Hi-vis Dash Conversion

[Dice]

Needle is not illuminated by LED, and it's color is determined simply by the underside of the transparant plastic from the needle. Scrape off the red and give it any color you want with a bit of paint and you're done. No soldering involved. It's simply a matter of taking off the needles and repaint that underside.

Combination of both it seems, scrape the paint and optionally change the LED: http://ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.php?10580-How-to-Illuminate-your-dash-in-a-different-colour

 

[naughtika]

to swap your non-hi vis dash with a hi-vis (otherwise known as optitron - dont know why if you ask me) below is a quick guide

when you open remove the gauge cluster you'll see 3 yellow (i think) connectors, as per diagram below

all you need to do the following..

move pin from 5a to 11a (dont quote me on this, need to have this verified by members who's done the conversion)

and somehow bridge 4a and 5a on the gauge cluster..

Needle is not illuminated by LED, and it's color is determined simply by the underside of the transparant plastic from the needle. Scrape off the red and give it any color you want with a bit of paint and you're done. No soldering involved. It's simply a matter of taking off the needles and repaint that underside.

if you're referring to the non-hi vis dash cluster.. then yes

but the hi-vis version do have led's attached to the needles.. I believe TomTom had done this previously.. please see Dice's reply above ^^^

also just a note, you dont need to scrape off the red tint on the needles, this actually gives it that purplish color during the day or when the light hits it

 

[naughtika]

just for encouragement guys

 

[fieldy107]

Chris, does it happen at the same time or at any certain position of the needle?

Chris they both go on and off at the same time. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with the position of the needle. Doesn't seem to be any reason for them going on and off, maybe I hit a crack in the road, not sure. Its isn't going on and off constantly, its completely random, when they turn on they might work for an hour, a day, a week, a month.

 

[TME_Steve]

when they turn on they might work for an hour, a day, a week, a month.

If it's in that order you've got a year up your sleeve, then a decade before the next time it's a problem

 

[rockit]

it could be a cold solder joint somewhere on the PCB bolted to the back of the cluster, cant really narrow it down to a specific joint that may be faulty though. Have a look at your cluster PCB (i think its bolted onto the back of the cluster under a small plastic cover) and see if you can find any joints that look dodgy (usually they are quite obvious as the legs/contacts aren't cleanly connected to the solder around it.) if you find any suspect joints they can easily be re-soldered.

 

[VOLK]

Was just thinking that, cracked trace or dry joint. Common issue with CE Lancer coupes, failure is generally temp related too.

Fieldy: Is it worse now it's cold?

 

[fieldy107]

Hmm doesn't seem any worse now its cold. I will add, the needles still go up and down, its just the illumination thats on and off. I always suspected a bad solder in there somewhere, but I have no soldering skills and wasn't sure how hard it is to take the cluster off, so have ignored it until now.

 

[rockit]

the illumination is not connected to the needle movement, they are controlled on separate PCBs.

I would be looking at the PCB on the back of the cluster (green board about 20cmx8xm), it controls the illumination of those dials (and the fuel/temp needles and panel back lighting). its the most logical place for the failure to be (a failure before this board would probably take out all illumination, and a failure after the board would only take out one of the needles not both).

 

[fieldy107]

Is it fairly easy to access the PCB? is it just a matter of removing the cluster and then I will be able to access the PCB or do I need to take the cluster apart?

 

[rockit]

there's a small plastic cover protecting the PCB, with 4 bolts/screws holding it down. Once the bolts are undone the cover should come off, the PCB is connected to the rest of the cluster by 2 ribbon cables (to the flexible cluster backing PCB) and 1 rigid wire bridge (to the CCFL backlight).

Pull the ribbon cables out of their plugs (with care as usual not to apply excessive force etc.) and then pull the PCB straight outwards away from the cluster so as to not bend the rigid wire bridge, the bridge should disconnect from the CCFL sub assembly with a little coaxing and the pcb should then be loose.

 

[staticc]

The conversion is very easy.

Did it last night with some help to make sure it was done right.

I will do a write up when I have some time

 

[MattF]

Bump.

So I've got a face lift manual (no high vis). If I want a high vis cluster do I need a fl manual with no ayc cluster or will any do?

 

[CANDEE]

Any will do. You will just have to take out all the bulbs that arent used.

 

[AKKO]

Or cover them with black electrical tape / paint marker pen.

 

[MattF]

Nice one. Can you still see the D/2/3/R auto bit even if it's not lit up?

 

[AKKO]

Unfortunately yes. Maybe not if you have super awesome tint blocking the sun etc.

 

[MattF]

Cool cheers. Debating whether to get one but I'd probably be pushing shit uphill trying to find a manual cluster anyway. Should be easy enough to disassemble and take the clear cover off and cover the auto bit up anyway though innit?

 

[AKKO]

Yup super easy to remove the cover, its actually smoked / tinted on the hivis ones.

 

[MattF]

Then it's a no brainer cheers for the input. I'm ok with a soldering iron so I might even swap out the dial LEDs while I'm at it. You seem to have pretty much the same version VR4 as me? 98 manual no AYC?