Has anyone superglued the copper contacts down on the circuit board ?

[Ontheboulder]

Glue on the bulb holders, or the circuit board ?

My external silicone job is already acting up on the LH speedo bulb which has been the problem child all along. I may tear back into it and try some silicone on the bulb holder to the cluster housing, or even day dreamed about attempting to solder ( do they make a liquid or cold solder ? ) some feed wires from the circuit to the offending bulb and that way who cares if it does not make full contact on the circuit board.

Anyway you slice it, I gotta go back in, or suffer w/ it as constantly tweaking from the bottom is what farked up my old circuit board in the 1st place.

just on the circuit board, nothing on the bulb holders, I bent the little copper tangs on the holders up a bit so they would have more pressure against the circuit board, the new bulb holders seemed to fit a little snugger when in place

 

[Ontheboulder]

just on the circuit board, nothing on the bulb holders, I bent the little copper tangs on the holders up a bit so they would have more pressure against the circuit board, the new bulb holders seemed to fit a little snugger when in place

success!!!! got the circuit board and gauges back in the truck, everything works!! I can finally put this part of the project to bed!!

 

[Goldie Driver]

Well, my opinion now is dont do it.

I can't say for sure since I reused the OE one that needed some TLC, but I can say that after a week of flicker, die, come back, and die for good I gave up and pulled the bulb holder loose from the bottom.

Well, maybe that did it, who knows, as I could not get a new bulb holder to light either.

That's because this trace was gone - like vanished .

So, a new circuit board will be ordered along with a new clear gauge cover.

This time, I got her apart quick.

Booby prize, I guess.

Sigh ...

 

[idahovette]

@Goldie Driver pics of the booby, please

 

[AuroraGirl]

Well, my opinion now is dont do it.

I can't say for sure since I reused the OE one that needed some TLC, but I can say that after a week of flicker, die, come back, and die for good I gave up and pulled the bulb holder loose from the bottom.

Well, maybe that did it, who knows, as I could not get a new bulb holder to light either.

That's because this trace was gone - like vanished .

So, a new circuit board will be ordered along with a new clear gauge cover.

This time, I got her apart quick.

Booby prize, I guess.

Sigh ...

Is the backing plastic in good shape? My 1980’s was disintegrating and one of the bulb holders wouldn’t stay because instead of crumbling away it kinda was just loose. I forget why but if it needs replacing it’s a good time. At the very least, making it white if it yellowed is good to make the gauges light nicely

 

[Goldie Driver]

Is the backing plastic in good shape? My 1980’s was disintegrating and one of the bulb holders wouldn’t stay because instead of crumbling away it kinda was just loose. I forget why but if it needs replacing it’s a good time. At the very least, making it white if it yellowed is good to make the gauges light nicely

The housing is all right except this spot is one where the bulb holder fits loose in. It also appears that the 80 housing cluster W/O tach is not offered by LMC, so unless I want to spend more dough for an upgrade to a tach and then hope I dont have to repin the connector I gotta dance with who bring me.

New board and some silicone should work. Plus a purty new lens.

 

[Ellie Niner]

Wow. I've never seen those PCxxx bulb sockets tear up a printed circuit like that before. One thing you could possibly do for that speedometer illumination bulb is get a wired socket (like many of the 4wd indicators use), and tap into the dash lighting harness somewhere convenient, bypassing the printed circuit... like radio, heater control; your fuse panel should also have a dash lighting terminal that's wired through the rheostat.

Sometimes when I work on instrument clusters, I'll drive around for a week or two with just the gauges and gauge mask installed... to make sure everything's going to stay working, before I reassemble the whole thing. I actually haven't had to take my instrument cluster out since I last made a few repairs and cleaned everything up 18 or 20 years ago, though I had to pull it out about three times to get everything sorted and the bulbs to stop falling out on the floor. My left speedometer light went out about 6 months ago, then came back on after I drove about 5 miles. It hasn't gone out since.

