DIY: 96-04 Acura RL instrument gauge cluster LED bulbs - Page 3 - Acura Forum

CRXMotorsports · 09-10-08, 09:23 AM

Hey DIYer... I've done this on a few different cars, and this week I should be picking up an 02 RL... What about the center console? what color are they backlit? have you attempted to match those up? I know when I had an M3 there was a write up on replacing every interior bulb so that it still looks 'OEM' and well done.. but I'm curious if you have gone that far or plan to. If I do this to the gauges, I'd do it to every interior gauge/control/light (minus dome/map lights) so the feeling is that this is just how the car "is" vs. a gauge cluster modification.
Kudos on the write up, I do things like this quite often, so as I gain ownership of the RL, and start doing tasteful things like this, I'll be sure to post up any help I can offer too.

Thanks again.

thrillhouse · 09-13-08, 03:41 PM

It seems to me like the center console lights have a more green-ish color to them, not because of the bulb but because of the faceplate that the light shines through. If you have a non-navi console, I know the bulbs for the climate control are pretty easy to get to, you just have to remove the back cover. I'm not sure about the radio or navi units.

I just ordered a bunch of white leds for my cluster, and I'm pretty sure the bulb for the gear positions by the gear knob is also a #24, so I might try putting an led in there to see how it looks.

DC1225 · 09-14-08, 06:22 PM

I took my car in to dealer just for $hits and giggles and asked them how much it would cost to get the bulbs replaced and he told me that they won't do that and that I need to replace the whole entire cluster, LOL right

thrillhouse · 09-14-08, 09:48 PM

Yeah I think a lot of dealerships don't like to mess with the clusters, I don't know why but I think they're afraid of damaging it cause a replacement is hard to come by. The dealer I go to told me they couldn't even get me a new cluster if I needed one, I'd have to find a used one myself.

thrillhouse · 09-24-08, 01:16 AM

Just put white leds in my cluster. Looks awesome.

While I had everything out I tried looking behind the radio and climate control units, but couldn't find where they were. I think replacing all of these bulbs would be pretty tricky, and they might be smaller than the #24 bulbs. I know the light by the shift knob is smaller. But CRX is right, at night the the gauges don't quite match with the console. The console looks really dull compared to the leds in the cluster, so if anyone knows how to get to the bulbs in the console it might be worth trying to replace them.

CRXMotorsports · 09-24-08, 08:39 AM

with those LCD screens... I am fearing it isn't as simple as a bulb replacement... many of those are even soldered to a control circuit board... I would try it if I found a console for free/cheap already off, but I don't plan to take the chance on my own RL as the 'test' car for that.. if anyone finds a console with the buttons, radio, climate control (non-Nav) let me know.. I"d pay a bit for it, and try to work on it with my electrical background and the RL shop manual to see if we can find a good 'matching' solution. then the next to be replaced will be the lights for the power windows, memory seat location, etc. again to keep a truly one color throughout look. OEM, but improved.. rather than an obvious partial mod.

thrillhouse · 09-24-08, 05:58 PM

I thought the LCD screens were going to be a problem too, but I took a look at the service manual and it seems like its lit up with a regular twist-off socket bulb. For the climate control, there's two bulbs for the buttons, one on either side for the temp and fan knobs, and then three bulbs above the buttons where the LCD screen is, so I'm assuming those are for the screen. Unfortunately the service manual only shows how to get to the bulbs in the climate control unit, not the radio.

If I get a chance I'm going to take out the whole console to get a better look, I have a burnt bulb in there anyway so I want to at least get that one replaced. I still have no idea what kind of bulbs go in there though, hopefully it's labeled like on the cluster.

Malone · 09-24-08, 10:21 PM

hey CRX im looking to get rid my radio and climate control soon, from a 98. also if anyone needs those LEDs i got 10 of the xenon whites from the ebay seller 97RLer got his from.

hope to see some center console light mods!

