TheSamba.com :: View topic - Clock light not working after cluster removal

Mon Aug 31, 2015 4:17 pm

Hey All,

I removed my instrument cluster to replace the speedo and when I put it back together the clock light no longer worked. I took it out again and inspected and found a screw on the back of the tach that was coming out because the plastic had broken. It was holding in a chip of some kind.
Anyway, the bulb for the clock looked fine, so I fixed the screw and put it back together but still no go. Also, now that it's back together I notice that the light above the LED indicators (OXS, Coolant, etc.) isn't working. I twisted the light socket slightly and it came on, then twisted it back and it turned off, but now I can't get it to come back on again.

So at this point both the clock light and light over the LED panel are out and I'm not sure what could be the cause. Any troubleshooting tips on this?

Mon Aug 31, 2015 4:23 pm

Probably need new bulbs. When you remove the cluster the filaments are likely to break.
Also the connection from the bulb to the copper trace on the flexible printed circuit is troublesome. You might need to clean the bulb contact places on the copper with a coarse eraser. Be very gentle the circuits are NLA. GoWesty offers a replacement harness.

Mon Aug 31, 2015 5:12 pm

Thanks for the tip. This may be a dumb question but how do you remove the bulb holders? I started to try but the plastic is so brittle I was afraid to go further.

Mon Aug 31, 2015 5:22 pm

The bulb only offers illumination, it doesn't affect clock function.

The bulb turns 90 degrees and then they pull out if you need to replace one for some reason.

Mon Aug 31, 2015 6:19 pm

gently wiggle the foil. foiled again? at least, that happened to me when i did the LED upgrade (best bang for buck upgrade) and i lost a light before it came back. light bulb holder may also be crusty, so wiggle bulbs.

Mon Aug 31, 2015 7:46 pm

Ahh, ok. I thought it was just twist and remove but it wasn't turning to easy and I didn't want to break another darn plastic piece. I'll give it a shot and clean the contacts and everything to see if it makes a difference. The filament in the clock bulb *seemed* fine, but who knows. Hopefully I can get this working again soon, but I've got an engine/transmission swap scheduled this week so it may get pushed to the back burner until that's done!