Dim Bulbs in Speedo/gas gauge assembly

Black plastic, most likely twist, then pull. Black rubber, just a butt plug, pulls straight out....

J.

Squirrel, If they are like the ones in the 71 beetles...............they have a black plastic center to them, but are metal casings and on my car ( the daily driver ...almost) they pull straight out. I recommend trying a bit of a twist and pull action................that way if they are ciorroded in places you can't see, it will help loosen the crud...........

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It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs. -- Oxford University Press, Edpress News

Thanks to all on how to pull the bulb holders out of the back of the speedo/gas gauge housing. Yup: twist and pull. They were both 1.2W 12V bulbs -- even with a full 12-v applied they do not dazzle. I've seen burnt-out matches that are brighter.

My FLAPS had some 2.3W bulbs that fit. Not exactly a huge increase in light output but every little bit helps. However, while fussing around, a dress ring behind the gas gauge slipped to one side, providing a view into the housing. I noted a transparent yellow lens mounted between the bulb and the innards of the housing. Apparently VDO or someone thought that their wan 1.2W bulbs might destroy a driver's night vision (and fair to say that when the bulbs were selected cities and night skies were darker than they are now - not to mention the exciting new actinic-ray(TM) Xenon headlamps mounted high up on pickups and SUVs providing yet more light pollution).

I think I could increase the overall brightness of the instruments if I were to open up the housing, clean out the dust, remove the filters and paint the inside white. Anyone tried anything like that? Any pitfalls I should know about before proceeding?

I should mention that the Wonderbus's instrument panel has a central speedo/odo and to its left is a gas gauge GEN/OIL/Turn-indicator thing. These two instruments are housed in one can, the back cover of which has a bunch of push-on terminals and a few nuts scattered hither and yon.

Looks openable.

Mike, You Might want to get a bit of info from Quick James on the wattage and such...................Seems like there were problems with Charging on some vehicles if you changed the bulb output..............I can't remember the details, but it was something odd that happens.................I could be a bit wrong here though.

Speedy Jim Speedy Jim Speedy................OOps, That only applies to Beetlejuice doesn't it?

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply MUADIB®

It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs. -- Oxford University Press, Edpress News

The lamps I'm referring to here are the two bulbs that illuminate the speedo and gas gauge dials. Got nuttin' to do wid the alternator.

The GEN lamp provides the kickstart current the alternator needs to do that voodoo that it do do. As Rapid Jimmy writes on his web page, "To get the alternator going, a tiny field current must be supplied. In most designs, this current is initially provided by the dash warning light. With the Ignition switch closed, current flows thru the Lamp to the regulator and into the field winding. If the dash warning light is burned out or disconnected, the alternator probably won't begin charging."

Rocky, there's some strange circuitry on mine ('79) for the bulbs in the hazard switch and in the rear window defogger switch. I don't think that applies to yours. On mine they glow dim when not turned on, but are in series with the rest of the panel lights. Did you check the ground on the speedo unit? If I remember correctly, each gauge / unit has its own ground as they are all suspended from a plastic faceplate. Sometimes I don't remember correctly though! Try grounding the housing and see if they get brighter. -BH

and heater

troubleshoot the dim

This unit has

indicators/GEN

mounted to the

very dimly. Hard

also lights

one in the

rheostat is fine.

at rear of

Same measured

speedo/gas gauge.

speedo/gas unit

present at the

dim.

very dim

bulbs is poor.

and Muir are

to cover this

holes on the rear

on them?

Mike,

I may be stating the obvious, but try turning the "dimmer control" on the light switch!

Grahame from Aus

Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott wrote:

Thanks, but see below: "The bulbs in the speedo/gas gauge unit and the nice bright one in the tach all come off the same dimmer knob, so the dimmer rheostat is fine."

Thanks BH, but grounding is fine, as mentioned below, and as confirmed in further testing today. The problem appears to be

A. Totally wimpy 1.2W bulbs. A grand total of two of these things. B. Yellow filters within instrument housing to further dim the lamps.

