What a Pain in the "Arse"

[DBMaster]

I took apart my instrument cluster for about the fourth time in 17 years to replace the D4 bulb. This time I replaced it with a blue LED and 1K Ohm resistor. The result was a nice teal colored frame around D4 instead of the usual green. Maybe now I won't have it burn out again for a long while.

Unfortunately, when replacing the screws that go behind the temperature and fuel gauges the brittle plastic risers cracked a little which allowed the metal inserts to twist and break the hair-thin copper winding wires. To make a long story short when I put the cluster back in and turned the key to ON the temp and fuel gauges went right to their topmost positions - SHIT!!

I played with some fine wire and the soldering iron for about two hours and ended up NOT being successful so it is off to the junkyard tomorrow to buy a cluster just to yank the temp/fuel gauge assembly.

On the off chance that I can't find one does anyone here have a cluster from which they are willing to sell me this assembly? On my cluster the needles for these gauges point to the middle rather than the outside. I would pay up to $20 and provide you with a UPS account number for shipping, or just give you $5 to ship priority mail. Good thing I have my girlfriends Civic in the garage. I could drive mine the way it is, but I am just too pissed off right now.

Moral of the story: Don't be an anal retentive weenie-boy and worry about something as trivial as the D4 light. Note to Honda: The shift indicator lights should have been LED's from the factory since one of them is on ALL THE TIME and requires a good amount of disassembly to replace!

If I had known about this I would have replaced the light with an LED the first time it burned out in 1996. SOAFS!!

Later, friends.

[DBMaster]

Well, I got the gauge assembly at a local wrecking yard. It cost me, coincidentally, $20. I did learn that even though the Denso gauges look the same for the temp and fuel part they are not interchangeable with the NS gauges. Later!

[DBMaster]

Well, here are the results of my little project. I was feeling a little nostalgic for the flourescent orange needles that my old Pontiac had so I painted mine while I had the thing apart. Also, note the D4 light which is now lit by a blue LED. It takes such small things to keep me happy...

[speedpenguin]

Looks good!
But your D4 light seems to be glowing more on one end than the other. Anyway

[DBMaster]

That is true. The lighting is not even all the way around the frame due to the very directional nature of LED's as compared to light bulbs. I am just happy about the fact that I have a light there again and hopefully it will last for the car's remaining life. After my recent experience there is no way I am messing with the cluster again, anyway.

[speedpenguin]

Makes me happy to have a manual

[Blkblurr]

If you want to get rid of the directional aspect of led's use sand paper to rough them up a little. This will difuse the light much better. I relplaced all the bulbs in my cluster with led's

[DBMaster]

If you want to get rid of the directional aspect of led's use sand paper to rough them up a little. This will difuse the light much better. I relplaced all the bulbs in my cluster with led's

NOW you tell me!

Seriously, though, I will remember that for the future. Last time I had the cluster out i did replaced ALL of the bulbs in it. I wish I had known at the time that you can buy LED assemblies in sockets that replace those little bitty bulbs.

Now is the time for me to leave the frickin' thing alone and just drive it. It is going to need a T-belt and oil pump (serious leak) pretty soon so I will be spending plenty of money on it for the time being. I have decided to let Danny's Import Service do it this time. Twice was enough for me and they treat my car with respect.

[Stock89LXi]

DBMaster, I have a Chilton's and was reading about how to get to that same dumb "D4" light that just went out on me. Is it true you have to take the panel off of the headlight switch area off as well? Is there a shortcut or a better way that you've discovered after doing this at least 4 times in the past? or should I just follow the book? Since it's only the one light so far, I was thinking maybe I should not attempt it because like in your case the fuel and temp gauge went a little crazy. I also did a search and found a diagram of the switches that one can get at under the visors but that won't help with getting that D4 bulb replaced. So yeah, if you or anybody has some helpful hints, I'd appreciate it.