GAUGE light'ing

StevenLK · Jul 22nd, 2002, 04:25 AM

i'm pretty sure some of you have or done something familiar to the different gauge lighting in your gauges, instead of indiglos. but is there a sort of bulb bhind the lit up gauges, that i can change to make hyper wite. blue red or anything?.. or is it something not to be tamper'd with?.. if so is there a simple instruction from a site or something i can see how to do this?

-thankz

toolapcfan · Jul 22nd, 2002, 08:55 AM

Just pull your cluster, there are little bulbs all over that you can change out to whatever you want. Since you've got a '93 you don't have to mess with pulling a speedo cable (because there isn't one, you have an electronic speedo). Changing bulbs should be a piece of cake. It's when people put in gauge faces that they often do it wrong and ruin their tach or speedo. There are a few write ups at www.sentra.net but they're kind of lacking. They neglect to mention the speedo cable issue and when they do they don't tell you how to do it the easy way, being to release the cable from the firewall in the engine bay. They also seem to think you need to remove your steering wheel, which you don't, and if you're like me, you've got an airbag in there and it just doesn't sound all that appealing.

I took my cluster out without any real hangups at all. Maybe I should do a write up on it? Hope some of this helps.

ImportCarTuner · Jul 22nd, 2002, 10:21 AM

If you're wondering which bulb size to use, they're bulb size 194. I plan on changing my gauge lighting to blue along with white face gauges.

StevenLK · Jul 22nd, 2002, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by toolapcfan
Just pull your cluster, there are little bulbs all over that you can change out to whatever you want. Since you've got a '93 you don't have to mess with pulling a speedo cable (because there isn't one, you have an electronic speedo). Changing bulbs should be a piece of cake. It's when people put in gauge faces that they often do it wrong and ruin their tach or speedo. There are a few write ups at www.sentra.net but they're kind of lacking. They neglect to mention the speedo cable issue and when they do they don't tell you how to do it the easy way, being to release the cable from the firewall in the engine bay. They also seem to think you need to remove your steering wheel, which you don't, and if you're like me, you've got an airbag in there and it just doesn't sound all that appealing. I took my cluster out without any real hangups at all. Maybe I should do a write up on it? Hope some of this helps.

do i just unscrew those 2 screws up there and .. do i unscrew the screws in on the gauges?..

toolapcfan · Jul 22nd, 2002, 02:11 PM

Quote:

do i just unscrew those 2 screws up there and .. do i unscrew the screws in on the gauges?..

Well you have to remove the trim around the radio and HVAC controls, just get them loose enough and take the trim off around your gauge cluster and the lower panels under your steering wheel, then there should be four screws holding your cluster in. It's that simple. With your steering wheel all the way down you'll still have to squeeze the cluster by it, but take it easy and it'll come out. Then the lights are held into the back with little plastic holders that you twist to remove.

sentrapower93 · Jul 22nd, 2002, 09:23 PM

When i did my dash bulbs i used some blue ones that i bought from autozone, and they faded in just a month. So i got some bulb covers in blue made by "Auto-Meter" and put them over some clear 194 bulbs, my dash looks great at night. These bulb covers will never fade, my blue dash still looks great even after a year and counting. BTW the bulb covers come in blue,red,green and amber you can order them from your local speed shop...

ScarCrow28 · Jul 22nd, 2002, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by toolapcfan
... if you're like me, you've got an airbag in there and it just doesn't sound all that appealing. ....

how do you know you have an airbag?
i've got a 93 XE LE(Limited Edition) and nowhere does it say on the car, or in the manual "airbag"

Also, what the hell is so "limited" about the car anyway? my guess is the blue metallic paint job.

toolapcfan · Jul 23rd, 2002, 08:37 AM

It was an option in '93-'94 to get a driver's side airbag. It's says SRS on my steering wheel, there is a black emblem with white lettering on my lower dash as well. Your's has the Limited Edition written on the front doors? I don't know what makes it a Limited Edition either. Edmunds doesn't even recognize that "sur-badging", the only LE they recognize is the '94.5 and those have the limited edition badge where the typical model badging would have been on the right hand side of the trunk.

Classic XE · Jul 23rd, 2002, 02:27 PM

Is either an XE or LE. Ive never heard of both. I have an XE. Did you buy it used? Maybe the previous owner went badge happy.

toolapcfan · Jul 23rd, 2002, 02:48 PM

No, it's not badging in the traditional sense. It has Limited Edition on each door just above the trim. It appears to be painted on, which I doubt was an aftermarket thing, possibly done by the dealer but I'm still doubtfull of that. No, the previous owner was no enthusiast, it was a woman in her mid to late thirties. She took it to the dealer for everything, busted a mirror once and it cost her $400+ to have a new one put on. (She kept every reciept for the car and gave them to me when I bought it from her). So I don't know. When I was looking at it, I was like, there is no XE LE, the only LE made was the '94.5.

toolapcfan · Jul 23rd, 2002, 02:52 PM

Also ScarCrow, you know you have an airbag if you have any yellow wire looms and there would also be a black box mounted on your front clip, just next to your hood release that has a yellow wire loom and I think it says SRS on it and has a warning label. I think there is also a sticker on the backside of your visor that has an airbag warning.

ScarCrow28 · Jul 23rd, 2002, 06:24 PM

well i guess i don't have an airbag.

but the Limited Edition decals are stock, and located on the front door above the molding. the only options that my car has are:

A/C. Power steering, Cruse Control, and a AM/FM cassette player, which i since switched for a pioneer cd player. i did notice that my car has flat black paint between the taillights. not all B13 sentras have this. but it could just be a year change. personally, i think the flat black looks a lot better.

The cd player fits perfectly in the dash. it's inset, and doesn't stick out like other cars. my friends were impressed by that. if it wasn't for the amber color of the lighting, most people would not even notice it as aftermarket, unless they actually looked at it. sorry thats a bit off topic.

toolapcfan · Jul 23rd, 2002, 11:52 PM

Yeah, you and I have the same limted edition, whatever that means. Are the letters composed of horizontal dashes?

I like how the stereo fits as well. My stereo has a nice silver finish to it. I think it might look nice to paint the bezel to match, like this guy did. Maybe do the vent trims and the gauge cluster trim as well so it all goes together. Although just doing the center looks nice and isn't as ricey as doing all of it might be. This is a pic of what Rittmeister over at the SR20DEforum had in his car at one time, he has it back to stock now though.

ScarCrow28 · Jul 24th, 2002, 04:32 PM

hey he has a tach, i'm jealous. i wish mine was a stick too, but i guess 4drs don't have that option. would i be able to switch the guage cluster for one with a tach?

yea the stickers have the lines through them.

Zexel · Jul 24th, 2002, 05:35 PM

you'd have to get a 93 or 94 because of the whole electric speedometer reading. And people recommend going with an SE instead of SE-R, I've still yet to figure out why. You're lucky because you don't have to jack around with the Speedo cable like I do, it's not that bad other than lining it up and have to pop it back in. Takes some strength on mine. Good luck finding one.