Instrument Cluster Help

[VanhireBoys]

Gents
My dash cluster is really starting to get dim and the seatbelt light and central warning have gone duff - This started to happen 2 years ago and I paid no heed until now [].. So I am going to replace all the bulbs...

Can anybody put up a picture of the back side of an oval dash cluster so I can get an idea of which bulbs I need to get my hands on...and what is in front of me before I start...!

Is the bulb for the central warning light a bigger one...?

BTW the belts gave no more trouble since - The car sounds great on startup - Its a real feeling of satisfaction every time I turn the key to know that I done the belts....! so once agin lads thanks for your help ! []

 

[zcacogp]

Good result on the belts - glad to hear it!

The symptoms you describe with the dash could be those of a poor earth - not something I have seen on a 944, but common on older golfs. When you change the bulbs, it is probably worth finding the earth wire for the dash loom (probably the brown one), and splicing a new earth into it; take a bit of the wire covering off, and solder a short bit of new wire to it, and then attach that new bit of wire to a good earth - a screw on the steering column bracket or similar.


Oli.

 

[VanhireBoys]

Thanks a million Oli...! I am going to tackle this on Saturday with missus away...[]

I am such a dork [8|]- There is a very good and concise procedure above in the Technical Atrticles by Dave.. Pictures have answered a lot of questions for me... ! Top job... ! The airbag has to come off mine but that should be no problem - Hopefully the clockspring error dosent come up after.

I am going to do the earth check as well as advised and check the rheostat ! I have no bulbs so it will be a bit of exploritary surgery !

 

[Dockrell]

Donal,
Take a look in the 944 Technical help - the article on fitting the LED instrument lighting solution or in the Clarke's garage web site.

The instrument cluster has three bulbs for illumination and lots of little capless bulbs for the warning lights - think they are 1 or 1.2 watt bulbs. All the warning lights are the same.

As the articles state don't forget to idebtify the three sets of ribbon cables and connectors to make re-connection easy.

On mine originally there were a number of warning lights missing and tank tape fitted over the holes - quite revealing when new bulbs were fitted - thats how I found my ABS was not working.

Mike
White 2.7 automatic

 

[TTM]

In my case, recently redoing the prisms on the cluster on my S2 and just cleaning the bulbs that had accumulated 20+ years of dust proved enough.

 

[VanhireBoys]

Well Gents...!
Thanks for the help...! I took the airbag out and off with the wheel.

From talking to the fellow who done the work to the car in the early 90s revealed a "Can of Worms" One night the Airbag light came on along with seatbelt and central warning lights !

These were dutifully removed ..... ! I interrogated the airbag control unit and found out it was the clockspring was the original problem.... eBay from The States and clockspring delivered !

The cluster was taken out and looks as if Plug B locating pins were busted []! I replaced the bulbs and voila - Airbag/Seatbelt and Central Warning Light fixed ! after 15 years !

Delighted ! Next Job is the Calipers and suspension arms - Then NCT []


Did yous know that the DME 12v Supply in a USA car comes from the Airbag Control unit via the Alarm system ...? This means if the car is involved in an accident which the Airbags are deployed then the engine is cut ! Lets try and not put this to the test !