FUELER Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Saw a guy who did this to a Pathfinder on Nicoclub (thanks slickroger) So i went ahead and did to the QXslow before the new LED bulbs after For more info, go to http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread/3693...ctures-and-info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Not too shabby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 lookin good! I wish my stock guage didn't have the orange lettering. going blue would match my kenwood stereo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarsiff Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 oohhh thats nice also would go sweet with my aluminum gauges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02silverpathy Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Oh you devil! More info! How many bulbs, where'd they come from, and PIA level please!! Also, do they respond to your dimmer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDNBullrid Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 ^ what he said! | | Also, my odometer bulb is burnt, can u change it when u change the rest of the bulbs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 Oh you devil! More info! How many bulbs, where'd they come from, and PIA level please!! Also, do they respond to your dimmer? QX4 needs 4 bulbs, Pathfinder only needs 2. PIA level is minimal. Yes they work with the dimmer. More Pathfinder info here http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread/3680...the-dash-lights More QX4 info here http://forums.nicoclub.com/zerothread/3693...ctures-and-info Also, my odometer bulb is burnt, can u change it when u change the rest of the bulbs? Thats a very good question. The answer is "i dont know". I would think that its powered by the same type of bulb, but the odometer light does behave differently than the rest. In my QX4, if you dont have the key in, and turn on the lights, the odo does not light up with the rest of the gauges. Only when you turn the ignition to "on" does the odo light up. For that reason, i think its possible that it's it's own assembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 (edited) That looks very nice, fueler. I also replaced my gauge cluster lights and center dash console lights with LEDs, although I went with cool white LEDs, not blue, for the greatest light output. The gauge cluster lamps are 168/194 bulbs, and there are 4 of them. If you have mechanical A/C controls, there are two #74 bulbs behind the faceplate. Removing the gauge cluster isn't that hard. You need to lower the steering wheel all the way down, remove the cluster shroud (secured 2 screws in the top), and then remove the screws holding the cluster in place. I did not fully remove the gauge cluster, but I could pull it out enough to access the bulb holders on the circuit board on the back side of the cluster. There are several places you can get replacement LED's for all of your truck's lighting needs. The ones I'm most familiar with are: oznium.com autolumination.com superbrightleds.com The LEDs I installed in the dash cluster are the 4-star SMT 194's and the Tri-Power 3 LED #74 Bulb from autolumination.com. I installed oznium's large flexible 5mm led warm white dome lights in the front and rear, and autolumination's 36-led array for ba9s bulbs. The map lights are wicked bright, and the dome lights have the same warm color as the stock 194 bulbs, but they draw much less power. Edited October 2, 2008 by XPLORx4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 Great info, Xplorx! The # of bulbs must depend on the year. Your 97 Pathfinder needed 4, my 99.5 Qx4 needed 4, but the 2001 pathfinder on nicoclub.com only needed 2. My gauge cluster used #74 bulbs - is this the same as 168/194? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 My gauge cluster used #74 bulbs - is this the same as 168/194? No. #74 bulbs are only about 3/16" in diameter and 3/8" long. #194 bulbs are about 5/16" in diameter and 5/8" long. #194 bulbs are also used in the front corner marker lamps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deej Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 That's awesome, me wants! P.S. Do up your seatbelt.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 That looks just badass! Nice work Was it difficult to get at the lights? How long did it take to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 P.S. Do up your seatbelt.... no way man! im surprised that bulb hasnt burnt out yet. i hardly ever wear my seatbelt. That looks just badass! Nice work Was it difficult to get at the lights? How long did it take to do? Thanks! Not hard at all. Total job should take no more than 20 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 no way man! im surprised that bulb hasnt burnt out yet. i hardly ever wear my seatbelt.Thanks! Not hard at all. Total job should take no more than 20 minutes. Always good to know. Where were you able to find those bulbs? I have no clue where to look for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted October 4, 2008 Author Share Posted October 4, 2008 http://www.autolumination.com/74.htm nissan pathfinder