Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2010 21:57:57 -0500
Reply-To: Tom Jansen <norgecastle@TX.RR.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom Jansen <norgecastle@TX.RR.COM>
Subject: Re: Dash lights. 89 westy
In-Reply-To: <4C425522-C592-499F-A69D-C5D35DF8D063@gmail.com>
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The small white housing is GONE. That is what I would like to get. along with the Digital clock and housing which is totally missing as well.
The lights that are there are wired to a 'hot' when head lights are on wire splice, and a ground to a screw on the metal part of the dash under the cluster cover. There are some resistors and fairly small plastic encased bulbs that are stuck thru a hole gouged out, forward of where the White housing was. Housing hole is covered with Duct Tape of course.
The van was kept inside most of its life and paint is original and dash has no cracks , ribbon wire is fairly flexible at this point.
Then again it is 21 years old so original is hard to come by. 1989 Westy. Burgundy. Grey /of course. Will have to find a junk yard and go exploring again.
I just got my Tires and ball joints/upper from Van Cafe and am well pleased now to put them on and maybe ride it up to Lusk, Wy. next week.
Thanks for the response Jarrett,
Tom Jansen
Coppell, / Dallas, Texas.
On Oct 7, 2010, at 4:46 PM, Jarrett Anthony Kupcinski wrote:
> How were the "new" lights wired, if not attached to the ribbon cable?
>
> If your ribbon cable is in good shape, be very careful with it, it's probably very brittle by now. Original instrument lights were a twist type bulb which made contact with two sides of the ribbon cable. The bulb actually mounts in a small white housing that clips onto the larger instrument cluster. If it works, then use it. Bulbs don't burn out often, so you shouldn't have to mess with it much. If it doesn't work, you'll have to be creative. I'm in the process of doing an overhaul of a "new" cluster for my van, but to make my worn out one work in the meantime, I mounted some bulbs in the housings and soldered connection wires between good spots on the ribbon cable and the bulbs. Used single strands of Cat3 phone wire. Tricky and tedious, but doable.
>
> Bently has the connector identification for your year so you can trace the right ribbon down. I know on my 89 that connector 1 was for the lights, and connector 3 is the ground.
>
> -Jarrett
> 89 Westy, Oly
>
>
>
> On Oct 3, 2010, at 9:00 AM, Tom Jansen wrote:
>
>> I instrument cluster apart to change out the MC and saw some things I did not like. Someone removed the original lights on top and replaced with lights put down in holes drilled in the top of the housing. The ribbon cable is still there and looks good. I looked in the archives and saw some folks do not like the ribbons and anticipate they will break apart. What are my options? The little lights are too dim also and Blue, the evel short wave light per Archives.
>> Does anyone have original lights? Original digital clock that is missing?
>> Thanks
>> Tom J
>> Coppell, Tx.
>
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