POOR DASHBOARD ILLUMINATION .. ANY CLUES

[pomoz]

Gday guys
I have had trouble with my 87 G car dashboard illumination.
The rev counter lite is ok,though the speedo is p..s poor no matter if i turn the rehostat up it barely shines.
I had previously enquired here.
I have taken the dash out ..sort of ...changed the bulbs 12v 2.2w (mainly because they didnt have any 3w available) ...put bulb in back ...... no difference!
I then changed the rhostats over ...still no joy !!

Put the rheostats back to original state .
ummmmm .... what could be the cause?
Is there something that is in the speedo that is causing the lite not getting thru ?
At this stage i have got the dashboard... not screwed back in the binnicle in.
If no joy .. i will just have to drive it ..with the candle power it has ... well candle power is a over statement

Many Thanks
Alex

[pomoz]

back again ... i forgot to add .. that all the dash board lites are not really up to standard ... they are all very low... not like any other car .. where they are super bright .....that you dont have to be within a inch or 2 to see the readings
The console lites (heater etc) are great ..very bright and low depending how i turn it ... wish the dash board was the same

Alex

[PatHeald]

Hi, Alex.

I have a Giugiaro '87 TurboHC.

I too suffer from poor binnacle illumination, with the centre console far brighter. Even turned up to max, the binnacle is barely legible.

I guess they all do that, sir...

My speedo and rev counter are equally poorly illuminated, but I have noted that the speedo is a Smiths item and all the other dials are Tudor gauges.

Is this standard, or has my car been fitted with an odd speedo at some time?

I can't offer you a cure for the poor illumination, but merely the peace of mind that you are not alone.....

Just wait for Lotusguy to reply with his usual advice in these circumstances....... which is to hit the binnacle hard enough and everything will suddenly start to work fine.....

Only joking, Jim...

[kylie]

Hi have you tried looking at the option of white LED's, someone here has put them in their car and works like a treat. My 89 has very poor lighting as well seems a common thing.

[lotusguy]

PatHeald said:
Just wait for Lotusguy to reply with his usual advice in these circumstances....... which is to hit the binnacle hard enough and everything will suddenly start to work fine.....

Only joking, Jim...

Hey Pat,

Hardy Har Har! ...Hitting the binnacle only works if your voltage stabilizer is either going out or not grounding properly. The symptoms of this are a fluutering temp and fuel gauge or both of them running all the way to the high side. It's a temporary fix, but does work.

Not sure about the Tudor gauges, to my mind all 'G' model Esprits have Smith gauges. But you're right, they are all pretty dim. One sure fix is to replace the stock 18 ga. wiring with 14 ga. This will brighten up the instruments considerably. Hope this helps...Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE

[pomoz]

Thanks Pat and Lotusguy .... i always get a answer from you lot.

Regarding changing the gauge wiring ... from where to where ?.......is it a big job .. best done by a autosparkie.

What of these white LED bulbs that were talked about?

Why did Lotus piss around with such poor illumination?
Is it the same with the S cars too.... maybe they didnt want to scare you when you were going off the clock at nite .. adage "what you cant see cant hurt you"

Many Thanks Alex

Pat still love your 87turbo...If you are ever heading down Norwich way .. like to see u and yourcar ..and chew the fat
Amazing .. they make the Lotus in Norwich well 8 miles out of it .... i havent seen too many G cars around ...as i said about 2 ....

[cnh1990]

My 90 SE Gauges are bright. Sometimes driving in really dark non steet lit areas I turn them down to cut refections on the interior glass surfaces.
Calvin

[maigret]

I have a 1980 S2 which sometimes has dim illumination.
The panel light switch has two positions. The first gives low light, the second bright. The bright illumination doesn't always come on an sometimes requires the switch to be flicked a few times. (the lights do not go off, just stay dim)
So the problem appears to be with the panel light switch itself.

[kylie]

What did you make out of your previous enquiry on this, its all here history repeats itself??
Try searching on your own topic for LED's as you have just asked, its all there
Have a good day

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=32263&f=17&h=0&hw=dashboard

>> Edited by kylie on Monday 28th April 05:33