camar0corey

Well I got ZERO input from ls1tech members, I'm going to try my luck here next.

Copy and pasted:

The LEDs in my gauge cluster and in my autometer sport comp tach seem to just have bad connection.

The bulbs definitely work and they are installed properly, but will sometimes blink out or dim. Other times they are all bright as they should be. I know in the cold they seem to have a better connection.

For the gauge cluster I am using the Ford twist sockets that I had read somewhere to use.

What can I do in this case? Find some kind of local small electronics shop and have the bulbs soldiered into the holders and then soldiered onto the cluster board???

The tach has the same issue. Using Autometer's LED had decent results, after I pulled the prongs on the bulb out a little, but still the same deal as the gauge cluster, sometimes on great, other times dim or off. The super bright LED's bulb for that style holder just cannot make connection at all in there. It is just a bit loose.

This is one of those small issues but completely noticeable that will drive a person nuts.

I can post up video if anyone wants to see what I am talking about. I'm sure I'm not the first person who has dealt with this, I hope....

New:
If you skip to the two minute mark I enter the interior shortly thereafter and turn on the lights, you can see what I am talking about. It is as if it just has a bad connection.

Any help or thoughts on my fix are appreciated!

Edit: I know my rockers are too tight, next time the weather gets above freezing I might be motivated enough to go take care of them, damn you well below normal temps winter, damn you! I'm not driving my car in the salty mess, obviously!

Injuneer

I'll send this post link to our resident electrical engineer......

GaryDoug

Well as hard as I looked, I could not discover what year, make, and model this car is in the video. Could you share that information please?

camar0corey

It is a 94 Z28. Thanks for any help you can provide!

GaryDoug

I want to make sure I am understanding the issue. it looks like only one of the lamps in the instrument cluster is not lit (the one in the center). Is that correct? There are 6 lamps altogether and they are all on the same circuit. If only some, but not all, are not lit, the fault must be with the individual lamp or with the circuit board inside the cluster. I suspect this is just a faulty/intermittent lamp. Of the 6 lamps that provide illumination in the cluster, two are behind the small gauges at the bottom of the cluster (Coolant temp and oil pressure have 1 light, voltage and fuel level have the other). The other 4 are spread around to cover the rest of the cluster.
At this point, I think the problem with the extra tach is a coincidental failure. How is it wired?

camar0corey

I guess I want to lean towards the bad connection issue and not the LEDs themselves as this is actually the second set of them I have had in there. First time it was single bulb front facing, this time I used the 5 way bulbs. Both times from superbrightleds. I had the same issue with the last set also.

The autometer tach is on the same circuit as my other aftermarket gauges, only the tach has an issue where it can be off, dim, or bright, much like the random one that misbehaves in the factory gauge cluster.

I know the factory gauge cluster bulbs were soldiered in. Hence why to do the LEDs you buy whichever ford twist sockets (I forget the P/N, I bought them years ago), so I wonder has anyone ever soldiered the LEDs into the replacement sockets? Can I have the holders then soldiered onto the factory cluster? Is this possible? I'm figuring that way I would have connectivity for sure.

That bulb in the video is out when I turn it on, then it lights up for a second, then goes out again. It is random like that, sometimes it will stay lit, other times fluctuate, other times just stays out.

I have the same issue with the LED in the tach, out, dim, or full bright. I'm guessing it is the connection issue, but how to correct it?

GaryDoug

OMG, I totally missed your reply, not sure why.

I think the V6 clusters have the screw-in bulbs, while the V8 clusters have the fixed lamps that can only be replaced by removing the cluster. That is the way with the Firebirds, but I am not sure about Camaros.

Also, make sure your LEDs have a dropping resistor(s) and are rated for 12vdc. LEDs are typically rated for about 2 volts and hence the need for the resistors or having them in series.

I see no reason you have to use the bulb screw-in mount if you don't want. I have removed all types of bulbs from their mount and soldered them in often for reliability.