How to install LEDs in 2003-2007 (classic) Chevy, GMC, Escalade instrument cluster
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- Hi, this is an instructional video on how to remove the old incandescent bulbs in your instrument cluster and replace them with high quality LEDs.
To purchase the LEDs with a polarity diagram, clink the following link: www.tachtronics.com/product-p...
To watch a video on how to customize your cluster with custom needles, gauge face, lenses, etc, click this link: • How to Customize Your ...
For more info or to see some of our work, visit tachtronics.
Feel free to comment with questions and comments.
DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR VEHICLE OR CLUSTER. YOU ARE INSTALLING THEM AT YOUR OWN RISK. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
To order a DIY LED kit with instructions, click here: www.tachtronics.com/product-page/diy-kit-led-with-instrucrions
Simple to follow video on installing LED's. We just received the LED's and +/- installation directions today. We replaced the bulbs in my son's 2003 Chevy 2500HD with the Blue LED and they look and work great. Thank you!.
Kirk Byram that’s great to hear! Glad you like them. My personal favorite is the blue as well. Thanks for the feedback!
Just installed the LEDs I ordered from tachtronics. Everything works great. I would add that I saw in another video somewhere that you can check your lights by taking one of the square 9V batteries (used in smoke alarms) and hook it up to the far left bulb slot, which is empty on my 2003 Tahoe. I used that to check each LED as I installed them. That way I didn't have to wait until I reinstalled the cluster to find I goofed on one (which I did).
Glad to hear it went well for you 😊
Just did this to mine. I recommend buying the LEDs from this gentleman here. Instructions made it easy. Turned out great.
I’m glad it worked out for you and thanks for the business!
Good tip about the turn signals. I had installed some LEDs but the turn signal indicators didn't work. I switched them back to the factory bulbs and they work fine now.
Wow! Thanks man I bought the white leds and shipping was extremely quick and gauges light up 100x better than new and so crisp, if anyone is on the fence with this it comes with instructions and is pretty easy and worth the effort, awesome seller!
Thank you for your support and business 😊
Just did mine .thank you. Would recommend to anyone I know
Noticed the 70mph+ side of my speedometer has gone out.. and have been dreading how difficult this may be - BUT you just made this a lot less worrisome for me! Great tutorial, will be sure to check out your site and if I decide to go for it, I'll be sure to reference this video again and purchase through your site! thank you for the video!
You’re welcome.
Great video. Just ordered the green LED's and polarity diagram. Hopefully this fixes the flickering and the randomly glitching of the cheap LED's I installed. Thanks Randy
Installed the LED's. They look awesome and only took about 45 minutes from start to finish.
Awesome! Good job!
Just ordered my set, thanks for the vid 👍
Thank you and your welcome, I will get them shipped out tomorrow.
Hey Randy i just installed the lights i got from you and I DID IT!!! HAHAHA thank you for the lights and your content
Awesome! Glad to hear it. You’re welcome 😊
Welp i won't be paying 250 dollars to get that done thanks man you saved me some money.
Awesome job buddy!
CHRIS Paschal thank you 😊
How do you zero them out on the final setup? Mines are kind of off
yea getting ready to do mine stand by for my order!
tileman17 looking forward to it!
Great video, but next time... Landscape dude. Landscape.
Jack Bittner haha you know this was originally a “test” video, a rough draft of sorts. But then ppl started watching it so I was like, well, might as well leave it out there. Hopefully when I find some free time, I will make a better quality one as well as some videos of other LED conversions.
Since i am watching on my cell phone vertically, this is perfect 😅
On the harness to the cluster what colors were for power and ground to illuminate the cluster?
Do you happen to know what colors wires to power up the gauge cluster on a 2008 trailblazer on work bench
Im thinking about switching my stock lamps out for amber led's. Like a deep turn signal amber as i love the color. Will the faceplate allow the color to pas through unmodified? (I replaced the motors but forgot to check our the back of the lense)
Saiko The Sergal sorry for the delay.
