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Gauge cluster lights

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Old 10-27-2008, 09:47 AM
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Gauge cluster lights

The right side of the back illumination on the gauge cluster is out. I pulled the cluster and re-seated the connections as well as took a look at the bulbs. The bulbs looked ok but the right side remains dark.

I'd like to replace the bulbs, just for the heck of it. I'm a little unsure what to get. I've seen posts on a few other boards where people indicate you replace just the bulb, and not the Toshiba V2 base. Is this correct? Can I get just the bulbs down at the local Advanced or AutoZone? It's a size #74, right?

Anyone ever had an issue with the gauge illumination going out? It comes and goes, actually. For the longest time, it would go out for a couple of days, then come back. I thought it might be a loose connection, but the clips were nice and tight. The gauges themselves work. Just no backlight from the two bulbs on that side of the display.

If I replace the bulbs and I still have no light, where else should I look?
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Old 10-27-2008, 09:52 AM
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if you replace the bulbs and still nothing i would check for a short or a scrape mark across the circuts ... but most likely some type of short in the harness or the guages
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Old 10-27-2008, 10:08 AM
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I was wondering about that. The back of the circuit board looked good, though I wasn't looking specifically for scratches. I couldn't get the board off the gauge unit itself. I released the two clips in the middle of the board, but something was still holding the board in-place too firmly for me to want to try and force. If the problem is in the wiring harness, I'm thinking I'll probably just let it be. That would seem to be somewhere I don't really want to go, from what I saw.
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Old 10-27-2008, 01:34 PM
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ya the harness is a mess and unless you are electrical savvy you probably should mess with it to much hopefully the bulbs work Good luck
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Old 10-27-2008, 06:02 PM
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the bulbs might be polar specific, ie if they are put in backwards they may not work.
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Old 10-28-2008, 07:17 AM
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No poles are indicated either on the board or on the bulb mounts. In any case, the lights were working up until recently, so I doubt the poles are in question.
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