LED Gauge Install

[Southern Pride]

OK mobs ill check that but I'm pretty sure I'll just need to do twist locks with new bulbs in them again. Can't think of what else it is. The cluster works, all gauges and the ses light, seatbelt, gearshift light, all that, just won't light up. When I bought these new twist locks you know they come with bulbs in them....well I tell you the bulbs must not be meant to taken out because I had to get pliars to rip the bulbs out of the twist locks. That's when I finally got them all out put the LED's in and it didn't work. I'm thinking maybe it messed up the twist locks again or something cuz I put the original bulbs back in (of course this time they didn't fit like they originally did at all, barely even hold in there 1 even fell into the cluster and it took forever to get out) anyway the originals wouldn't even light up again SO, I'm thinking I spend $50 on LEDz just to ruin the $20 worth of twistlocks I had just bought, plus all the hvac problems and buying a new one of those. At this point it's just Gonna buy the new twist locks tmrw and if they work I'm never taking the cluster/hvac out again. **** LEDz.

 

[TLoud]

**** LEDz.

lol that sucks man.. glad to hear you got it working again though hopefully the new twist locks will fix it too. I ordered some ledz a few days ago off ebay. 10 of them for 6 bucks I'll let you guys know if theyre any good when i get them. I'm also gonna order up some 3mm leds and resistors to soldier in to the push button 4x4 lights and the lights in the passenger airbag on/off switch should be pretty easy I already tore them all apart once and it only took a few minutes to do. Ill take some pictures and do a small write up if you guys want. Then I'll have to ditch the stock radio and cd player and put a system in. I already have a custom box i built from my 95 that fits two 12s under the back seat too bad my alpine deck and rockford subs and amp were all stolen out of my tahoe this past winter

 

[Southern Pride]

This is why I don't do systems anymore. Countless head units, a flip out dvd player a 12 and a 10 all stolen at different points in time. If I lived in a small town with low crime then maybe but not here. I'd kill to put a double din in the truck but it turns out you have to do all kinds of crazy stuff like re-locate the HVAC controls. Just more crazy stuff, guess I'll just be sticking with my radio for now. I've seen a couple nice single dins with a little 4" screen. Just bought a backup camera and monitor today @ autozone. It's the wireless one so from monitor to camera is wireless but you still got to wire in the camera and plug in the monitor. Only problem is there is a transmitter you have to mount with wires running to it and so the screen has random static sometimes...and the wires aren't long enough for me to get the transmitter up near the rear window or anyone where it can get a better signal. Oh well, it was only $100 so we'll see how she does. Gonna wrap the monitor in black diamondplate and mount it in the front of the overhead console right above the rear view. Should be a reallllyy clean OEM look to it, I'll post pics. I know that was random but this is the electronic thread so I figured yall might have a thought on the static. My buddy has to get a connector to wire the ground better so I'm hoping maybe that's what's causing the static, I dunno.

 

[TLoud]

you could always extend the wires and i would solder everything! Way better connections instead of using crimp connections or quick connects. Static could also because because it is wireless. Interference from other surrounding electronics can often times cause static. So if you can get the transmitter as close as possible it would most likely help to.

 

[MOBS]

1) Get an alarm system with multiple 12v outputs(for sirens)
2) Get a 12v to 150,000v converter
3) Hook input wire of converter to one of the siren outputs on alarm system
4) Install the + and - plates near each other under both handles
5) Set alarm to silently go off when intruder gets within 3 feet
6) Have alarm system run for 1min before resetting
7) Park with doors unlocked outside downtown gas station at night
8) Hide in bushes and enjoy the show

 

[TLoud]

lol so your gonna rig all that up for us then right!?

 

[Southern Pride]

Well guys just as I thought. So originally I wanted to do LED's in my gauges. The original twistlocks wouldn't work with the LED's so I thought they're so old the connections are worn to hell, SO I went and bought $20 worth of new twistlocks at Napa with regular 194 bulbs in them. Is there a certain way to get the bulbs out because I had to take pliers to all of them and pull pull pull and rip them out basically. Then I put in the brand new LED 194's in the NEW twistlocks that I had just ripped bulbs out of and it didn't work @ all. So a week or so went by while I had to figure out my AC lights. SO just as I suspected. Went and bought another brand new set of twist locks with regular bulbs in them and the guages are back on and work flawlessly. I don't understand if maybe there's a certain way to pull 194's from the brand new twistlocks. They were in there so tight like they weren't even meant to be taken out, but I ripped them out and put brand new LEDz in and nothing came on SO guess I'll have LED interior but just no LED gauge lights, especially after the HVAC situation. Just wanted to post my results after all those problems and see if anyone takes the 194's out of the twist locks a different way other than pulling straight out? Sucks cuz I'd like to do the LED's in there but after trying with brand new twistlocks and brand new LEDz...I have no idea how else to do it or what went wrong.

 

[TLoud]

I found out today doing my led swap that there are two different types of twist locks the black and grey ones on mine pull out and the two tan ones were soldered into the actual twist lock. Im assuming those are the ones you have... If you look close you can actually see the wires soldered at the back of the tan ones

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[Southern Pride]

Well I also had the half black/ half grey and the new ones I bought that didn't work with LED's were all grey. So no more black ones for me but anyway It could also be that I need to move the connections on the LEDs to contact inside the twistlocks better but I wish you could just pop them in and not have to do all the tedious stuff.

 

[TLoud]

you do know that the polarity of the led matters so if you put them in and they dont work you need to flip the led around and then they should work