Ion Dash lights

[saturn678]

what type of replacement bulb is it?? the far right side of my tachometer is dim i assume it is a dead bulb . any suggestions?

[ottmwz_finest]

http://www.superbrightleds.com/mini-wedge.html

Scroll all the way down to Instrument Cluster and Gauge Backlights. You want B8.5D

While you are going to be in there changing out the bulbs anyways, why not change them to a snazzy new color huh?

[saturn678]

Which color is stock color???

[ottmwz_finest]

Ugh, you bore me with your OEM look and feel. LOL

Stock color is white, but you will need to replace all of them at the same time because the new ones are LEDs and they will look different than the other original working bulbs.

[saturn678]

When i tapped the top of my dash the ight came back on.so i dunno whats going on . its been minus 35 celcius for the past 2 days does temperature have anything to do with these lights?

[ottmwz_finest]

I'm gonna say no on the weather thing. Probably just started to twist loose. Do you drive over large potholes often? LOL. Hope it stays on for you anyways, but it probably won't so save that website I linked for you...

[saturn678]

yeah, its not a big deal so next day i get free ill do surgery on it to see whats going on. i also doubt it will stay on had this same trouble in my sl1, replaced all bulbs except the SES it can stay off for a change, lol.but with 367000 KMS who blames that poor little light for being on.

[bc3tech]

Originally Posted by ottmwz_finest

http://www.superbrightleds.com/mini-wedge.html

Scroll all the way down to Instrument Cluster and Gauge Backlights. You want B8.5D

While you are going to be in there changing out the bulbs anyways, why not change them to a snazzy new color huh?

i'd be careful about replacing just the one dead bulb w/ an LED one - if you throw the wattage off on the circuit you could significantly shorten the life of your other bulbs and end up replacing them all.

so.... find the original filament bulb and replace it w/ that, or replace them all w/ LEDs would be my recommendation.

[ottmwz_finest]

Echo???

Just kiddin' man. Thanks for reiterating though...good advice

[QCs_R4_Girls]

Originally Posted by ottmwz_finest

I'm gonna say no on the weather thing. Probably just started to twist loose. Do you drive over large potholes often? LOL. Hope it stays on for you anyways, but it probably won't so save that website I linked for you...

He's right. Your bulb is just knocked loose due to poorly paved roads. Same thing happened to mine, right behind the temp gauge. Honestly, with all the prying away at the radio trim, removing the bolts, and flipping the center gauge over to wiggle around a bulb, buy a brand new set, even if it is OEM color, b/c Bc3tech's right, it will shorten the life of all the bulbs.

If you're just going to try to fix it yourself, good luck. But be careful if you start to twist the bulb around b/c the little metal tabs might break off. (and cause you to order extras in a completely different order... ) That being said, buying a new set from the website isn't a huge investment. You only need 4 bulbs to replace the entire cluster, and they cost around $10 total, not including shipping. It's also easier on the eyes rather than the bright white of a stock dash.

Just something for you to think about:

[1bigray]

How do you remove the dome around the cluster, is it simple clips like the radio cluster iece?

[froggy81500]

There is one screw underneath that holds it down. Pull the radio bezel off and up underneath around the middle near the gauge cluster you should find the one screw holding the cluster bezel down. Remove it and the bezel pops off just like the radio bezel. It has 3 (I think) clips holding it down. Pop it off and there are three screws holding the gauge cluster in place and are the same size as the one you removed from the cluster bezel.


One word to note, when you plug the cluster back in, make sure you snap the lock on it securely. When I did the bulbs in my wife's '07, I didn't snap it all the way and it popped lose at night while she was driving. Not only did she have no dash lights but no gauges as well. Oops!

[2004IonFreak]

Okay, so this was incredibly helpful for me and I was wondering if I could also get some info on replacing the bulbs for the gear shifter and the climate control panel. Do you use the same kind of bulbs or different ones? And how many would I need? If I am going to change the color for the gauge cluster I might as well change all of them to the same color right? Any kind of information would be helpful. I am not afraid to admit that I'm not the best with fixing cars, but I love them and would like to teach myself as I go. Ottmwz you sound like you know what you're doing so I'm looking forward to a reply! Thank you in advance!

[kevin.st56]

i had a burnt bulb once, then i went LED. its not hard to remove the instrument cluster. Take off the front bexel thats around the radio and AC controls, and hidden toward the top will be a bolt, more than likely 7mm. once thats removed, then the cluster bezel simply pops off. then theres a screw on either end of the cluster to remove. then the cluster is free, but then theres the cable on the back of the cluster, which does not have much slack to play with. i went blue LEDs, and a red one for the higher half of the tack. of course, my bulbs came from superbrightleds.com. there are 4 bulbs behind the cluster

[ddemier7]

I really like that upgrade! Which bulbs where they exactly and how much were the bulbs? What did you do about the radio lights and shifter lights (if you have the automatic)

[Cougarstang]

I played a lot with LED dash lights in my mustang, however I ran into issues with bright and dim spots since they're so directional. Is this an issue with the ION cluster as well? I can't tell from the pictures whether there are bright and dim spots, but that drove me nuts on the mustang and I went back to incandescent bulbs. I ended up using a slightly brighter bulb, and cut some reflective paper to put in the back of the cluster to increase the brightness, but maintain the even distribution of light.

What type of stock bulb does the ION cluster use (not the LED type)? What's the part #?

[2006 ion2]

ddemier, if you read the whole thread, you will find your answers. afaik, there's only one source for the LEDs.

cougarstang, they light pretty evenly, but it's not 100% perfect.

the stock bulb is a dealer part only (at least it was when I looked for it), so if you call them they will have the part number and sell them to you.

[Cougarstang]

Originally Posted by 2006 ion2

the stock bulb is a dealer part only (at least it was when I looked for it), so if you call them they will have the part number and sell them to you.

That's irritating. What happened to using regular 194 bulbs that can be found at any parts store? Why did the engineers feel the need to use specialty bulbs?

Is there a comparable bulb that can be ordered elsewhere that still fits? If I remember correctly, the SL gauge clusters used special twist-in bulbs that were hard to find, but someone found an aftermarket one that serves as an adequate replacement. Do we have something like that for the ION cluster?

[2006 ion2]

you can buy just the bulb, but then you have to get the bulb out of the holder and the new one in, not sure how easy it is, since it's been so many years since I replaced mine.

[Cougarstang]

Originally Posted by 2006 ion2

you can buy just the bulb, but then you have to get the bulb out of the holder and the new one in, not sure how easy it is, since it's been so many years since I replaced mine.

Do you know why kind of bulb it is? (ex #74 wedge, etc.)