I’ve actually never tried orange LEDs behind an OEM gauge face. My guess is that orange will shine through but will be somewhat dim.
Can you solder in led bulbs on to the turn signal spots? Or will it not work? I installed some and they work fine when dash lights are off. When they are on the turn signals don't light up on the dash. Any ideas?
Could you tell me what pins need power to make a tester with a factory harness/plug? I'd like to make a tester with a power supply
A11, B9 and B11 need power, A12 and B12 are ground.
I have a quick question I know when I installed LED lights in my turn signals on my 05 GMC 2500 HD I had to have a little box that convert it the electricity so that the LEDs Would work if you’re replacing your normal back lights with LED do they not need anything else to make them work?
You do not need to install anything in addition to the LEDs. These LEDs have built in resistors, all that is needed is to solder them in where your old incandescent bulbs previously were.
Hi I have a question I'm a Mechanic I attempted to replace light bulbs and I bought Led bulbs 30138 Led-5mm and it keeps blowing bulbs but when I put original it works?
I did this to my 2001 Venture only because I cant find the replacement bulb. Do not pull off the needles or you could damage the delicate plastic gear inside the gauge. Instead desolder the gauge from the board. I had to buy another gauge as a result. I had to put the old gauge back since the mileage is lower and I did that by simply desoldering the gauge from the back.
Car Hack on the 03+ GM pickups and SUVs, if the stepper shaft comes out with the needle, it is an outdated stepper and should be replaced anyway. If it is the latest x27.168 model stepper, the shaft will not come out when removing the needles.
Trying to set up my table to do this, disabled and looking for a side hustle. How do I build the wiring to power the cluster? I can get the connector at the junkyard but what wires, power supply do I need? Any advice is appreciated 😎
Good video do u have one showing how to replace the device that turns the needles and are those harder to replace? Many people change them out while they replace leds is what they recommend on other videos. Will be purchasing the lights from u when ready to replace my lights.
Hello, I do not currently have a video showing how to replace the stepper motors. There are many of them on CZcams though. I recommend using x27.168 steppers. Thank you.
Great video, what would be the voltage and mA rating of the LED's?
MLLERTME02 Im not 100% certain on the specs but I believe 14v and 20 mA
@@Tachtronics thanks for your reply!
12v
Tip for changing the text and prnd123 to a different color, put a see through film of whatever color you want some need more layers than others for me took 2 layers of blue film to make em blue
Will these bulbs work for climate control panel lighting, power window/ door lock panel, light dimmer nob and steering wheel buttons?
No, you’ll need smaller LEDs for those. I have those as well though. Email us at Tachtronics@gmail.com and we can discuss further.
@@Tachtronics cool thanks. Just emailed you.
Question. im going to be adding new bulbs and stepper motors. but the gear display on mine is barley visible. is it a bulb or the whole display have to be changed. or maby just resodred. ?
There are some resistors that need to be reflowed.
I have seen other vids where the led’s just pop in from the back of the cluster ...they sit in a little adapter like a light socket... why are these different?
‘02 and older clusters have bulbs that twist in from the back. ‘03 and newer solder in.
@@Tachtronics oh great.. I just ordered my LEDs from a site that showed them as twisting in from the back... they even made me input all the vehicle data for the car which is an 04 Yukon SLT .. grrrrr!!! Lol guess I will be returning the LEDs ok well thanks for the answer.
@@hdrjunkie that’s frustrating, you’re welcome.
I have just purchased an 04 gmc Sierra and I can't see the gear shift display. I don't have a soldering iron or believe I have the skills.
Can you advise on whether I should take the truck to an auto electrician and ask them to install the LED lights
USA4US the gear indicator is not a matter of lights being out, the screen itself is dim. It can be repaired but if you’re not comfortable soldering, I’d recommend hiring a professional. You’re welcome to ship the cluster to us if you’d like for us to fix it for you.
What is the pinout connections to power up the display out of vehicle?
i know little about electronics or leds, but i have them on my instrument cluster and a couple were starting to flicker. i tested each with a 9v battery and a couple paper clips and was wondering why they would all light up minus the ones that were dead? are they all connected or something? if one goes out again, will there be issues, like a string of old christmas lights?
