Hello folks,
I just bought a new to me 97 psd and I have a question about the autometer gauges that are in this truck. I really like the a-pillar gauge pod but when I turn the lights on at night the gauges are extremely BRIGHT! So much that I can't see out the drivers side mirror. They are hooked to the dash light dimmer but when I turn them down so they are no so offensive, then I can't see my instrument cluster. Anybody else encounter this problem? If so, what did you do about it? Anybody with suggestions please feel free to respond. I thought maybe if I could find some 24 volt bulbs that would tone them down but I don't even know where to start looking for them.

Any suggestions welcome thanks,

 

2 of the lights wired in series would half the brightness. or you could measure the resistance of one bulb then series a like sized resistor with each bulb. or maybe try lighting the autometer gauges with replacement light bulbs from your dash if they were all the same bulb it would make sense that they would all dim the same way.

 

Also a potentiometer in series with the a-pillar lighting circuit would let you set the brightness of just the a-pillar gauges. you could set it and then hide it inside the a-pillar or the dash. After thinking about it this would be my preferred method.

 

I like the potentiometer idea but with three lights it might be tough to stash 3 pots in there. A fixed resister would be easier to hide. I wonder if 1/2 watt would be enough? Thanks for the input. Is there anyone else out there running these with the same issue? I wonder if the p.o. might have put the wrong bulbs in it and the fix might be as simple as installing the correct bulb.

 

I was thinking wiring all 3 bulbs to one pot. I would say 1/2 watt fixed resistors would work too.

 

That or take the bulbs out and take a colored sharpee permanat marker to the bulbs using whatever color you need to make it look right, this is what I did to make my gauges the same green color as the dash, however 2 of them are a little darker then the third because it made them too dark with the marker. it will stick to the glass and dry fairly well, once the bulbs are heated well, and cool the marker becomes more permanat and then you can recaot them to tone it down even more or make the color darker.

 

Now that sounds like a good idea too. Simple, cheap, and no permanent changes. I think I'll try that first. Did it smell of burned sharpee for a while?

 

Nope didnt smell a thing the ink is pretty much dry already but kinda oily maybe because if you try to recoat it right away it wipes it self off, but after theyve been on a while it basically bakes on to a fairly dry coating, that you can recoat with more sharpee, or highlighter, to bake on a darker color. or they makes some pre colored bulbs and sell em at autozone an places like that depending on what kind of bulb, or they make little rubber cover kinda like condoms for like bulbs that are colored to change the color of the bulb, and thus lower the brightness.

 

Just took the gauge pod off today, and found that I don't have conventional bulbs. These are autometer C2 gauges. I need to do some more searching but I think they might be LEDs. There is only a tiny 4 wire plug on the back of the gauge. Back to the resister idea I guess. Anybody know what color the light wire is on these gauges? I'll do some searching tonight if I can stay awake.....

Thanks