Post by bobsblue95 on Jun 5, 2011 18:08:41 GMT -6
LED dash lighting has been done by a few members now, and changing out general illumination bulbs is pretty straightforward with off-the-shelf led replacements. This is not about instrument lighting.
The HVAC controller has 20 leds soldered to the board, and this thread is to show the work involved in changing those, hopefully encouraging more to attempt it. I will not show every step of dash disassembly, etc.
First, to get the HVAC unit out, you have to loosen the top dash pad. Remove the two screws (there's a third you have to pull the console to access, but we don't need to remove the pad completely)
Pull the pad toward you and up, just enough to get a screwdriver on the right side HVAC screw. Remove the remaining screws holding in the HVAC controller. Hold the bottom with one hand and reach behind to press the release lever on the connector, which slides straight up to remove.
Now unplug the two internal connectors and remove the faceplate, hold face down so the buttons don't fall out. Unplug the two connectors for the knob encoders and remove the board.
To remove the 20 leds, I recommend first adding just a touch of fresh solder to each pad, melting the old and adding a bit of new. Next, hold the soldering iron tip across both terminals of one led and pull it out with the other hand once both terminals are melted.
Now replace the leds, making sure to put the short lead in the hole marked with a black dot on the board. If you're fast and prepared you can probably do all 20 in about an hour. If you're like me ("He's not good, but he's slow!" haha) you'll take a few breaks in between sets and spend 2-3 hours on this step.
Reassemble the controller, plug it in and test before putting the dash back together...
It looks great, but they are just too bright, especially at night. I decided to fix this with a little silver model paint. Just a tiny drop on the center of each led...
And the results look much closer to the original brightness! I LOVE it!
Dash reassembly is the reverse of disassembly!
And yes, my outside temp gauge reads a bit high when it's hot out. Actual temp was more like 99.
The HVAC controller has 20 leds soldered to the board, and this thread is to show the work involved in changing those, hopefully encouraging more to attempt it. I will not show every step of dash disassembly, etc.
First, to get the HVAC unit out, you have to loosen the top dash pad. Remove the two screws (there's a third you have to pull the console to access, but we don't need to remove the pad completely)
Pull the pad toward you and up, just enough to get a screwdriver on the right side HVAC screw. Remove the remaining screws holding in the HVAC controller. Hold the bottom with one hand and reach behind to press the release lever on the connector, which slides straight up to remove.
Now unplug the two internal connectors and remove the faceplate, hold face down so the buttons don't fall out. Unplug the two connectors for the knob encoders and remove the board.
To remove the 20 leds, I recommend first adding just a touch of fresh solder to each pad, melting the old and adding a bit of new. Next, hold the soldering iron tip across both terminals of one led and pull it out with the other hand once both terminals are melted.
Now replace the leds, making sure to put the short lead in the hole marked with a black dot on the board. If you're fast and prepared you can probably do all 20 in about an hour. If you're like me ("He's not good, but he's slow!" haha) you'll take a few breaks in between sets and spend 2-3 hours on this step.
Reassemble the controller, plug it in and test before putting the dash back together...
It looks great, but they are just too bright, especially at night. I decided to fix this with a little silver model paint. Just a tiny drop on the center of each led...
And the results look much closer to the original brightness! I LOVE it!
Dash reassembly is the reverse of disassembly!
And yes, my outside temp gauge reads a bit high when it's hot out. Actual temp was more like 99.