One going out should not cause the rest not to light up. They will fail individually if that makes sense.
how do u reprogram these so they match the hours and millage and settings for your vehicle
Is it possible to have color changing lights in your cluster
Yes it is but I don’t sell them. Click this link and it will show you how to install and who to buy them from: czcams.com/video/cOCQDy0D3HU/video.html
Can you do more? Climate controls upgraded to the ice LEDs, switches, door panel controls?
bman2010ifi yes I can
Yes would like to see a video of that also
How do you change the PRND321 and the odometer light colors?
Gel light filters
Who else got a cat eye?
‘05!
07 classic
man i wish, i got a 06 sierra 2500
03
03 quad steer
Will these LEDs flicker? I’ve been reading about the voltage and that a resistor is needed
mjbiles32 thanks for the question. many cheap LEDs do need resistors added and also flicker and fail soon after installation. These LEDs have built in resistors, dim with the dimmer switch just like OEM, and are VERY reliable. I have installed 1000s of them so far and have yet to have a single bulb fail.
Tachtronics I appreciate the quick response. Thank you for your time.
mjbiles32 you’re welcome
I pulled the gauge needles without marking them. Any tips on how to reinstall them?
Reinstall with cluster apart with needles In hand. Put the needle whare they should be with the key in the on position. So for the tac it would be at zero same with oil pressure and temp. And mph. Only one that is tricky is the volts. Kinda gess whare it normally is. The gas gauge. Hope you know how much you had.
What are the blue looking ones for then? The ones you said need to stay the same....
The incandescent bulbs with the blue housing are for blinkers and cruise control.
What kind of solder wire do you use ?
adamg111111 pardon the delay, here’s a link to what I use: www.amazon.com/dp/B005T8N8B6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_Lw0NDbCDKYBV0
do you sell just leds without a diagram and instructions for cheaper?
Black tibby07 I do not sell them for cheaper without instructions, sorry.
I don't understand the post it notes part. If you are turning the dials all the way till the stop at zero, why do you have to mark them?
Im looking to start rebuilding clusters or making custom cluster but dont know all the parts i need to start the businesses
I want to install blue LEDs in my 2005 trailblazer. If I remove it and send it to you can/ will you replace them?
Yes we sure can
@@Tachtronics I need mine done TO. 251-264-1170
My park neutral drive reverse 321 is really dim how do I fix that
I think you just add solder to each terminal
There are I think 7 little resistors that come loose. It’ll be discolored around them, like a brown spot. Do a solder reflow on em. They’re all bunched together, I think top left.
Anyone have the polarity diagram, I already purchased led's somewhere else?
Did you get the diagram?
@@seanalanis3997 nope
I dont uderstand last time i took the gauge out of the motor ans put every thing back togheter it was all decalibrated how to you make sure it will not end up like that
olivier gérard at 1:35 I show you how to mark the original position of your needles so you know where to put them back to when you’re assembling them.
Hay bro I built a cluster tester and cant git the needles to sweep, and I cant get the displays to show either can you help ,by the way good job
Are you getting the cluster to power up? If the cluster is powering up, the displays should also come on unless the cluster is faulty.
@@Tachtronics all it will show is the lights hears my email abj1953@yahoo.com or call or text me 606/312/0791 thanks bro
Do you guys sell the gear select LCD? Mine is going out and it's hard to see what gear the truck is in.
The PRNDL screen VERY seldom fails. 99.9% sure you have some resistors that need to be reflowed that will brighten up that screen.
So I did my cluster and I taped and marked down everything but no matter what I do I can't really seem to get the needles back into position I turn my truck on then the needles go all unaligned, what could I be doing wrong?
Are they just off by a tad or are they going all over the place?
hey brother. you lights worked great but once i changed them out my oil pressure gauge wouldn’t read anymore, i changed the stepper motor and still nothing. what did i do?
