[Brian]

i pulled my ip last night to check out the connections and try to get my fuel gauge working right.

i thought after doing all the work to pull the ip, i'd pull the bulbs and replace them. better now than to have to pull the whole thing again.

i saw the three main white based bulbs that look like they reflect of the silver reflectors. but i also saw about 15-20 other smaller bulbs in there as well.

it confused me because this ip just isn't that bright - are these bulbs all warning lights?



there were also two bulbs behind the fuel gauge and two behind the volt gauge. warning lights??? i ended up braking one of them and i don't think this is a standard autozone item. any thoughts?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Greimann]

The only bulbs that illuminate the face of the instruments are the 3 behind the silver reflectors. The rest are for the warning scripts and lights. They should be standard card stock items if your place has a good inventory. Just take them in to match.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Richard]

Brian,



Yes the other bulbs are warning/indicator lights. If I remember correctly, the bulbs are separate from the bulb holders. The owner's manual shows the different indicator lights for the instrument cluster. A quick way to check what bulb lights what indicator is to remove one bulb and to hold the cluster up to a light or shine a flashlight into the now exposed socket. You can then see what lights up on the cluster.



I now know that I need to get my air bag light reset at the dealer because the previous owner just removed the bulb to hide it. He had also removed the bulb for the "!" indicator but fortunately it didn't light when I put in a new bulb there and I am showing the 1-5 okay code.



You will also see that the bottom reflector panels for the cluster have probably corroded or have flaked off. This is the main reason the cluster seems to be poorly lit. There are some fixes out there including replacing the bulbs with LEDs. I believe there are some threads here and on 968.net about this.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Brian]

thanks, dave and richard.

helps a lot.

my eyes got real big when i looked at all those bulbs under there.



my 'silver lining' has definitely corroded/flaked/burned. why didn't these guys make that thing removable/replacable? would be really easy to take it off and refinish it and put it back in. any suggestions there?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[josephsc]

Follow this: Clark's Garage on Instrument Panel Lights. Worked great for me. For the removal, rather than nail polish remover (which wasn't working), I carefully used a razor blade.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[jww968]

944 online used to carry replacement reflectors. You might take a look there.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Kim]

Brian - when I bought my white car 11 of those warning bulbs were missing and 4 were burned out. When I replaced then I discovered that my check engine oil light was on (low oil level). It was the only one with such a problem. I bought the bulbs at a Porsche dealer and put them in. It's good peace of mind.



Doe anyone know how to test to see if the low fuel light (red, I think, just past the last mark) is working? If it is not, can it be replaced?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Greimann]

[quote name='Kim' date='Feb 22 2006, 04:35 PM']Does anyone know how to test to see if the low fuel light (red, I think, just past the last mark) is working? If it is not, can it be replaced?

[right][post="16408"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post][/right][/quote]

I think the only way is to let the fuel run really low 'till it lights the light. Maybe make laps around your local gas station. I know I have done this just to see it light. You still have about 2 gallons left I think.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Brian]

thanks for all the info, everyone.



question on the reflective pieces -

does the foil just go on the exterior of those three plastic pieces? i was thinking that it should go on the inside. the light is all reflected on the inside of those things, right? or is it clear plastic with the shiny stuff on the outside like a mirror?

i was picturing removing those three plastic reflectors and finishing the insides of them. perhaps i had it backwards in my head?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Brian]

kim - i think if you pull the connector off your fuel sender in your trunk area, you can just short it out and send an empty signal to your gauge up front. it'll send the light on right away.

there's a post on this somewhere if you search for it, but it's very simple.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[SILVY968]

Can someone tell me or post a pic of the bulb(s) that illuminate the "parking lights" green panel?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Brian]

silvy - there are something like 17 warning bulbs back there that are all the same. twist in type. i tried to yank the bulbs out of the base to replace them, and let's just say that they don't come out. it's a one-piece item.

i stopped by the dealer yesterday and they didn't have any of the original porshce spec bulbs in stock, but did have a bunch of 4A0-919-040-C A2N5 bulbs for about $3 each. the origs were 1.2W, 12V. the new ones were 1.1W. i bought all he had and they fit just fine. not sure if they're going to work b/c i haven't re-installed the i.p. yet.

