It looks like a bulb went out in the middle of my dash in my 89. I can still read everything, but there is a dark spot. I have read that there are four (4) bulbs in the cluster. I have disassembled portions my car seveal times but am a little gun shy about electrical. Is this something I should send out (cluster) or change myself?

Thanks

www.batee.com

All the info you'll need. You can get a set of the correct bulbs off ebay for $19. Replace them all while you're in there.

From what I can tell, it's not a hard job, just time consuming to do it right since the parts are delicate.

Matthew

its easy to do. remove the dash panel over the insrument cluster you will have to remove the headlight knob to do this. then remove the instrument cluster. take the back plate off and replace the bulbs.
if recall they are a #892 bulb. dont pull the old bulbs out of the socket and stuff a #194 bulb in them.

Part numbers are here:

http://www.corvette-guru.com/modules/ ... id=117670#forumpost117670

882 is for 84-88, 89 uses a 7073 xenon.

Matthew

The bulbs CAN be changed out without removing the cluster.

Pull the headlight switch and bezel off, (tricky!)

...then pop the metal bulb cover off, and if you're lucky you can remove the bulb by pushing a snugly fitting piece of rubber hose onto it and pulling it back.

If this fails, then you're in for some fun, taking the dash cluster out and apart.

Quote:

Never ever heard of that one before, but I'll check it out. I've only seen 194s used for the later cars. And even the 882 was stopped somewhere around 1986, they just didn't update the manual.

I believe they quit using 882s because they were too hot (along with lots of other bulbs in the car) where they have caused heat damage to nearby parts in the cluster or in other places even melted the plastic housing when on for too long, on my car at least.

Cluster removal depends on the condition of the existing plastic bulb holders. These things get brittle with the heat. I've gotten lucky a few times and was able to pull out and push in a new bulb from the front reusing the existing holder from the driver seat.

Other times the plastic bulb holders are already broken or break trying to because they are brittle. If that happens you're left with no choice but to pull the cluster, open it, and twist the new holder with bulb in place from behind.

The hardest part will be getting the two cluster circuit boards carefully seperated. The pin connector was f'n tight on mine.

7073 got it!

Thanks

Saw these "Bulb Pliers" at Harbor Freight the other day.




http://www.harborfreight.com/bulb-pliers-65520.html

These have cushioned jaws and appear that they would make pulling the cluster bulbs from the front easier.

I've gotten away with using my needle nose pliers wraped with tape to pull them from the front but it wasn't that easy. I think these would have probably worked a lot better.

Those pliers look like a neat little tool to help with this task. I'll have to pick up a set.

Matthew

I'll stick with the hose technique if it fits. Just ordered some 882 bulbs from rockauto for my dash.

$6 is not bad considering I've seen them for $15 elsewhere.

When you do replace the bulbs, dont touch the buls with your bare fingers. The oils in your skin will shorten the bulb life dramatically.