2 More Questions...

[Zlatko]

1) My dash light for the insturment panel is crap...because
a) It's yellow
b) It's very dim

I want to know..fi there are some alternate bulbs i could stick in behind the panels..that's more white..

Second..how do i get the panel off so i could re-finish the glass type surface behind it so i could have my panel lit up better

2) I want to remove the rear-useless seats..and the entire rear..so i just want metal. nothing else, i dont want cloth..

Thanks for the help guys.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

For #1 - you could try LEDs (I've been considering this) - someone on another board suggested this:

http://www.autofreak.net/cgi-bin/elixir/view.cgi?db=autofreak&table=Auto_Goods&id=73

Except it'd the the 194, not the 168

For #2 - whatever floats yer boat, don't want 'em? Lose 'em. Plenty of race-built 944s with that configuration out there (looks like crap for street use, but whatever - personal preference I guess).

[jts924s]

Again for #1, your lights are yellow because that is the color of the indicators on your instrument dial. The bulbs are clear. You can brighten up by going to a higher wattage bulb. Sylvania makes the same bulb in two different wattages. I can't remember the stock number of the higher one, but a search of this board will reveal this info.

Some have had success by cleaning or replacing the dimmer dial on the light switch. Also, you can use the instuments out of a 924S, which have white indicators.

As far as getting the panel off, you need small hands to pull out the connections from the back of the instruments. It really helps to pull the steering wheel. Clarks Garage has a good write-up on this procedure.

[TCMdocs944]

I have been behind there a couple of time. Have to pull the steering wheel and indicator tree. I was looking for a possible mod to brighten mine up but nothing seems readily evident. I think only changing the faces with one of those aftermarket jobbies would be the easiest. 9xauto has a few face kits for the earlies.

Let us know what you do.

[lousailor]

I'd try to get in touch with Iceshark on the lighting question. There also may be a post in the archives, or a technical article here, Rennlist or PCA that covers.

The rear seats are very easy to remove, in fact Haynes probably covers it but you should be able to just unscrew whats need by looking.

[Sabyre]

Be advised if you do go with a guage kit it is a PITA on the early models. The actual guages are sealed. To get into them you must pry the bezel edges away while trying to protect them from being marred and scratched. You need to be careful with the needles while pulling them. The whole thing will take a few hours.

I did mine. I took my time and made sure things went easily.

Overall I must say that the white guages are more attractive than the OE. IMO.

I am going to purchase LED's to replace the bulbs. I was thinking like a blue or purple. Somewhat similar to the newer Jetta's.

[fast924S]

I like the way the white Faces look, Im just to afraid to dive into them to change mine. But I may need to soon, IF I dont drive the car for a while and then start it the left gage (Fuel/temp gauge gets all foggy and then will clear up. WHATS THE PROBLEM???? is there a bad seal???? will this damage the gauges if left alone??

[Sabyre]

Could be a bad seal. Not sure what damage it could cause. A little bonus advice. If you do change the guage faces you should also replace the odometer gear that causes them not to work. Pretty cheap fix even if its not broken "yet".

[Wolf1]

Originally posted by Zlatko
1) My dash light for the insturment panel is crap...because
a) It's yellow
b) It's very dim

I want to know..fi there are some alternate bulbs i could stick in behind the panels..that's more white..

Bulb Recommendations

Sylvania 158 3.3 W Recommended. Offers a slight improvement over the factory bulbs and will not experience overheating problems. In USA, available at most NAPA and CarQuest. Not widely available at Auto Zone, Advance Auto, or PEP Boys.

Sylvania 161 2.66 W Not Recommended. Offers little improvement over the factory bulbs. In USA, widely available at most auto parts stores.

Sylvania 168 4.9 W Not Recommend. Likely to produce too much heat and hence burn out quickly or cause damage to bulb holder. Readily available at most auto parts stores in USA.

Sylvania 192 4.3 W Questionable. May produce too much heat and hence burn out quickly. In USA, available at most NAPA and CarQuest. Not widely available at Auto Zone, Advance Auto, or PEP Boys.

Sylvania 193 4.62 W Not Recommend. Great improvement over the factory bulbs but, likely to produce too much heat and hence burn out quickly or cause damage to bulb holder. In USA, available at most NAPA and CarQuest. Not widely available at Auto Zone, Advance Auto, or PEP Boys.

Sylvania 194 3.78 W Recommended. Overall, may be the best choice for a lighting upgrade. Offers a good improvement over the factory bulbs and does not produce too much heat. In USA, available at most NAPA and CarQuest. Not widely available at Auto Zone, Advance Auto, or PEP Boys.


Somewhere I saw a procedure for cleaning/repairing the reflective backing as well........not sure where I saw it but I will look....

[lousailor]

Wolf,
Do those bulbs work on early dash instruments as well?

[fast924S]

some guy on this forum, made some kinda conversion to LED's and you could pic ur colors, it was a nice setup, But I cant remember who it was

[Wolf1]

Originally posted by lousailor
Wolf,
Do those bulbs work on early dash instruments as well?

I would think so.......the early ones are the ones with the illumination problem.

My 88 is alot brighter.

[Zero10]

Umm, I think I'll step in here... I think you are talking about me?...
Sorry but mine's only for the late dash so far...
I still haven't gotten a chance to expirement with an early gauge... it might be possible to put white LED's in, would give more light (although the color can't be changed without gauge faces).