 

[AuroraGirl]

The housing is all right except this spot is one where the bulb holder fits loose in. It also appears that the 80 housing cluster W/O tach is not offered by LMC, so unless I want to spend more dough for an upgrade to a tach and then hope I dont have to repin the connector I gotta dance with who bring me.

New board and some silicone should work. Plus a purty new lens.

Really? Is the 80 with tach special? to me it would make sense for 78-80 or whatever to be the same. And is the difference only to allow fitting the stuff through the real or would a fuel gauge not sit on it?

You could always go to the small fuel guage and have nothing on the right lol...

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On the bulb holder, I think I got lucky with backlighting and the onlyspot "dead" is the 55-65 mph range you can see the backlight not work ,and the holder I mentioned above I think was the "BRAKE" or 4x4 etc lamps, I Think they had problem. The voltage gauge is lit up but the finger appears to be over the phone(took this a long time ago haha)

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I wish these werent too expensive.

 

[AuroraGirl]

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Wow. I've never seen those PCxxx bulb sockets tear up a printed circuit like that before. One thing you could possibly do for that speedometer illumination bulb is get a wired socket (like many of the 4wd indicators use), and tap into the dash lighting harness somewhere convenient, bypassing the printed circuit... like radio, heater control; your fuse panel should also have a dash lighting terminal that's wired through the rheostat.

Sometimes when I work on instrument clusters, I'll drive around for a week or two with just the gauges and gauge mask installed... to make sure everything's going to stay working, before I reassemble the whole thing. I actually haven't had to take my instrument cluster out since I last made a few repairs and cleaned everything up 18 or 20 years ago, though I had to pull it out about three times to get everything sorted and the bulbs to stop falling out on the floor. My left speedometer light went out about 6 months ago, then came back on after I drove about 5 miles. It hasn't gone out since.

Its funny you mention that. Im pretty sure that the HVAC and the radio follow the rules of the dimmer. Here the hvac bulb is sitting hanging out.

Oh yeah on my first photo above this post you can see the radio is lit up andthere is a "light source" in the dash somewhere. This bulb was probably hanging next to the radio at that time. Without a giant corncob LED lol

 

[Goldie Driver]

Wow. I've never seen those PCxxx bulb sockets tear up a printed circuit like that before. One thing you could possibly do for that speedometer illumination bulb is get a wired socket (like many of the 4wd indicators use), and tap into the dash lighting harness somewhere convenient, bypassing the printed circuit... like radio, heater control; your fuse panel should also have a dash lighting terminal that's wired through the rheostat.

Sometimes when I work on instrument clusters, I'll drive around for a week or two with just the gauges and gauge mask installed... to make sure everything's going to stay working, before I reassemble the whole thing. I actually haven't had to take my instrument cluster out since I last made a few repairs and cleaned everything up 18 or 20 years ago, though I had to pull it out about three times to get everything sorted and the bulbs to stop falling out on the floor. My left speedometer light went out about 6 months ago, then came back on after I drove about 5 miles. It hasn't gone out since.

Yeah, you play from the underside enough and I guess they will do it ...

A wired connector is not a ad idea - just have to get one. I had all sorts of engineering "ideas" - but, sine the trace on the OE in their now is gone those idea bit the dust.

I guess solder wires to what I have and scotchlock onto one of the powered when lit bulb wires would be doable.

I did not do the week or two as no radio - I did the 2 nights and 2 test drives and thought I was good. I should have just torn back in to it when it 1st started acting up.

I really did not want to - should have. Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[Goldie Driver]

Really? Is the 80 with tach special? to me it would make sense for 78-80 or whatever to be the same. And is the difference only to allow fitting the stuff through the real or would a fuel gauge not sit on it?

You could always go to the small fuel guage and have nothing on the right lol...

You must be registered for see images attach

On the bulb holder, I think I got lucky with backlighting and the onlyspot "dead" is the 55-65 mph range you can see the backlight not work ,and the holder I mentioned above I think was the "BRAKE" or 4x4 etc lamps, I Think they had problem. The voltage gauge is lit up but the finger appears to be over the phone(took this a long time ago haha)

You must be registered for see images attach

I wish these werent too expensive.