MICHAEL RL · 09-25-08, 10:12 AM

I have a 2000 acura rl and im trying to change the interior lights cluster and all from white to blue does anyone know what is fitting type of stock bulbs???and how many would i need to replace to have a full blue lit interior??or does anyone in the Toronto area has any idea on how to do this??i will pay as i wouldnt want to mess up my car inside

thrillhouse · 09-25-08, 04:37 PM

That's what we're trying to figure out here. The first part of this thread covers how to replace the bulbs in the gauges. I don't know if there's a thread for the courtesy/dome lights, but they're pretty easy to do without instructions. Right now we're trying to figure out the console and all the other small button lights.

CRX, I took out a couple bulbs from the climate control today. The Neo4 LEDs on superbrightleds.com seem to best match the measurements of the bulbs behind the buttons. The bulbs behind the lcd screen look a bit smaller though, and have a white cover on them. I'd buy a couple LEDs to try them, but I'm in Canada and they want a minimum order of $25 for Canadian customers.

It looks like the bulbs in the radio would be the hardest to get to. I didn't try because I didn't want to start taking it apart. If you find out how to get to them please keep us posted!

MICHAEL RL · 09-25-08, 10:49 PM

hey thrill house what model and year do u have??im in toronto also maybe we can help each other out in figuring this thing out

thrillhouse · 09-27-08, 04:41 PM

Mine's a 97. I'm not going to do much else right now cause the only thing left to figure out is the radio, and I'd have to completely take it apart to figure it out, which I would rather not - I like my radio better when it's working lol. Also every time I take my console apart some pin somewhere breaks... so I'm going to leave it alone until we can figure out the radio lights without sacrificing our own cars.

As far as the cluster goes, it's not too hard to do as long as your careful. If you're really stuck somewhere ask us here, or pm me and I might be able to meet with you.

MICHAEL RL · 10-04-08, 06:30 PM

HEY GUYS I HAVE A 2000 ACURA RL AND I HATE THE DULL WHITE GAUGE BACKGROUND LIGHTS AND I AM TRYING TO TURN IT INTO BLUE LED BUT I HAVE NO IDEA AS TO WHAT TYPE?QUANTITY? AND WHERE PRETTY MUCH TO ORDER THESE....................CAN ANYONE HELP ME WITH THIS INFO IT WOULD VERY MUCH BE APPRECIATED

Malone · 10-12-08, 12:42 PM

quick question, If i want to get new incandesent bulbs is it still #37 or is it #24? I found both but I want to order the right size

or is it #74 which is T6.5 ??

soo confused after all this research I can't figure the correct size!

Thanks

thrillhouse · 10-14-08, 01:04 AM

#24 is the right size. The #74 bulbs don't fit. Most of the incandesent #24 bulbs seem to be fatter though. I replaced mine with #24 bulbs before I did the led conversion, but they didn't fit well, the bulb is too big so its not a tight fit. It will stay in, but you have to be careful when replacing the bulbs. When I took them back out one fell into the cluster. I tried playing operation with my cluster using a pair of tweezers, but it's virtually impossible to get those bulbs out once they fall. If your going to stick with incandescent bulbs try to find ones that look like the OEM ones, where the bulb part is just as wide as the wedge.

09-24-08, 08:39 AM	#36 (permalink)
CRXMotorsports STS2 Driver Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 13 Your Mood: Car 1: 2002 Acura RL Car 2: 1988 Honda CRX si Car 3: 2008 Ford Explorer	with those LCD screens... I am fearing it isn't as simple as a bulb replacement... many of those are even soldered to a control circuit board... I would try it if I found a console for free/cheap already off, but I don't plan to take the chance on my own RL as the 'test' car for that.. if anyone finds a console with the buttons, radio, climate control (non-Nav) let me know.. I"d pay a bit for it, and try to work on it with my electrical background and the RL shop manual to see if we can find a good 'matching' solution. then the next to be replaced will be the lights for the power windows, memory seat location, etc. again to keep a truly one color throughout look. OEM, but improved.. rather than an obvious partial mod. __________________ Financial Advisor by Day - Car Junkie by night. 2002 Acura RL - Daily Driver 1988 Honda CRX si - SCCA Race car 2008 Ford Explorer - Tow Vehicle What I Do