I don't think there is really anything wrong. The level of lighting appears to be exactly as designed. However, when compared with the tach lighting, indeed when compared with what I am used to, the lighting is just too dim. Nearly too dim to read the gauges at night. I'm going to open up the housing, clean out the dust, paint the inside of the housing white and see what I get then.

There's nothing wrong with the bulbs or the circuit. The problem is the dim bulb at the wheel. :)

Hah! You ain't seen nothin' yet. Wait'll I have this speedo assembly apart and in a million little pieces on the dinner table. The look on my face as dim awareness begins to grow that I have no idea how to re-assemble it will prove beyone a shadow of a doubt that you have a moron in your midst.

"Mike Rocket J. Squirrel Elliott" wrote

This page might help you out:

I scooped that link from this thread at STF:

Mike. This test does not prove the ground to be good. If you measure between the lamp + wire and chassis, you get the very voltage that=20 comes from the battery even if you have no ground connection at all or the lamp is busted. With bad ground the problem is that you don't get enough voltage between the lamp posts, because the resistance in the ground circuit eats up the voltage you get from the battery.

Proper measurement would then be to measure

• voltage between the lamp + post and chassis to be sure there is=20 voltage in the system (this you did and got 11.6 V, which is nice),

• voltage between the lamp posts when bulb is lit (should be near 12V) and

• voltage between the lamp ground side and chassis (should be 0 V)

If everything here checks, you have good ground. Otherwise not.

Just don't pull the ppointer off till you're certain you are putting it back on in the EXACT same position...............the rest can be handled without special equipment.

( I was under the misunderstanding that we were including the GEN light also, So that makes my earlier comment pretty useless , Sorry)

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply MUADIB®

It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs. -- Oxford University Press, Edpress News

Thanks, Olli -- you are right about all this. I did, in fact, check all those voltages and determined that there is indeed about 12v across the lamp terminals. Near as I can tell the problem is this:

Two measly 1.2W bulbs at the rear of a large dark gray plastic box (which houses the speedo and the gas gauge) with yellow filters over them are not going to kick out enough light to decently illuminate the speedo and the gas gauge. At least not to my pitiful 54 year old eyes.

I will handle this through the following heroic measures:

1. Disconnect all wires and other bits from the rear of the gray plastic box which houses the speedo and gas gauge and two wimpy 1.2w bulbs.

1. Open up said gray plastic box which houses the speedo and gas gauge and two wimpy 1.2w bulbs.

2. Take everything out.

1. Clean out the dust bunnies and other verkeitlich from gray plastic box which houses the speedo and gas gauge and two wimpy 1.2w bulbs.

2. Discard the wan yellow filters in front of two wimpy 1.2w bulbs.

1. Spray paint the inside of the gray plastic box which houses the speedo and gas gauge with white paint.

2. Replace two wimpy 1.2w bulbs with mighty 2.3w bulbs.

1. Re-assemble. Which is the reverse of steps 1 through 3.

2. Put on sunglasses and apply power. Expect to be dazzled.

Mr. Squirrel, Esq:

Are you retired? Just wondering where you find all the time for working on your Bus.

Best, Mr. Moose

When dismatling, don't forget to take the twenty-seven 8 x

10 colored glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explainin' what each one is... So's ya kin put 'em all back togetherin'! Maybe not bump the wattage up on those bulbs tho... BTW - I prolly missed it, but did you ever take one of the bright bulbs and swap it into a dimbulb socket and observe?

fact, check all

12v across the

plastic box

filters over

illuminate the

year old eyes.

I'm not sitting in your driver's seat, but I'd like to caution you about getting them too bright. Driving in the city when you've juet been inside somewhere, you can get the impression that dash lights need to be brighter, but once you get out on the road and your eyes (or even my 57 year old eyes) get acclimated to the dark, you may not want the dash so light.

I have almost never driven at night with the dash lights turned all the way up. What I like is a dim dash that I can glance at without ruining my night vision.

-

----------------------------------------------- Jim Adney snipped-for-privacy@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711 USA

-----------------------------------------------

Here, 99% of my driving is in town. Should I take the Wonderbus out for a nighttime spin in the country and find the instrument lamps too bright, why I'll just reach out and grab that dimmer, turn it counter-clockwise and show it who's in charge.