A few gaps in their offerings. You are just as hosed if you have a 78 or 79 w/o tach.

If I got the tach housing, I would have to get the tach, too. Then there is the question of will it work. One guy here got lucky & it was plug & play on a 79 , but ...

You see my luck.

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[AuroraGirl]

A few gaps in their offerings. You are just as hosed if you have a 78 or 79 w/o tach.

If I got the tach housing, I would have to get the tach, too. Then there is the question of will it work. One guy here got lucky & it was plug & play on a 79 , but ...

You see my luck.

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Too bad you dont know the small differences to see if it could be shoehorned to work. I wish LMC when they listed things like this they either included more info or still gave diagrams. visuals help so much and things like that cry for diagrams

 

[Goldie Driver]

Wow. I've never seen those PCxxx bulb sockets tear up a printed circuit like that before. One thing you could possibly do for that speedometer illumination bulb is get a wired socket (like many of the 4wd indicators use), and tap into the dash lighting harness somewhere convenient, bypassing the printed circuit... like radio, heater control; your fuse panel should also have a dash lighting terminal that's wired through the rheostat.

Sometimes when I work on instrument clusters, I'll drive around for a week or two with just the gauges and gauge mask installed... to make sure everything's going to stay working, before I reassemble the whole thing. I actually haven't had to take my instrument cluster out since I last made a few repairs and cleaned everything up 18 or 20 years ago, though I had to pull it out about three times to get everything sorted and the bulbs to stop falling out on the floor. My left speedometer light went out about 6 months ago, then came back on after I drove about 5 miles. It hasn't gone out since.

Just thinking more on your bypass idea - maybe using something like this and wires soldered to a bulb holder.

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Any ideas as to where I could tap in ? The fiber optic to the ashtray uses a hard wired bulb holder, and another thought would be the wiper switch wires.

But, if there is something in the harness easy to hit ( other than the big rectangular plug ) that you know of offhand - ?


Thanks !

 

[AuroraGirl]

Just thinking more on your bypass idea - maybe using something like this and wires soldered to a bulb holder.

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Any ideas as to where I could tap in ? The fiber optic to the ashtray uses a hard wired bulb holder, and another thought would be the wiper switch wires.

But, if there is something in the harness easy to hit ( other than the big rectangular plug ) that you know of offhand - ?


Thanks !

If you look above he mentioned the lighting for HVAC and radio and posted pic of the one for hvac (non AC, AC trucks used a different size bulb but there should still be a back light nonetheless) then there is the original radio bulb harness somewhere in your dash back there. its just handing out since you have a single din
Also the wiper switch dims too I think so you have that

If you can work with the space, doing a insulation snip and then

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Then the idea would be an intersecting wire (your power wire) and solder, liquid tape after maybe. Then ground I would just run a new spade to the ground bus or sheet metal screw an eyelet somewhere that means you only need to tap one wire. If your radio socket isnt used for anything, you could hijack that since its not busy

EDIT: I dont know if the voltage drop of using the circuit would cause any brightness problems but figured to mention that concern, I just thought about it.

 

[Goldie Driver]

If you look above he mentioned the lighting for HVAC and radio and posted pic of the one for hvac (non AC, AC trucks used a different size bulb but there should still be a back light nonetheless) then there is the original radio bulb harness somewhere in your dash back there. its just handing out since you have a single din
Also the wiper switch dims too I think so you have that

If you can work with the space, doing a insulation snip and then

You must be registered for see images attach

Then the idea would be an intersecting wire (your power wire) and solder, liquid tape after maybe. Then ground I would just run a new spade to the ground bus or sheet metal screw an eyelet somewhere that means you only need to tap one wire. If your radio socket isnt used for anything, you could hijack that since its not busy

EDIT: I dont know if the voltage drop of using the circuit would cause any brightness problems but figured to mention that concern, I just thought about it.

I will have to look for that radio bulb , if they did not just cut the wires. It seems like there is an orange wire loose under that area.

I meant to tell you that even when all the bulbs are going full my 55 has that dim spot, too.