R50 or infiniti qx4 gauge cluster bulbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 It really looks good nice and clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leman Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 I did this awhile back but changed ALL of my interior lights to red to not mess with vision at night. and it looks pretty dang cool 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02PATHFINDER Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 (edited) nice anyone else has pics of their led lights in their interiors? nice to see u on here fueler i been on the nico forums expanding my knowledge of the path and seen u on there before , i odered the same led lights as slickroger and may try to install them tomorrow Edited October 31, 2008 by 02PATHFINDER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02PATHFINDER Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 i need help i dont know wtf i did but i tried changing my dash bulb with the same bulb slickroger bought i stil had all the wires connected to the cluster when i did it , with the car off , i put one bulb in on the right side and turned on the lights just to test it out, when i did that , the whole cluster started smoking , i quickly turned off the lights waited a few minutes , put back in the old bulb to make sure it still worked and it did i figure i give it a few minutes to cool down , now i put the LED again back in but in a different way , when i did that it started smoking again now the backround lights dont work anymore, the warning lights and odometer light, still works though now did i f$% it up completley and need a new cluster or can i still fix it sumhow? i dont know if it smoked bc i bought aluminations base for the bulb its a lil longer than the original one , u can see from the pic, the oem base is shorter if i need a new cluster now my milege will be different right? please any help im gonna post this in another forum too bc i need a quick response so please exclude the double post, i still have my cluster disconnected in my yard http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_image....jpg?281212-305 http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_image....jpg?281212-305 http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_image....jpg?281212-305 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02PATHFINDER Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 i need help i dont know wtf i did but i tried changing my dash bulb with the same bulb slickroger boughti stil had all the wires connected to the cluster when i did it , with the car off , i put one bulb in on the right side and turned on the lights just to test it out, when i did that , the whole cluster started smoking , i quickly turned off the lights waited a few minutes , put back in the old bulb to make sure it still worked and it did i figure i give it a few minutes to cool down , now i put the LED again back in but in a different way , when i did that it started smoking again now the backround lights dont work anymore, the warning lights and odometer light, still works though now did i f$% it up completley and need a new cluster or can i still fix it sumhow? i dont know if it smoked bc i bought aluminations base for the bulb its a lil longer than the original one , u can see from the pic, the oem base is shorter if i need a new cluster now my milege will be different right? please any help im gonna post this in another forum too bc i need a quick response so please exclude the double post, i still have my cluster disconnected in my yard http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_image....jpg?281212-305 http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_image....jpg?281212-305 http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_image....jpg?281212-305 anyone know what i did wrong and what i should do?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02PATHFINDER Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 anyone know what i did wrong and what i should do?? bump still could use info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 This looked pretty cool and I thought my stock lights were pretty darn dim anyway. So, since I'm sitting around doing nothing waiting for all my suspension pieces+skids to arrive and since I wanted to actually get a bit more involved, I figured I'd try this. Boy, did I get more involved! Heh! Keep in mind I've never worked on a Pathfinder before, so I probably made a bunch of mistakes. Actually, I haven't worked on a car in years. Became sissified while working for THE MAN (whoever that may be) in Corporate America. So here we go... Since I was working on something after a loooonnggg time and since it was my first go at the Pathfinder, I was cautious and disconnected the battery. Using the very helpful instructions here and at NICO forums, I pulled the gauge cluster out. Unfortunately, it was a bit stiffer than I wanted. And LEDs kept falling into the darn steering column! Thanks to the wiring, space is pretty tight unless you have tiny hands and a tiny head with a neck that can flex 180 degrees like a slinky... After about the 100th time an LED fell into the steering column ( ), I decided to take drastic measures. Trim piece after trim piece came off till eventually I had pulled apart pretty much all the plastic in the dash area Things got waaayyy easier after this. It was also kinda neat to see everything laid out. All very straightforward and simple. Turns out my '03 has 6 accessible bulbs. 