Changed the Dash Lights

A forum for the legendary Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4.
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slickroger
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Check it out - what do you think

I replaced 2 bulbs behind the dash with #74 3Blue LED sticks from

autolumination.com





A very well put together description of HOW TO remove and replace your instrument cluster by Pwnin O'Brien



Modified by slickroger at 7:19 PM 12/23/2009
Modified by slickroger at 7:20 PM 12/23/2009


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Domenico
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i like it ....

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Qxxx4
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lookin good! better gas up there soon bud gas is cheap!

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fueler
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wow thats nice, dont be mad if i copy you do they still dim with the dimmer switch, or just on/off? judging by what you saw in the gauge cluster, would you say there's enough room for the tri-led bulb? PS props for finding that part #.
Modified by fueler at 9:40 PM 9/25/2008

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slickroger
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they dim with the dimmer switch.

and of course you can copy thats why i put the bulb size and site to get it cheap from.

the one i bought is the Matrix 3 led 50% brighter than conventional single #74 leds 3x leds emit light in all directions.

i wanna see how bright the ones at the top of the page are, simply because i think the bulbs i got are just enough.

i would strongly suggest you buy the 50% brighter than conventional single #74 leds or better. the ones that say they are 25% brighter couldnt possibly be bright enough and you still have your dimmer anyway.

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AJRK
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Looks really nice Roger.

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Speckid14
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A++ for good looking gauges.

I like it because it is simple mod, and makes a big difference. Job well doneSpeckid

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slickroger
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Thanks everyone.

I just got fed up with not finding anyhelp and decided to rip that thing apart and get to the bottom of this mystery bulb size.

Fueler i am pretty sure it will fit ill do a check for you as soon as i get a chance, which should be soon cause i am always way to curious to the point where i might break things.

I want to be able to tell us nico trucks apart

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Axelpkt
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Nice find dude. I tried doing this about a year ago, and it failed misserably, the LEDs i got were not bright enough. It looks like I might be trying this again. How many bulbs are there, I forgot.

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slickroger
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iam going outside to answer Fuelers question right now i will take a picture of the back of the dash so you know which ones to replace its only 2.

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slickroger
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ok heres the scoop

the tri power bulb should fit i measured 20mm clearance not including the base. so the tripower should work but i think that you might have to just slide it in on an angle because it might be a little over the diameter clearance, but that shouldnt be a real issue.



the red squares in the picture above are the twist lock bases that you will be replacing the bulbs in.

Make sure you test it before you start to re-assemble your dash. the twist bases have to be re-inserted the same way they come out simply because the polarity matters. so if it isnt working than flip the base and re-insert.

Good luck to all and enjoy the new colors!!!

sorry im getting upset with my blurry camera

Oh If somebody trys the Tri-power bulb (fueler) let me know how that goes.

time to grab a blunt and congratulate myself for my effort


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fueler
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do i have to buy the bases seperately off the website or can i use the factory bases that are already in there?'

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slickroger
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no you can use the stock bases just becareful when you pry out the bulb thats already in it i was very afraid of breaking it in the base but it worked

Good luck

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fueler
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slickroger wrote:I want to be able to tell us nico trucks apart
it funny you mention that, the other day i saw a pathfinder that looked like your twin... same color. smoked headlights, smoked clear corners. same front grill. i dont know what tail lights you got but he had smoke altezzas. it looked so much like slickroger, not similar, but EXACT CLONE!!! i was about to take a photo but i didnt want to look like a weirdo. it was at my school so if i see it again ill snap a photo.... you'll trip out!

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TJcars2
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Sick bro. Do they have them in red by any chance??

P.S. Your car is sick.

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slickroger
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i just got tints for the headlights probably put them on today or later this week.

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fueler
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ohh i got something in the mail pics later

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fueler
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ok my gauge cluster officially is much different than yours any idea where to begin??

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SnowSurfLax
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Looks like you just need to figure out which screws hold that circuirt board on to get at the lights.

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fueler
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actually all those black and brown things are the bases for the lights and they twist out.

in fact i think its the pathfinder that has an extra back panel, if you look between the cracks on slickrogers picture, i think you can see the green circuit board underneath oil light, seatbelt light, parking brake light, etc each one has its own bulb and i need to figure out which one does the backlighting for the gauges themselves! I might just have to use what i learned in elementary school - "guess and check"!!


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slickroger
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mine were black the browns were warning lights and such

when you take off the base look for the acrylic glass surrounding the gauges. they use that to distribute the light along the cluster.

you should be able to kinda judge by where the bases are most just open directly to a warning light.

holla if you need more help if QXXX4 allows me i could possibly check on his truck for you or he can see this and possibly check it and upgrade.

cookin a super blunt right now you ever tried one its huge its halfway and im an hour in?

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slickroger
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is your dash the same design as mine (guages in the same place)?

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fueler
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no its slightly different, but very similar. but another question: how the hell did you get the bulb out of the base? Mine are in like cement. i seriously wish i would have bought the twist lock bases seperately, now i realize why they sell them

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fueler
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well i have good news and bad news good news: i was able to free the nissan bulb (which takes about 5 minutes of wiggling) i was able to install the tri-tip LED and it WORKS!!! bad news: the QX4 cluster has 4 bulbs, not two, to illuminate the numbers. so right now i have half blue and half white, rainbow style. ill have to order 2 more and roll rainbow til then! THANKS SLICKROGER!

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slickroger
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4 bulbs your dash is going to be pretty bright with those tri-led replacements.

is that bulb overkill or no i might upgrade and stick these ones on my engine light or higbeam light that blue is to dull now.

im gonna start going through the rest of the car i want everything blue it just matches the AVIC-Z2 like Empty V wanted to do.

I wanna see this rainbow dash!!!

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Adnan
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haha looks crazy roger...reminds me of those vdubs

btw im just concerned about the red dials...are they visible enough to not pay much attention?

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fueler
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Adnan wrote:btw im just concerned about the red dials...are they visible enough to not pay much attention?
The needles should stay... they stayed in mine. the red part isnt as bright as it would be in a VW... and the redline (on the tach) completely disappeared but u can still see the needles, the most important part of all...

my buddy has a mitsu 3000gt and he did the same mod, his red needles disappeared completely so he had to switch back!!

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Densetsu
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Effin' sweet mod... adding the tri-power and twist locks to my shopping cart now.

The service manual for the '03 Pathy shows three gauge bulbs (black backs, marked ILL), not two. The first two are in the same spot as the ones you replaced (either side of the turn signals), the third at the bottom just left of the speedometer. I'm guessing the '01 didn't have that third light?

Either way, I'll order three... if I only need two, nice to have a spare in case I screw it up.

Modified by Densetsu at 3:36 PM 10/2/2008
Modified by Densetsu at 3:37 PM 10/2/2008

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slickroger
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i think the third light your talking about is the bulb that lights up the trip gauge at the bottom of the speedometer.

i can see the red needles just fine i kinda like the fade away needle.

and i cdont care about losing that red its only in the rpm gauge and you should never be in that range thats why its red so im cool with that.

i consider the red a day time thing

congratulations on your dashboard success fueler

i hope to see more!

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02pathfinderle
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very nice job, the blue cluster lights look great, im having a problem with my 2002 path that one half of the cluster lights up speed and gas while the other half doesnt light up rpm n coolent temperature, but once in a while its reversed where its opposite the coolent temp, n rpm will light up and the speed n fuel wont light up ,

im not sure if i have to change the bulbs , wat do u think the problem is? also how hard is it to remove the cluster to change the bulb?


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