How To: B14: Installing New Cluster Gauge Lights

[Vadim]

How To: Installing New Cluster Gauge Lights

YouTube - Cluster LED's Lights

This is a step by step tutorial on how to replace your cluster gauge lights. This was done on a 1999 Sentra SE-L, the directions should be very similar on all B14's.

Please do at your own risk, I'm not responsible for any damage that you might cause to your self or your car.

Instructions on how to change the AC Control Panel lights can be found here.

What will be needed:

• 4 WLED-x5 LED Wedge Base Bulbs from Super Bright LEDs
  
  Go here and look for these:
  
  
  Get these in what ever color you want, my order came out to be $14 for 4 Blue LED's, then $6 shipping.
  
• A philips head screwdriver
• A flat head screwdriver/knife
• A socket wrench and a 10mm socket - this is to unplug the wire from the battery

Installation

1. Disconnect the negative wire fire then the positive wire from the battery. This is done so that you don't get shocked or fry up the cluster


2. There are two philips head screws that are holding a piece of plastic thats in front of the cluster, unscrew them and put them in a save place.
NOTE: All of the philips head screws are the same size, so you don't have to worry about keeping track of which bolt went were.


3. Carefully try to pull the top, were the screws were located, towards you. After you pulled it out a bit, you will need to take a flat head screw driver/knife, and stick it at the bottom of the plastic piece. Work with it a bit, so that the locks can be released.




4. After that plastic piece is loose, you will need to lower the tilt of your steering wheel all the way down, and pull the plastic towards yourself. Try to gently lift the bottom part of the plastic onto the steering wheel's plastic base.



5. Once you get that plastic on the steering wheel take it out and put it some place in the car, like on the back seat.

6. You will find 4 more philips screws, these ones are holding the actual cluster it self. Take the screws out and put them with the first two screws.


7. Gently take the cluster out and put it to the right side of the steering wheel. Make sure it you can get to the back of the cluster easily.



8. Locate four red/brownish plastic light bulb holders


9. Take them out, one by one or all at once.


10. You will need to hold the red/brown plastic and pull the bulb out


11. Take the x5 LED bulbs and put them in the red/brown plastic bulb holder. This should be a perfect fit


12. Put the new LEDs back in the cluster


13. Since the LEDs are polarized they need to be screwed in only one way. This is why it is important for you to plug the battery back up and turn on your lights, and see which LEDs are not on.

As you can see I had only one LED plugged in correctly


If the LED is not on then, first unplug the battery again, then unscrew the red/brown and turn it a bit so that the other part of the thread catches on. Then plug the battery back up and try to turn on the ligths


14. Put the cluster back in and screw the screws back in.


15. Carefully stick the plastic dash part that goes on top of the cluster. You will have to work with it a bit. Make sure all the locks snap in place. Screw in the two screws that were holding this plastic.

Final Product

Update, changed to White

Problems that I Encountered

Look at the right light LED bulbs, they are sticking out quite a bit, this prevented me from being able to place it in the cluster. I had to carefully push the LED's towards the middle on the bulb it self.


That still wasn't enough, I then had to carefully put in the LED into the cluster, were it barely fit


Thats it! If you have any suggestions, please let me know

This should take you about an hour. Since this was the second time I was getting to the cluster, it took me about 30 minutes.

Thanks to Sentrixx for helping me with choosing the LEDs and for telling me how to take the whole thing apart.

[Vadim]

Update, I changed out the blue for some bright white

[speedyd718]

can this be done on a b13 cluster? i hate the orange.

[mane730]

I think the bright white looks a lot better, and cleaner. Nice write up. I have this done to my B14 SE-R, and I chose red. Simple, nice upgrade to anyone's car.

[Vadim]

Originally Posted by speedyd718

can this be done on a b13 cluster? i hate the orange.

Yep, but it's more difficult. There are couple threads on the old forum in the Tech Library on how to do it.

Originally Posted by mane730

I think the bright white looks a lot better, and cleaner. Nice write up. I have this done to my B14 SE-R, and I chose red. Simple, nice upgrade to anyone's car.

I would have liked the blue more if I could keep the pointers red haha...

[cjs913210]

quick question. are the blue or white led's really bright at night to a point where it gets annoying?

[Vadim]

Originally Posted by cjs913210

quick question. are the blue or white led's really bright at night to a point where it gets annoying?

Haven't tried the white ones yet, but blue ones were fine for me. You can use the dimmer switch you know

[Joekuh]

there's a dimmer switch?!?!?!?! since when ???

[Vadim]

Originally Posted by Joekuh

there's a dimmer switch?!?!?!?! since when ???

[LOUROK]

before and after
daytime shots

night shots






Thanks this thread really help me out and I had no issue's. I went with the Cool White cluster bulbs and the cool white 74 3 led bulbs for the hvac control. The cool white looks good but a little too blue for me. I was really impressed with the 74 showed below.

[Vadim]

Sweet!

[LOUROK]

Vadim, i just relize that you have red needles. Did you paint them? I was thinking of doing the same with transparent paint..

[Vadim]

Originally Posted by LOUROK

Vadim, i just relize that you have red needles. Did you paint them? I was thinking of doing the same with transparent paint..

Oh weird, I never thought about it!

Since 98 200sx came with white and 99 SE-L's came with golden gauges, they had to have red arrows

[Isfahan]

I am doing this on my B13 and ran into an issue. From what I can tell, there are only three cluster bulbs for the B13 (only three of the assorted bulbs had the blue plastic over the bulb). Also, all three of the bulbs broke near the base when I pulled them out:





When I tried to put the LEDs that Vadim used in it, I realized after I tested the gauge cluster and none of them worked that the connections on the plastic base were FUBAR'd. Here is a pic with an OEM bulb/base on the left and the LED in the OEM base on the right:



You can see the difference in the connectors to the bulb. Hence it not working. Anybody else run into this problem with their B13? My nissan place here has the units in stock at $2 a piece, so I am going to try swap bulbs with a new unit and see if I have better luck, otherwise I'm probably going to just put OEM ones back in. Any suggestions on how to fix this? Are these made with the bulbs built in? Can I use B14 plastic bases on a B13 cluster?

[Vadim]

It's hard to tell if the B14 one's would work. I would just get the B13 ones and call it a day.

As for the lights being stuck, with LED's that shouldn't happen, EVER. LED's don't even remotely get that hot to melt into the plastic hehe.