Is the gauge staying at 0 or what is it doing?
I have a airbag light on, can I just take it out or will it mess with other things
If you must have the light off without correcting the cause of the light, I’d recommend covering the light instead of removing it, that way you can revert back if needed. A couple of layers of black electrical take to the back of the appliqué should do the trick.
Just curious which one is the positive and negative on the cluster for the bulbs you’re replacing?
You’ll either need to power it up and test for polarity or if you buy the kit from us, we include a diagram that shows the polarity.
Do you still ship and sell? Ik the video is alittle old just trying to make sure ! - subbed
Adkins _Boy hi, sorry for the late reply. Yes we do still sell them. You can buy them on my website at www.tachtronics.com.
Any idea what size leds i need for 2004 monte carlo?
The LEDs should be the same as the ones I use in the pickups
Do you have any led lights for a 2008 trailblazer cluster
Yes
If you wanted the digital display color to match how would you do that or is that not possible?
Depends on what color you’re wanting to do. Use light filters and depending on the color you’re going for, you may need to sand the original green tint off. Not all colors are possible due to the display being green
@@Tachtronics what would you do for white? I’ve heard it is possible from some and not from others. Kind of confusing 😞
Do these LEDs dim & brighten with the factory dimmer switch?
Yes
question...do the clusters with the twist in bulbs work on 03s? im not very solder-savvy
No
@@Tachtronics whats the difference? bc i have a 1500 cluster in my 2500hd rn and the guages work...cluster is the same as in ur video wo trans temp guage
@@johnharrison5098 the ‘99-‘02 clusters look very similar to the ‘03+ on the surface but very different internally. I’ll spare you all the minute details but if you swap them, it will not power up due to the polarity on the plug being different.
I put LEDs in my cluster after factory bulbs quit, mine are very very dim and do not brighten. Any suggestions? Are they soldered on backwards as far as polarity
Michael Wilbur no, if they were backwards, they wouldn’t illuminate at all.
What color LEDs are they and and did you buy them from me?
@@Tachtronics they are blue and yes, I just checked voltage, I only have .22v idk what the issue is any advice is greatly appreciated
Michael Wilbur how many volts do you have on wire A11 at the plug in?
@@Tachtronics it was the bcm module, I swapped it out and now I have dash lights again
Michael Wilbur interesting. Glad you got it figured out
Whats the forward voltage ?
14
What kind of Led light are they?? Like what's the part number
Brybry Nephew there is no part number, it’s a kit that I put together myself.
Will these bulbs work on my 02 Cadillac Escalade bc I just bought the truck yesterday and she runs beautiful but the dash lights bulbs went out the only ones that work is the one where you can put it in park and drive and all that but everything else is dead I’m wondering if these bulbs work on a 02 Cadillac Escalade
They do not. I believe you need a T10 or a 168 bulb
@@Tachtronics do you know where I need to go to get those?
@@gamingpro908 Depends on what you’re looking for but you can start here:
carradiobulbs.com/store-4/silverado-sierra-and-suvs-1999-2002/
@@Tachtronics wow Thankyou so much fr you really helped me out I appreciate you 💯
@@gamingpro908 You’re welcome
How to change the color of the digital odometer display?
Light filters
Any chance of me being able to get some pink leds installed? And needles too.
OkiStash I don’t believe there is a pink needle option but we can get pink LEDs. If you were to use pink LEDs and white needles, the needles would illuminate pink at night.
@@Tachtronics That sounds good to me. Whats your turn around after you get my cluster?? (Monte carlo 6 cluster)
OkiStash can you send me an email please? It’s Tachtronics@gmail.com.
Which side was positive and which was negative on the board?
It’s not consistent. You’ll need to refer to a polarity diagram which is included if you purchase an LED kit from us.
Don't you need resistors on the LEDs?
Kev G sorry for the long delay, idk why CZcams doesn’t alert me.
These LEDs have built in resistors so no problem additional resistors are needed.
Hello does this also change the lights on the P.R.N.D123 so they all match?
