This is so neat particlewave! Do leds come in pink? How much do you charge to do this?

Thanks! :D

PS: why can't I send you a private message? I tried clicking on your username, but there is no link for messaging :confused:

I have an 02 and am really interested in doing this mod on it. What is the difference in the kit that it says it's for 97-00? What do I need to do to make the switch in an 02? Also, it seems whatever pics were originally posted of swapping out the LEDs have disappeared.

I don't believe you can. I have an '01 and was told the boards changed with the '01's and thus I could not do the mod.

Sorry about the pictures. I tried fixing the links, but the originals are gone.

Long story short: someone joined this forum with the sole intent of harassing me and gaining personal info. I didn't have time to sort through years of photobucket pics, so I deleted them all figuring that I'd go back and add the pictures that I wanted. Now I can't find the originals anywhere on my pc :(

I was a baaaad boy and got myself banned for a little while :(
Contact me via PM for custom installs.

No plug and play for gauge LEDs for '02, but I'll do a few custom jobs for those who ask nicely ;)
PM me for details.

I've done all of mine, except for the intermittent wiper dial and I get a lot of complements on it. If you have average skill with a soldering iron and a pair of tweezers, you can do the switches and climate control without too much hassle. I have an "early" 2000 gauge cluster, so I don't know what the '02's are like. Mine are just twist in bulbs which weren't too difficult, but the small LEDs needed the contacts bent a bit and they (unlike the stock bulbs) are polarized and so orientation was a trial and error thing. The LCD backlight LEDs are not polarized and no bending was necessary. I looked, but I didn't save my pictures either.

I'm not at all opposed to soldering it in myself. Soldered dozens of things on dozens of cars, and worked on motherboards in the past. Just curious what separates the 01 and up 986s from the early ones. Also, would love to know what the newest recommended LEDs are for doing the job. Seems fairly simple as long as you aren't afraid to solder.

Btw particlewave, your dash looks great. That's the exact look I want. Matches the new clarion head unit I put in a few weeks ago.

These are what I used, which are exact replacements, except for being blue. If you want a different color, make sure you pick the "super" version, which is brighter, and in the PLCC2 size.

PLCC2 Surface mount Top Led - Super Blue

That is exactly what I needed. Now the question comes, how many of them do I need?

23 for climate control
2 per switch
1 for wiper speed dial (if you have one)
7 or 9 for the headlight switch (7 if you want to leave the 2 green, 9 if you want to change all)

For the cig lighter, and ash tray you need to get creative with 3mm LEDs

They're low cost...get some spares ;)

I take that back. I tore into my headlight switch this morning and found that (at least on mine) they are 3mm LEDs, and not the PLCC2 SMD type.


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/11390310898.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/21390310916.jpg

And here is a picture of the inside of a climate control. I have a water damaged one on my parts shelf that I used to replace my LCD. I removed two LEDs on the lower right when I was practicing my removal technique.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/31390310990.jpg

Thank you. That's exactly what I was looking for. That doesn't look hard at all. Especially with a desoldering bulb.

Yes, they do come in pink and a variety of other colors.

I just finished my headlight switch, and cig lighter:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/41390399631.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/51390399666.jpg

I used 5mm LEDs for the headlight switch, and they fit just fine. Everything still snaps back together. I probably should have used some spaghetti tube for the positive lead on the cig lighter, but didn't think of it in time. I don't think I will have any problems with it touching anything where it is.

Ok, one more question. A friend of mine told me that the surface mount LEDs are most likely glued to the circuit board in some way. Are they? If they are, how hard were they to remove? As near as I can see from the pictures, they look to just be soldered onto the board and can be unsoldered.

Nope, just solder. I tin the iron with a small dab of solder so that heat will flow quickly into the soldered LED. Touch the iron to the end of the LED where it meets the board and after a second, "flick" the end of the LED upwards to pull it away from the board. Once it is sufficiently disconnected, repeat on the other end, and it should fall away, or stick to the iron. Since you won't be reusing them, it's not a big deal if they get destroyed in the process.

To attach the new LEDs, I prepare the board by removing as much solder as I can from one of the pads, and leaving a "bump" of solder on the other one. Hold the LED with tweezers in the right spot and, with a tinned iron, touch the same spot where the LED and board meet (on the "bump" end. When the solder starts to flow, make sure you push down on the LED so that it's flat against the board and hold it steady for a few seconds until the solder hardens. Then solder the other end with a tinned iron and a small poke of solder from your spool. The reason I leave a bump on one side and no solder on the other is that if both were flat, I would need 3 hands to hold the LED, hold the iron, and hold the solder. If I have bumps at both ends, the LED will never sit flat, or I would need 3 hands again.

Perfect. That's exactly what I needed. Now as soon as it isn't 10 degrees out, I'll dig in. Trying to decide on blue or white. I'm thinking about doing a combo of both. Blue for the back of the LCD readouts, and white for everything else ie the numbers on the gauges.

Not the greatest photos I've ever taken, but you get the idea.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/61390403906.jpg


http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/71390403923.jpg

And I also did the wiper dial:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/81390404104.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01/91390404118.jpg

I got a little too aggressive when I was removing the amber LED and broke the tip off of one of the pins that goes to the dial, and the other pin off completely. I made a replacement pin out of a resistor lead, so I will have to see how it works. Hopefully I won't have to buy a new one.