plastic cluster housing. So just remove the dash bezel first.
I've done it by dissecting the cluster, and that's a cluster**** you should try and avoid, because you risk damaging it.
I've done it by dissecting the cluster, and that's a cluster**** you should try and avoid, because you risk damaging it.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 898
Likes: 0
From: Avatar Nazi Land Orange County, CA
Originally Posted by CentralCoaster
You have a bulb out. I'd recommend replacing all four. I think 88 is when they switched from 882 to the 194s. You can supposedly get to them by pulling the circular bulb covers off the front of the plastic cluster housing. So just remove the dash bezel first.
I've done it by dissecting the cluster, and that's a cluster**** you should try and avoid, because you risk damaging it.
I've done it by dissecting the cluster, and that's a cluster**** you should try and avoid, because you risk damaging it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,858
Likes: 7
From: Santa Maria CA
Definately a do it yourself job. You might not need to remove and take apart the cluster itself (kinda a pain in the azz). That will depend on weather or not the bulb holder where the bulbs are on is broken or not. If it is broken, you will need to remove the cluster, open it, seperate the two circuit boards, retreive the old broken one, and install a new bulb holder from the inside. If just the bulb is out and the holder (bulb base) in place, simply remove the cap and pull it out as mentioned above. Use pliers.
To get the plastic trim that's in front of the instrument cluster off, tilt down your steering wheel all the way. Then unscrew the tilt lever and remove it. If it's too tight by hand, there is a provision for a small wrench on the inner end of it to turn it by.
Now remove the screws on the far left side of the dash where the door closes, and the ones along the front. Pull the trim cover off. This is what you should see. There is a bulb under each on of those caps. Turn your key to the "On" positon and see which ones are out.
To get the plastic trim that's in front of the instrument cluster off, tilt down your steering wheel all the way. Then unscrew the tilt lever and remove it. If it's too tight by hand, there is a provision for a small wrench on the inner end of it to turn it by.
Now remove the screws on the far left side of the dash where the door closes, and the ones along the front. Pull the trim cover off. This is what you should see. There is a bulb under each on of those caps. Turn your key to the "On" positon and see which ones are out.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,858
Likes: 7
From: Santa Maria CA
Originally Posted by Dostovel
Well anyway, along with every other light going out on the Vette, add the dash to the list... along with the left side of the climate control and the top portion of the windshield washer control on the drivers side door panel,
I'll share the bulb specs from my '86 Shop Manual untill you get a copy for your '88. Most of these might be the same on your '88, but don't quote me on that. There's several small changes throught the years. The bulb number is generally found on the bulb itself unless it's faded off.
If you turn out to have 194 bulbs insted of 882's in your cluster as mentioned above, you'll have a much higher chance of finding the 194 bulb at a local parts store than the 882. The 194 is the most common bulb used in the car. I've always been able to find this bulb at the local Kragen store. An 882 at the dealer is over $20 each. I only found it at Napa, $9 each. No one else had it locally.
Last edited by 86PACER; Jul 10, 2006 at 05:20 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 4,931
Likes: 3
From: Fort Lauderdale FL
I had this same problem last summer and had to change the bulbs. However I disagree with the guys saying you can pull the bulbs out from the front by removing the bulb covers though. The only way I could see this being done was if you just remove the bulb itself and not the socket. I had to take my dash apart just to be able to pull the socket out with the bulb because it wouldnt pull out from the front since it was too big. The reason I say this is because when I pulled the bulbs out from the front... they usually break. So for my peace of mind, I went in from the inside.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,858
Likes: 7
From: Santa Maria CA
Originally Posted by 87vette
I had this same problem last summer and had to change the bulbs. However I disagree with the guys saying you can pull the bulbs out from the front by removing the bulb covers though. The only way I could see this being done was if you just remove the bulb itself and not the socket.
Last edited by 86PACER; Jul 10, 2006 at 08:45 PM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 4,931
Likes: 3
From: Fort Lauderdale FL
Originally Posted by vancityguy
my dash is always on the fritz too, lights go super bright and dark again... i usually don't care much though, i never look at my speed