pet is no good on these bulbs. their pictures and descriptions really stink.



as far as i could tell, the 3 bulbs for the main dash lighting are one type of bulb (see clark's article above), the 17 warning lights have another type, and then the 4 ow/high level warning lights for fuel,volt,cool,press have a third type. it's the third type that i'm having a hard time finding. the dealer has some samples ordered in and i'll know next week.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[SILVY968]

Brian,



Thanks. I'll wait to read about the re-install results.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Brian]

a small update.

the reflective plastic pieces on the bottom of my i.p. were in terrible shape. i used some spirits and a ton of elbow grease to remove all the remaining silver coating and then masked and sprayed them with chrome enamel paint. they came out really nice. the paint takes a long time to really dry on the plastic.

i had a tad bit of overspray inside the clear plastic shield that covers the gauges, but it came off easily with a little plastic cleaner.

now, i just need one more new bulb and i'm back in business.



if anyone's upset with their gauges not being lit enough, i'd strongly suggest taking a look at those plastic reflectors first before getting crazy with bulbs.



a word from experience, besides the three main large bulbs, the smaller ones do not come out of their housings. it's one piece. don't be like me and break them trying to get them out of their little base!!!

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Richard]

Brian,



I'm glad you had success with refurbishing the reflective panels. I do want to apologize for suggesting that the bulbs came out of the holders in my post above. I was going by memory and it obviously failed me (not the first time).

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Brian]

no problem at all.

it was actually a guy at the parts store who had me convinced when he sold me the replacement bulbs to fit in the bases. after looking at the big ones, they all seemed to be the same set-up. sure would have made sense!

no big deal. bulbs are easily replaced.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Brian]

got the i.p. reinstalled this weekend after finally getting all new warning bulbs in from the dealer.

these ones are not factory original spec, but work just fine and cost 1/3 as much. they actually look a little brighter than the origs, even though .1W less power.

here's the ones i put in

4A0-919-040-C A2N5

i had 17 in my i.p. if you have a tip, you'll have one more.

there were a few blanks in the back there. i don't know what they were for.



also, i used chrome spray paint on the plasctic reflectors, and it made things worse! i'd advise against it.

i'm going to check for alternatives on-line today, but will probably end up with foil back there. should work the same.



anyone who hasn't removed the i.p. - it's really not a big deal. probably a 15-30 minute job.



if only i could get my fuel gauge to work now.....

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Anchorman]

Did you remove the steering wheel to gain access to the IP?

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Brian]

yep, i removed the steering wheel.



i don't think the ip could slide out otherwise. even with the wheel out, it's still a squeeze.

greimann had a great post on removing the wheel that helped a ton. lots of pictures for guys like me! i think if you search for cs steering wheel, he has a link to a pdf there.

i also found a great post on removing the ip. it's pretty straight forward, except that there are two screws that go up through the dash into the underside of the ip right behind the steering wheel. you might not know that they're there.



i will say that the reflectors don't work with chrome spray paint on them. my guess is that when the paint dries, the shiny surface is only on the outside. the shine needs to be on the inside. i wonder if white paint would do it??? the only other thing i can think to do is use aluminum foil and glue it in. a new reflector housing is $160. it would have been nice if the plastic reflectors were removable.



i'll suggest if you're going to do this, cover up whatever reflective finish you go with with some kind of tape so it doesn't get scratched when you re-install.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.

[Brian]

thought i'd post some info on the warning bulbs for posterity's sake.



i did find warning bulbs at autohaus, az. http://www.autohausaz.com

here's the link:

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/productx....trument%20Light

whoa, that's a long one!

if that doesn't work, it's part number 2721MF8

they're much cheaper and the real factory original. wish i had found this page before.

there are 17 of these in the ip (18 for tip).



i also wanted to note that the reflectors that i've been working on are easily removed from the bottom of the console. all you have to do is pry them off the two pins that hold them in place. no biggie. much easier to clean/refinish when they're out.

Partial Post: Please Login or Register to read the full post.