09-25-08, 10:12 AM	#39 (permalink)
MICHAEL RL Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 4 Car 1: 2000 ACURA 3.5RL	2000 acura rl cluster I have a 2000 acura rl and im trying to change the interior lights cluster and all from white to blue does anyone know what is fitting type of stock bulbs???and how many would i need to replace to have a full blue lit interior??or does anyone in the Toronto area has any idea on how to do this??i will pay as i wouldnt want to mess up my car inside

09-25-08, 10:49 PM	#41 (permalink)
MICHAEL RL Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 4 Car 1: 2000 ACURA 3.5RL	THRILL HOUSE hey thrill house what model and year do u have??im in toronto also maybe we can help each other out in figuring this thing out

10-12-08, 12:42 PM	#44 (permalink)
Malone Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 28 Car 1: 1998 Acura RL	quick question, If i want to get new incandesent bulbs is it still #37 or is it #24? I found both but I want to order the right size or is it #74 which is T6.5 ?? soo confused after all this research I can't figure the correct size! Thanks Last edited by Malone : 10-12-08 at 04:48 PM.

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09-10-08, 09:23 AM	#31 (permalink)
CRXMotorsports STS2 Driver Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mid-Ohio Posts: 13 Your Mood: Car 1: 2002 Acura RL Car 2: 1988 Honda CRX si Car 3: 2008 Ford Explorer	Hey DIYer... I've done this on a few different cars, and this week I should be picking up an 02 RL... What about the center console? what color are they backlit? have you attempted to match those up? I know when I had an M3 there was a write up on replacing every interior bulb so that it still looks 'OEM' and well done.. but I'm curious if you have gone that far or plan to. If I do this to the gauges, I'd do it to every interior gauge/control/light (minus dome/map lights) so the feeling is that this is just how the car "is" vs. a gauge cluster modification. Kudos on the write up, I do things like this quite often, so as I gain ownership of the RL, and start doing tasteful things like this, I'll be sure to post up any help I can offer too. Thanks again.

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09-13-08, 03:41 PM	#32 (permalink)
thrillhouse Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 19 Car 1: 97 Acura RL Car 2: 02 Acura MDX	It seems to me like the center console lights have a more green-ish color to them, not because of the bulb but because of the faceplate that the light shines through. If you have a non-navi console, I know the bulbs for the climate control are pretty easy to get to, you just have to remove the back cover. I'm not sure about the radio or navi units. I just ordered a bunch of white leds for my cluster, and I'm pretty sure the bulb for the gear positions by the gear knob is also a #24, so I might try putting an led in there to see how it looks.

09-14-08, 06:22 PM	#33 (permalink)
DC1225 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 367 Car 1: 00 RL	I took my car in to dealer just for $hits and giggles and asked them how much it would cost to get the bulbs replaced and he told me that they won't do that and that I need to replace the whole entire cluster, LOL right

09-14-08, 09:48 PM	#34 (permalink)
thrillhouse Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 19 Car 1: 97 Acura RL Car 2: 02 Acura MDX	Yeah I think a lot of dealerships don't like to mess with the clusters, I don't know why but I think they're afraid of damaging it cause a replacement is hard to come by. The dealer I go to told me they couldn't even get me a new cluster if I needed one, I'd have to find a used one myself.

09-24-08, 01:16 AM	#35 (permalink)
thrillhouse Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 19 Car 1: 97 Acura RL Car 2: 02 Acura MDX	Just put white leds in my cluster. Looks awesome. While I had everything out I tried looking behind the radio and climate control units, but couldn't find where they were. I think replacing all of these bulbs would be pretty tricky, and they might be smaller than the #24 bulbs. I know the light by the shift knob is smaller. But CRX is right, at night the the gauges don't quite match with the console. The console looks really dull compared to the leds in the cluster, so if anyone knows how to get to the bulbs in the console it might be worth trying to replace them.