3 up top with brown bases for the fullbeam light and the blinkers. 3 with black bases distributed at pretty much the corners of the gauge cluster. These black bases are, in my Pathfinder, the gauge and odo illumination. 2 up top illuminate the gauges and the 3rd, in the middle lower part of the cluster illuminates the odo. This explains why I thought everything was so dim. In essence, only 2 bulbs are illuminating the bulk of the area you look at! Doh! I will call the black bases the "Gauge Lights" from now on. (BTW, the gauge cluster comes apart pretty easily. All snap-locks so you can literally pop the whole thing apart. This is a great time to change the gauge color scheme using something like MIMO's kits, clear out dust, paint the needles hot pink, spray paint "I was here" on the plastic or whatever.) Taking the bulbs out is very easy. Just twist 'em and they should fall right out. You shouldn't need to use much force. They can be difficult to reach so I used a set of nose pliers to turn and pull 'em. Now for the weird part. The brown bases separated from their bulbs very easily. The black bases were practically cemented to their bulbs - someone else commented on this. This becomes important later. After a lot of messing around, I eventually put the AutoLumination LEDs in Autolumination Bases and put the OEM Toshiba Gauge Lights aside. The Autolumination bases were a HUGE pain to get in, BTW. Again, this becomes important later. Pic below shows Autolumination base "installed". So, 2 hours later, I am one happy camper. Switch off the lights, reconnect the battery, hop into my shiny Pathfinder, crank 'er up and.... Nothing. The gauge cluster is totally dark. AGH! I'd read about someone having their cluster go up in smoke. So I waited and watched. No smoke but no lights either. After a few head-scratching minutes, I decided to swap the bases. This was easier said than done. The bulbs refused to come out of the black bases. Eventually, I came up with a hybrid solution. I swapped the high beam bulb (brown base) for an LED and replaced one of the Gauge Lights with it. Reconnect battery and - success! So we now know the problem with my Pathfinder. The bases aren't compatible. I tried to separate the black bases from the bulbs again. 2 promptly shattered. I was able to reuse one by, no jokes, pulling with steady but not extreme force on the FILAMENT till the bulb popped out. Weird, huh ? That didn't work for the other 2 bulbs. So, eventually, I used the high beam assembly with an LED at one corner, a black base with an LED in another and the remaining working black base for the Odo light. Put everything back together (2nd time around took barely 20 mins). Reconnected battery, said a quick prayer and... Ta-da! So, my takeaways: 1. For my '03, only 2 bulbs are responsible for illuminating the key parts I look at. I like the red LED look but it's too dim for my taste. Gonna get more powerful LEDs 2. The Autolumination bases don't work for my Pathfinder. I will have to buy a few OEM assemblies and plug em in for blinkers and high beams. The blinker and high beam assemblies will then get higher power LEDs and be swapped in. Alternatively, I may try to strip the bulbs from the OEM assemblies using my highly sophisticated "filament pull" method. 3. This is actually a pretty easy and straightforward mod once you figure it out. Shouldn't take more than 30-40 mins tops. As with so many mods and things in life, if you're having to use way too much force, something isn't right. Most of these things snap in and out. 4. Working on this Pathfinder is going to be fun! Of course, all of this only applies to my specific car and experience. Your results may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dududuckling Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Thank you for your write-up! It is very useful to me, I intend to do this mod sometime in May on my gauge cluster as well as HVAC unit on the dashboard (I have the manual one). I've read about the guy whos cluster went smoking and I think he had to get a new one with the right odometer or something from the junkyard or the dealership... I feel sorry for him. By the way, do you happen to know that the bulbs on the dashboard are the same as the gauge cluster ones? And do you know if 2000 pathy uses the same bulb as 2003 pathy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edicer2 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 question ofr you guys. how do you keep the needles red when you change the bulb blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OfftourRoadie96 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I have a question too..... Can You Change The Bulbs In The AC/Heating Controls Area As Well????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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