No, changing the color of the digital screens is another process,
@@Tachtronics okay i figured what's the process on that do i need to get the face plate different color
@@tonyvalenzuela420 you would either need a different face or sand the film off of the OEM one
Okay i see do you have a video on that or sell the faces
@@tonyvalenzuela420 I don’t have a video on it. The process of sanding the OEM face is pretty tedious. if you email us at Tachtronics@gmail.com, we can talk about ordering a face for you.
I recently put a new cluster but the big gauges light don’t work but everything else do ?
JonathanP863 was it a new cluster or used?
Randy Martens the mechanic told me it was new that he had to take it somewhere to reprogram it charge me $600 just for that night I noticed it didn’t light up next day I went back he want to charge me again got me mad never took it back to him
Randy Martens looks new but I feel that it’s use but all my needles work just the lights don’t work on the speedometers but the turn signal lights and the others do work
JonathanP863 sorry for the late reply and the experience you’re having with your mechanic. Sounds to me like some of the backlighting bulbs are out. Your cluster should just need a few bulbs installed; however, if a few bulbs have already burnt out, I’d suggest replacing all of the backlighting bulbs while you’re at it.
Randy Martens I have short video on my channel so u can see what it does
I had a speedometer that wasn’t working and a temp gage and I replaced all the stepper motors
And bulbs and now the lights won’t come on when I turn the truck on and it’s a 2007 Chevy Silverado 2500hd classic..as far as I know iv done everything right..any help would be much appreciated
Are the rest of your dash lights coming on (ex. Radio, HVAC controls, etc…?) if not, you’re light switch is out. If it’s just the cluster not illuminating, I’d reflow the circuit board where the wires plug in to the cluster.
Yes all lights on dash work..just the lights in the cluster that I replaced won’t come on when I turn key on
@@chadallen6056 in that case, I’d start with reflowing the plug where you plug in the wiring harness
What time of bulb for 2007 Chevy suburban ?
PLCC2 and PLCC4
Can you update the link plz!
Hey Martin, sorry for the late response. You can buy the kit at the following link: www.tachtronics.com/product-page/diy-kit-led-with-instrucrions
Thank you!
I’ve seen vehicles where the P R N D are red along with the LCD screen. Is there a way to change that or would they have bought a whole different instrument cluster? Great vid.
Killerteve thanks. There are a few ways to change the color of those screens. You can apply a film to the back of the gauge face to change the color or you can buy a custom gauge face. The film route is much cheaper but will also dim down the brightness of those screens a little.
@@Tachtronics what do you use to remove the factory film? I tried just putting it behind and no go. I removed the factory film with acetone (nail polish remover) and it left it a little cloudy. Got the color I want, but a little cloudy
@@AlexRodriguez-pg9xk I sand and polish it
@@Tachtronics I tried the same with 400, 800, 1000 and 2000 and polished with plastx after and was still cloudy.. any extra tips ?
@@AlexRodriguez-pg9xk I just sand and polish. It’s possible that the acetone caused it to be cloudy and if that is the case, I’m not sure what to do about it
How much do you charge to fix motors and add led's
$185 to do a full rebuild and add LEDs. A rebuild includes replacing all stepper motors, all backlighting, remove corrosion from the board, brighten the PRND screen, reinforce the power failure issue, cleaning, calibration, and return shipping. If you’re having any issues outside of what I mentioned, let me know please.
@@Tachtronics email me please. Afreeman214.rr@gmail.com
How do I get that power source adapter
I got a pigtail from an auto salvage yard and then hooked it up to a 12v power source. Probably not worth the trouble unless you plan on doing more than just one or 2 clusters.
Could you write the website of the light seller ?
Thank
www.tachtronics.com/product-page/diy-kit-led-with-instrucrions
i tried soldering leds into my 03 silverado cluster and now none of my gauges work, what went wrong
Cat Eye Danny that’s hard to say without having been there when you installed them and not having the cluster here to diagnose.
