Led lights in Corsa dash

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rickiewilliams
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2017 2:20 pm

Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by rickiewilliams »

I followed advice found on this forum and bought led bulbs. All fit fine except for the one on the right side of the tach when facing it from the back. There seems to be a glass globe or lens in that cavity that restricts the depth of the hole. What have others done to deal with this issue?


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66vairguy
Posts: 4498
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:44 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by 66vairguy »

rickiewilliams wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2018 5:41 pm I followed advice found on this forum and bought led bulbs. All fit fine except for the one on the right side of the tach when facing it from the back. There seems to be a glass globe or lens in that cavity that restricts the depth of the hole. What have others done to deal with this issue?


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Even the newer incandescent bulbs don't fit even though they are the correct number. They are too tall and contact the plastic bulb housing and either push the housing in or melt the plastic. I've heard some strange stories as to why they were installed, but the only logical reason was to keep dirt out, but the GM sockets fit very tight so I just remove the bulb housing (half the time they are loose and rattling around inside the tachometer). They have tabs that were melted to hold them in. Unfortunately the best way to remove the plastic bulb housings is to remove the instrument cluster and remove the tachometer and CAREFULLY take off the dial so as not to bend the needle.
skipvair
Posts: 248
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2017 8:17 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by skipvair »

66vairguy wrote:
rickiewilliams wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2018 5:41 pm I followed advice found on this forum and bought led bulbs. All fit fine except for the one on the right side of the tach when facing it from the back. There seems to be a glass globe or lens in that cavity that restricts the depth of the hole. What have others done to deal with this issue?


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Even the newer incandescent bulbs don't fit even though they are the correct number. They are too tall and contact the plastic bulb housing and either push the housing in or melt the plastic. I've heard some strange stories as to why they were installed, but the only logical reason was to keep dirt out, but the GM sockets fit very tight so I just remove the bulb housing (half the time they are loose and rattling around inside the tachometer). They have tabs that were melted to hold them in. Unfortunately the best way to remove the plastic bulb housings is to remove the instrument cluster and remove the tachometer and CAREFULLY take off the dial so as not to bend the needle.



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Frank Metasavage

65 Corsa 140 4 speed with Weber IDAs
66 Corsa 140 4 speed Stock
skipvair
Posts: 248
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2017 8:17 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by skipvair »

I hate to admit something like this. I took a short screwdriver and lightly tapped it to dislodge the plastic cover while in the car. It fell out to the housing somewhere and I put the LED in. I didn’t have any problems. PS. I don’t do that sort of thing, but I had just reinstalled the cluster and had 2 extras in case it gave me a problem.


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Frank Metasavage

65 Corsa 140 4 speed with Weber IDAs
66 Corsa 140 4 speed Stock
66vairguy
Posts: 4498
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:44 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by 66vairguy »

skipvair wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2018 8:47 pm I hate to admit something like this. I took a short screwdriver and lightly tapped it to dislodge the plastic cover while in the car. It fell out to the housing somewhere and I put the LED in. I didn’t have any problems. PS. I don’t do that sort of thing, but I had just reinstalled the cluster and had 2 extras in case it gave me a problem.


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You wouldn't be the first, no problem. As I said they often get pushed out by the newer and taller bulbs. I often find them laying in meters I've rebuilt (I only do them for my cars and buddies) and they don't cause a problem.
dave t
Posts: 138
Joined: Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:16 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by dave t »

Only use incandescent bulbs for the gen light. LED's won't work.
One side of the gen (alternator) lamp has 12v. The other side has the output of the generator, (alternator) 12v. When all is good, there is 12v on both sides of the bulb. No differential voltage, no light. If you draw excessive power on your system like when the lights and fan are both on, they draw down the system side of the bulb. Now there is a differential across the bulb and the bulb glows. Same happens if you have less than normal charging. A differential is there so the bulb glows. An LED is a 1-way valve. So it will not work properly.
Since I use a incandescent bulb for the gen light, I also use one for the oil light so they match each other.

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66vairguy
Posts: 4498
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:44 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by 66vairguy »

YES for an reason that take too long to explain the GEN/FAN and OIL/TEMP lamps have the typical socket polarity reversed so a LED won't work unless you reverse the wires to the those sockets. I did that with a spare harness and it worked, but those lamps light so rarely the staying with the incandescent bulbs is fine.
skipvair
Posts: 248
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2017 8:17 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by skipvair »

66vairguy wrote:YES for an reason that take too long to explain the GEN/FAN and OIL/TEMP lamps have the typical socket polarity reversed so a LED won't work unless you reverse the wires to the those sockets. I did that with a spare harness and it worked, but those lamps light so rarely the staying with the incandescent bulbs is fine.



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Frank Metasavage

65 Corsa 140 4 speed with Weber IDAs
66 Corsa 140 4 speed Stock
skipvair
Posts: 248
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2017 8:17 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by skipvair »

I didn’t consider the lights for gen etc. I agree, don’t change them. Btw the leds I have don’t dim though I was told
They would. I have 2 Corsas. One with leds that
Don’t dim, couldn’t see the instruments without them , the other with bulbs I see great without leds and they do dim just fine and are brighter than the bulbs in the other were. Go figure. B


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Frank Metasavage

65 Corsa 140 4 speed with Weber IDAs
66 Corsa 140 4 speed Stock
66vairguy
Posts: 4498
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 3:44 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by 66vairguy »

skipvair wrote: Sat Feb 17, 2018 10:17 pm I didn’t consider the lights for gen etc. I agree, don’t change them. Btw the leds I have don’t dim though I was told
They would. I have 2 Corsas. One with leds that
Don’t dim, couldn’t see the instruments without them , the other with bulbs I see great without leds and they do dim just fine and are brighter than the bulbs in the other were. Go figure. B


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So were the LED's that didn't work and the ones that DID come from the same vendor??
It's more helpful to others to state what items do and don't work.

I found I got the best color rendition and brightness from the SuperBrite LED units in "Warm White" and they do dim, but not like an incandescent bulbs. I was very happy with my LED's and they are slightly brighter than the incandescent bulbs - just right for night driving IMHO.
skipvair
Posts: 248
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2017 8:17 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by skipvair »

66vairguy wrote:
skipvair wrote: Sat Feb 17, 2018 10:17 pm I didn’t consider the lights for gen etc. I agree, don’t change them. Btw the leds I have don’t dim though I was told
They would. I have 2 Corsas. One with leds that
Don’t dim, couldn’t see the instruments without them , the other with bulbs I see great without leds and they do dim just fine and are brighter than the bulbs in the other were. Go figure. B


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So were the LED's that didn't work and the ones that DID come from the same vendor??
It's more helpful to others to state what items do and don't work.

I found I got the best color rendition and brightness from the SuperBrite LED units in "Warm White" and they do dim, but not like an incandescent bulbs. I was very happy with my LED's and they are slightly brighter than the incandescent bulbs - just right for night driving IMHO.

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Frank Metasavage

65 Corsa 140 4 speed with Weber IDAs
66 Corsa 140 4 speed Stock
skipvair
Posts: 248
Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2017 8:17 pm

Re: Led lights in Corsa dash

Post by skipvair »

The leds were put in my first car because I couldn’t read the instruments with the incandescents. I also replaced the light switch just because I was in there.

My second one came with incandescents and was very bright with them. No need to replace.


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Frank Metasavage

65 Corsa 140 4 speed with Weber IDAs
66 Corsa 140 4 speed Stock
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