415DZ Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Hello everyone, I did a search on this but couldn't find an answer. I'm looking to change the bulbs in the center gauge cluster which contains the gas/oil/clock gauges. I found online that someone said each gauge uses 2 Ba9s bulbs. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Next I need to know how to get to the bulbs. Do I have to remove the entire gauge, and if so how do I do it? Any help/pictures anyone can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miles Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Remove the glovebox, reach in and pull the sockets. Note some replacement bulbs are too long and will not fit. If you can't reach the bulbs you can also pull the heater control grill. Search here and at Classic Z car for the correct bulbs. I removed the green filters so bulb size is not an issue. Brighter too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
415DZ Posted July 4, 2013 Author Share Posted July 4, 2013 Thanks. To remove the green filter on the smaller gauges, I'm guessing I have to take them out. Do they come out the front like the tachometer or do they go out the back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
415DZ Posted July 6, 2013 Author Share Posted July 6, 2013 So today I went in and took the glove box out. After remove a single bolt for each of the small gauges I was able to pull them out the back. Took me awhile to get the old crusty bulbs out, and when I finally did, they don't light up now. The new bulbs and the old bulbs don't work. Any ideas on what I could've botched? Could the bulb housings have gone bad? Pretty frustrated that such a simple task is proving to be such a headache. Any help is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billseph Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 If you're trying to turn them on when they're not in the gauge housing they won't work. The ground for the bulb is integrated into the socket, so they need to be plugged back into the gauge to work. The gauge housing is the ground in the circuit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
415DZ Posted July 7, 2013 Author Share Posted July 7, 2013 If you're trying to turn them on when they're not in the gauge housing they won't work. The ground for the bulb is integrated into the socket, so they need to be plugged back into the gauge to work. The gauge housing is the ground in the circuit. That is incredibly useful information. I feel like an idiot now. Thanks! I'll give this a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
415DZ Posted July 7, 2013 Author Share Posted July 7, 2013 Can anyone tell me how to disconnect the gauge wires so I can take the gauge out to work on it. The led bulbs are too tall and don't fit behind the green dome. The plugs don't appear to pull out or unscrew. Much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhm Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Attached is the body electrical chapter from a 240 FSM. The full FSM for all year S30s can be found at "www.xenons30.com". Hope this helps. The gauges can be most easily reached after removing the center heating/vent controls. BE Body Electrical.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
415DZ Posted July 7, 2013 Author Share Posted July 7, 2013 I ended up just dremeling out the green caps while the gauges were still attached. Made it hard on myself but I got it done. Thank you all for your help. You guys are great! Now to tackle my power seat install....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
415DZ Posted July 7, 2013 Author Share Posted July 7, 2013 For anyone looking to do this I recommend removing your glove box as well as your heater console. This will give you 2 points of access. Each gauge then disconnects via one bolt each. With some finesse you have to then either disconnect the wires so you can work on each gauge or you can do it the hard way like I did and work on it still attached. You have to remove the light socket and like someone mentioned in this thread, the light won't work again until it is plugged back into the gauge. For the LEDs I chose, they were too tall to simply plug back in, so I had to use a grinder on my dremel to drill out where the green plastic bulb caps attach. Once these are removed you can put in your new bulbs and piece it all back together like Humpty Dumpty. Also the bulbs I got were from superbrightleds.com Each small gauge takes 1 bulb and the tach and speedo take 2 each. Turn signals and parking brake are extra. Bulb type is BA9s. Hope this helps anyone else who aims to do this. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesilkZ Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 How do you replace the dome light bulb? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhm Posted September 9, 2020 Share Posted September 9, 2020 See page 23 in the BE chapter of the FSM; attached for your ease of reference. You can download entire service manuals for all years, free, at: http://www.xenonzcar.com/ BE Body electrical.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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