Is everything completely deal? No lights coming on at all?
the leds i ended up putting on work perfectly fine but none of the gauges work not even the gas one. It doesn’t make that certain noise when you plug the cluster back in and it happened when we went to try it back on and the leds started smoking
Cat Eye Danny yikes, that doesn’t sound good. I can’t say anything for certain without seeing it but sounds like you’ve shorted something out. If you’d like to send it to me to take a look, you’re welcome to do so but most likely you will need to replace the circuit board (also something i can help you with).
Tachtronics do you think i’m better off buying a whole new one ?
Cat Eye Danny well if yours is repairable, it would be cheaper to repair yours. However, from what you’re telling me, I think it’s fairly likely that you will need a replacement.
What we do at Tachtronics, if you decide to send it to us, is take a look at yours first to see if yours is repairable. If we find that it’s not, we’ll contact you and if you decide you’d like to replace it, we can copy the info from your old one into a replacement and then send that one to you.
Can you still dim your cluster?
NM lol
Yes
you look like the dude in scary movie in the wheel chair
You still sell the kit ?
How did you get the odometer red?
@@peterlombardo9241 sanded off the original green film off of the appliqué and then added a red film
Can we get them in stock colors?
I have a different style LED that we use that looks stick; however, this led has a little more difficult to install. It does not have a built in resistor so an additional external resistor needs to be added for each LED. If you a pretty handy with a solder iron, it should be no big deal but if it’s your first time soldering, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Tachtronics can I pay you for this service? Do you also do the heater climate control?
Yes, please email us at Tachtronics@gmail.com.
Hey howmach cost to change led on toyota Corolla 2004
I only work on GM, sorry
Wire size and details?
What details are you wanting?
What state are you in? I'm interested in swapping mine out
Seminole, TX
what are the original bulbs called
Incandescent bulbs
Will you do mine if I send it in???
Hello, yes you’re welcome to send your cluster to me. Can you email me at tachtronics@gmail.com so we can discuss the details? Thanks.
Great video but your desk lamp is too bright. Can't see the LED lights very well when ON or OFF.
Can you change the turn signal bulbs as well
Yes but not recommended.
Why is it not recommended
@@lukestortroen609 1. A bright flashing light in your face, particularly after dark, can have a momentary blinding effect and 2. There gauge face has a green film on it so even if you change the color of the LED, it is probably not going to shine the color you’re wanting after the light shines through the green film.
Makes sense. How much is it to upgrade. And also can you do all the switch and climate control
@@lukestortroen609 email us at tachtronics@gmail.com please.
Do you repair them for people?
yes, you can get more info at www.tachtronics.com
Where can we get these from what is the website
Www.Tachtronics.com
What about the pnrd light?
That’s not a matter of replacing a light, generally there are some resistors that need to be reflowed.
I jumped the gun took off the needles with out looking and marking down, at where they were. 😢😅 what should I do now? Or did I just fook up my cluster.
either you can send it in to us or another rebuilder to have it calibrated using a function generator or if you have a scan tool with live data, you could plug the cluster in to your truck, read the live data readings and just "eye ball" the correct positions of the needles. Not the ideal way to calibrate but it should work in a pinch.
@@Tachtronics imma need that info. So I can send it your way.
@@DAT.N8V.MISTERBALL sorry, I didn't see that you replied. Best thing to do is print off the service order form from our website, fill it out and ship the cluster w/ the form to the address listed on the website/form. www.tachtronics.com
The links don’t work please update
A Man & His Truck oh no! Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I will look into this tomorrow.
Hi, the links have been updated, thanks.
What’s wrong when you put the bulbs in and not a single one lights up
Unfortunately there’s not a “one size fits all” answer to that. I assume you’re not getting power to the LEDs.
What type of LEDs are those?
They are 5mm cube LEDs.
can i dod this with 2004 hyundai sonsata?
I’m sure the LEDs could be swapped out on your vehicle but it’s very likely that your vehicle uses a different type of LED
@@Tachtronics I would like some white ones, how can I go about getting it.
@@theoxygen876 they can be purchased on my website at www.Tachtronics.com.