09-24-08, 05:58 PM	#37 (permalink)
thrillhouse Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 19 Car 1: 97 Acura RL Car 2: 02 Acura MDX	I thought the LCD screens were going to be a problem too, but I took a look at the service manual and it seems like its lit up with a regular twist-off socket bulb. For the climate control, there's two bulbs for the buttons, one on either side for the temp and fan knobs, and then three bulbs above the buttons where the LCD screen is, so I'm assuming those are for the screen. Unfortunately the service manual only shows how to get to the bulbs in the climate control unit, not the radio. If I get a chance I'm going to take out the whole console to get a better look, I have a burnt bulb in there anyway so I want to at least get that one replaced. I still have no idea what kind of bulbs go in there though, hopefully it's labeled like on the cluster.

09-24-08, 10:21 PM	#38 (permalink)
Malone Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 28 Car 1: 1998 Acura RL	hey CRX im looking to get rid my radio and climate control soon, from a 98. also if anyone needs those LEDs i got 10 of the xenon whites from the ebay seller 97RLer got his from. hope to see some center console light mods!

09-25-08, 04:37 PM	#40 (permalink)
thrillhouse Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 19 Car 1: 97 Acura RL Car 2: 02 Acura MDX	That's what we're trying to figure out here. The first part of this thread covers how to replace the bulbs in the gauges. I don't know if there's a thread for the courtesy/dome lights, but they're pretty easy to do without instructions. Right now we're trying to figure out the console and all the other small button lights. CRX, I took out a couple bulbs from the climate control today. The Neo4 LEDs on superbrightleds.com seem to best match the measurements of the bulbs behind the buttons. The bulbs behind the lcd screen look a bit smaller though, and have a white cover on them. I'd buy a couple LEDs to try them, but I'm in Canada and they want a minimum order of $25 for Canadian customers. It looks like the bulbs in the radio would be the hardest to get to. I didn't try because I didn't want to start taking it apart. If you find out how to get to them please keep us posted!

09-27-08, 04:41 PM	#42 (permalink)
thrillhouse Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 19 Car 1: 97 Acura RL Car 2: 02 Acura MDX	Mine's a 97. I'm not going to do much else right now cause the only thing left to figure out is the radio, and I'd have to completely take it apart to figure it out, which I would rather not - I like my radio better when it's working lol. Also every time I take my console apart some pin somewhere breaks... so I'm going to leave it alone until we can figure out the radio lights without sacrificing our own cars. As far as the cluster goes, it's not too hard to do as long as your careful. If you're really stuck somewhere ask us here, or pm me and I might be able to meet with you.

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10-04-08, 06:30 PM	#43 (permalink)
MICHAEL RL Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 4 Car 1: 2000 ACURA 3.5RL	HEY GUYS I HAVE A 2000 ACURA RL AND I HATE THE DULL WHITE GAUGE BACKGROUND LIGHTS AND I AM TRYING TO TURN IT INTO BLUE LED BUT I HAVE NO IDEA AS TO WHAT TYPE?QUANTITY? AND WHERE PRETTY MUCH TO ORDER THESE....................CAN ANYONE HELP ME WITH THIS INFO IT WOULD VERY MUCH BE APPRECIATED

10-14-08, 01:04 AM	#45 (permalink)
thrillhouse Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 19 Car 1: 97 Acura RL Car 2: 02 Acura MDX	#24 is the right size. The #74 bulbs don't fit. Most of the incandesent #24 bulbs seem to be fatter though. I replaced mine with #24 bulbs before I did the led conversion, but they didn't fit well, the bulb is too big so its not a tight fit. It will stay in, but you have to be careful when replacing the bulbs. When I took them back out one fell into the cluster. I tried playing operation with my cluster using a pair of tweezers, but it's virtually impossible to get those bulbs out once they fall. If your going to stick with incandescent bulbs try to find ones that look like the OEM ones, where the bulb part is just as wide as the wedge.