AROYK Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 (edited) My '02 SE has a problem with the back light on the speed/fuel/odo side of the gauge cluster. I've searched the forums, and only seen it mentioned once, never really discussed. Anyway, it doesn't light sometimes. It didn't used to bother me, but now it only works sometimes. It doesn't flicker, it's either on or off. Most of the time it will turn on again after ~10 min of driving. It will never turn off after being on. The odo has it's own back light apart from the speedo/fuel guages, but it does the same thing on its own schedule. Being as I go to work before sunrise and go home after sunset every day, and NY cops are sticklers about speeding, this is getting kind of annoying. Does anyone know how to fix this? (I apologize if this discussion already exists, I couldn't find it). I doubt this is related, but my center dome light doesn't work either (bulb and fuses are fine). Edited February 7, 2010 by AROYK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new4x4r Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 PM a guy named dududuckling... he has just finished swapping all of his interior bulbs to LED's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 The bulb on the back of the cluster might just be loose. They twist in 90 degrees and lock into the circuit board. Not a difficult job, IIRC on the R50 you just need a phillips screw driver. As to the dome light, if you are sure the bulb and fuse are good, that leaves the switch to turn it on and off/assembly is bad/the connectors where the bulb plug in are corroded, or it is disconnected. Cant think of anything else it could be.... The harness connects to the done light and runs down to the right hand a pillar to the kick panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dududuckling Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 (edited) PM a guy named dududuckling... he has just finished swapping all of his interior bulbs to LED's Do you want me to pimp Pepsi up? I can change your bulbs to LEDs as well, hahaha... I wanted to reply to this thread several days ago, asking him to simply switch the cluster bulbs to LED. But I wasn't sure if its in anyway related to the interior dome lights that aren't working. On my R50, there are 4 bulbs for the speedometer backlight and 1 bulb for the odometer. Your bulbs might simply be loose, as stated by Alkorahil. My circuit board is written in Japanese, and yours might be too, so you gotta take a smart guess on which bulbs are the ones responsible. You gotta twist and remove the bases from the circuit board. To remove the bulb, simply pull it out of the base with a plier. They sit really tight to the base. If you decide to go with LED bulbs, I THINK you might need #74. These bulbs sit more loosely in the base than the stock bulbs, but they are all functional. The hardest part of replacing or tightening the bulbs is the removal of the cluster gauge panel due to the space constraint between the steering wheel and the dashboard. Gotta be patient and smart... brute force and ignorance. As for the dome lights... I've not a clue. Ever tried spilling beer on the R50? Another guy in the other forum spilled beer in the garage and his electrical problem on the fog light was miraculously solved. Edited February 10, 2010 by dududuckling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROYK Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 Thank for the advice everyone. I'll open 'er up next chance I get. Might consider the LED's so I don't have to do this again. As for the dome lights, I think I will try the beer idea... cuz the door switches are fine also. When I open the doors (any one of them), the dome light in back turns on just fine. But not the middle one. So yeah, beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUELER Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 ya make sure the contacts are clean and touching eachother. There are contacts from the bulb base to the printed circuit board, and there are contacts inside the bulb base for the lite bulb. Do not replace with LED if you think they will last longer - they won't. I bought LED's with lifetime warranty and ive had three go out already. They usually start to blink and flicker and then they fail completely. Not worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dududuckling Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 (edited) Do not replace with LED if you think they will last longer - they won't. I bought LED's with lifetime warranty and ive had three go out already. They usually start to blink and flicker and then they fail completely. Not worth it. Fueler, how long did your LED bulbs last? I've a couple of extra bulbs and am thinking of refunding them. Based on what you said, i guess I'll keep them for spare instead. And which company did you buy from that offer lifetime warranty? Autolumination or superbrightleds? Thanks!!! As well, AROYK, if you decide to go with LEDs, just remember that one bulb can fit nice and tight with one base and sits very loosely with another base from the same circuit board. You just gotta be patient with the work. I have no clear explanation of why is that so, but its simply based on my observation. And be cautious when changing those bulbs, turn off everything just to be on the safe side, so the circuit board doesn't go smoking. You can also change the dome light to 36 leds for the extra brightness, as well as the a/c control if you have the manual one. Good luck! Edited February 11, 2010 by dududuckling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ventec Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 You may want to check all your solder points on the backof the cluster just like the Day Time Running Light Modules, rugh rodes tend to cause the solder points on the circuit boards to break loose and loose contact, I have the same problem and plan to tear into it soon as well. Kyle. be sure to check you powervalves in your intake manifold. Loc-tite them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROYK Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 Okay, so I took it out, made sure all of the bulbs were tight, and put it back in. They are all working, but only time will tell if they have changed their behavior. I don't know if it matters, but my cluster looks a little different than yours, duduckling. The bulbs twisted in and out the same as the ones you described on yours, so I'm sure this cluster is similar enough that this might have fixed it. I haven't checked the Day Time Running Light Modules solder points yet ventec, but all my stuff is working at the moment. What will I see when those solder points get tired? I also haven't locktight'd the power valve screws yet... I'm still trying to work up enough nerve to do it myself since I can't find anyone to do it for me. I don't have a garage, and I don't have much time right now, so it may have to wait (I know, I know, I'm a horrible person). I've read a lot about the screws on this forum and in my repair manual, and I feel like I could do it well enough. Anyway, thanks for all the replies e'ry body Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROYK Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 I took a picture with that back cover off too but I uploaded the wrong one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dududuckling Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 I think there will be variations from year to year. Nissan engineers might get bored and decide to put different type of cluster gauge, but the bulbs and the locations should be pretty much the same. Good luck with that!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AROYK Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 Seeeeems to be working! Gauges haven't blacked out since the bulb job. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now