Brighter Dash Lights for 126s and 123s
 

Does anyone know of a brighter equivalent for the 194 lamps used in the dash of the 126 and 123 models? Is there anything with a really bright white LED instead of the realtively dim incandescent bulbs?

I'm interested too

Without using LEDs alot of members have said that painting the down path of the dash lights white OR using duct work tape (not dull grey but shiny stuff) does wonders.

It's not the bulb wattage causing problems, but rather the discoloration and dirt on the reflectors and prisms. You need to clean the prisms, and paint the reflectors white. Add new bulbs, and you ought to be able to see the numbers at night.

i havent done mine yet. i need to. and i plan on using testors model paint. they have a opalescence reflective white.

Ditto.........
 

And I would highly recommend against using higher wattage bulbs! The PO did this and melted the reflectors in the instrument panel. Guess what......burnt reflectors put out even less light.:(

I tried to do he white reflective paint in my car, but the prisms were to far gone (melted by PO) to evern do anything. In the end I have 4 super white LEDs in the cluster and would never go back to stock.

Do NOT use brighter bulbs!

New bulbs alone will surprise you. Paint the needles, etc.

Light emmiting diodes LEDs put out basically no heat. They are the only sensibkle solution other than trying to restore the old system. There was someone in the last week on site that explained how he did it with leds. The problem with leds has been the light does not diffuse well. On the otherhand there are many improved variations hitting the market perhaps. One gentleman had his leds burn out. That was because his bias resistor was too low in value. Get the bias resistor right and you will probably burn out before the Leds do. With leds the rehostat or dash dimmer control may not be quite as effective as you are dealing with so small a current. I wish someone who has switched over to leds would comment. I think I will try them myself.

If people are interested I can get my dad to write down the schematics from my LED cluster. I'm not the electrical engineer of the family.

Good ideal to post your particular schematic. I imagine your father used one bias resistor for all the bulbs and did incorporate the dimmer. If you can describe how the light spreads across the gauge faces in comparison that would be good as well. Especially in comparison to the old bulbs. The early users of the leds had some problem with light spread.

http://**************.com has something for this, have not tried. Catalog can be difficult to navigate. If you have problems, PM me.

Also, please list the source of the super white LEDs along with the schematic.

My dad is out on business until Wednesday/Thursdayish so I can get the scematics then but I do know that everything was bought at RadioShack for about $20 with the LEDs being $3-4 each.

I recently repaired the odometer, and while there removed the instrument lite potentiometer. Cleaned the coil, and used a fine emory cloth on the wiper. The orig. lites are much brighter now.
I will ask a Bus Garage owner about the LED conversions as they are offered extensively as conversions on buses and trucks.

Will advise.

a lot has been discussed about this topic. If you do a search on LEDs and clusters you'll find some threads that discuss this modification in detail.

1) http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/176345-my-experiences-leds-instrument-cluster-so-far.html?highlight=LED

2) http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/153065-dash-very-dim-2.html?highlight=LED

and here's one where I actually did it on my car..a long time ago..
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/111414-just-sharing-my-dash-lighting-project.html?highlight=LED

Hope this helps..:)

bulb wattage
 

what is the stock bulb wattage for the intrument cluster lights? is 5W bulb safe and usable?

dash lights
 

There was a post a while back where the person bypassed the adjustable dimmer in the dash cluster and was happy

I had the same "DIM" problem on my 84 500SEL. I cleaned the dimmer, cleaned then painted the reflectors silver (spray can from just about anywhere will be fine), and cleaned the prisms. When cleaning the prisms, use mild soap, a soft rag, and don't touch them with bare hands while puting them back in. Replaced the bulbs with 194 type and now have to turn the brightness down as they are too bright if turned up all the way. They have been this way for about 5 years now and I have had no problems. I have modified the car some, but it still looks original in every way. This method keeps the original look which is very classic.
Just my 1 cent worth (my opion isn't worth 2 cents).

I switched to LEDS a couple weeks ago
 

and used this bulb http://autolumination.com/194_marker.html Keep in mind, my car is a 124 and the lights may be different. I used the ones toward the bottom of the page with the inverted lens, they send more light to the sides. Simple plug in replacement. My instrument panel is now readable at night with no mods to the reflectors or prisms. If I cleaned those it would probably be super.

I have a 4 LED bulb I am going to try next time I have the panel out. I'll report back after I try it.

If you open the cluster you will see the light socket/compartment where the bulb sits and points at the "prism" plastic fiber optic ribbon. There is thick aluminum tape designed to fix holes in exhaust lines that you can use to line the inside of the socket/compartment. That will reflect a lot more light into the line and down toward your gauges. White paint will work, but not as good.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I now have some LEDs that I'm going to experiment with them.

I took the cluster out and noticed that the prisms have been melted at the very end and have a darkened appearance. It's too late not, but I've got to ask. Is the 194 lamp a 3 watt or 5 watt lamp? I've had 194s in there for years.

Can the prisms be cleaned or even have the melted, opaque end carefully cut off, this exposing clear material to the light?

1983/300CD, When you talk about the bright aluminum tape, do you mean to place it between the prism and the white replective cover?

Finally, does anyone know of a company out there that refurbishes these instrument cluster housings?

I did not know, previously, what the wattage rating was for a 194 bulb. After several searches, I finally found the answer.....3W.

As to your dilemna of how to restore the prisms, I would think a Dremel with various grades of polishing compound might be the way to go. Also for the reflectors, some have mentioned painting them with Testors white model paint or as referred to here, bright aluminum tape. I don't know how well the paint will hold up to the bulb heat or how easy it would be to get that aluminum tape to conform to the reflector. The trick might be to find the lightest weight, and probably the cheapest, exhaust tape you can find.

I am in the same quandry, as the PO installed the incorrect bulbs and melted the reflectors. I'm going to try the painting of the needles first with a flourescant paint color and then use a dremel to see if it will take care of some discoloration on the reflectors.

SD Blue,

Are you are saying to use the Dremel tool to "polish" away the melted, slightly brown end of the prisms? In other words, to provide a clear end on the prisms to accept the light from the bulb?

I would think the tape used to seal the exhaust stacks on gas water heaters might do the trick. It certainly can take the heat.

Yes, in both circumstances. I am thinking that providing a crystal clear edge on the prism, by removal of the burnt portion, would be a huge benefit and wouldn't require such delicate surgery as to remove, cut, polish and reinstall the prism itself.

That tape you mentioned sounds good too. I believe the affect the bulb heat has on the longevity of the adhesive would be insignificant for that kind of tape. Is it pretty pliable for the small areas in to which it will be fitted?

Here's my cluster guys! Sorry for the crappy mobile pics!