DIY - Gauge Cluster LED swap

[Blackrsx]

Originally Posted by sirisvirus

Anyone able to chime in and tell me if these will work?

Power TOP SMD SMT Blue PLCC-2 3528 1210 Super Bright Light LED


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They look like the correct ones.

[sshole]

Odd. I just cracked open my BRZ cluster and it looks like Subaru skimped out on a few LEDs for the BRZ. For example, you have 4 red needle LEDs for your tachometer and speedometer. Mine only has 2. Your tachometer has 5 white LEDs, mine only had 3 red. Oh well. I changed my LEDs to white, but left the digital speedo and odometer red.





I also removed the TPMS LED because that thing is stupid. Most of the LED functions are silk-screened onto the PCB.

[Young_makaveli]

Originally Posted by Blackrsx

Here are the before and after pictures.

Before:




After:

Is it me or does it look brighter before ?

Nice diy btw

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk

[Blackrsx]

Originally Posted by sshole

Odd. I just cracked open my BRZ cluster and it looks like Subaru skimped out on a few LEDs for the BRZ. For example, you have 4 red needle LEDs for your tachometer and speedometer. Mine only has 2. Your tachometer has 5 white LEDs, mine only had 3 red. Oh well. I changed my LEDs to white, but left the digital speedo and odometer red.





I also removed the TPMS LED because that thing is stupid. Most of the LED functions are silk-screened onto the PCB.

Looks good! Also looks like if we swapped clusters it would've done the same thing.

[Blackrsx]

Originally Posted by Young_makaveli

Is it me or does it look brighter before ?

Nice diy btw

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk

Brightness is about the same.
Actually I think the white was brighter at night.

[sshole]

@Blackrsx were you able to get your analog speedometer to reset to 0? Mine, although I marked where it originally was and placed it back in that same spot, seems to want to read 2mph high after plugging it back in. I've reset the needle a handful of times, but every single time it will push the needle up to +2mph instead of 0. I've even set it back to where it would probably read -5mph and the gauge will set the needle back up at +2mph.

I'm going to take it apart tonight to see what's happening. Small issue, but it doesn't matter too much since I use the digital speedo display 100% of the time.

[SirBrass]

Originally Posted by sshole

@Blackrsx were you able to get your analog speedometer to reset to 0? Mine, although I marked where it originally was and placed it back in that same spot, seems to want to read 2mph high after plugging it back in. I've reset the needle a handful of times, but every single time it will push the needle up to +2mph instead of 0. I've even set it back to where it would probably read -5mph and the gauge will set the needle back up at +2mph.

I'm going to take it apart tonight to see what's happening. Small issue, but it doesn't matter too much since I use the digital speedo display 100% of the time.

How can you tell +2mph on the needle?

[sshole]

Originally Posted by SirBrass

How can you tell +2mph on the needle?

If I'm at a standstill, my digital speedometer reads "0" and the analog needle is between 0 and the first hash mark, which would indicate 5 mph. It's closer to the "0" hash mark than it is to the "5 mph" hash mark, hence +2 mph.

Turns out you can actually see the needle hovering between 0 and the 5 mph hash mark in my 2nd picture.

[SirBrass]

I think that's just the default position for the speedo needle. Looking at the other pictures in the thread, that's where the needle rests for all of them.

Honestly I don't really notice on my car. I don't even look at the needle there at all, really, b/c in my past Subarus, the speedo was on the right (iirc), and fuel guage was on the left. When driving, I'd be paying attention mainly to the center (tach of course) and right sides of the cluster, so that habit has stayed with the BRZ. I'm way more apt to notice if my fuel guage needle has moved than if my analog speedo even works, lol.

[sshole]

I came from a STI, so I know what you're on about. It's just annoying knowing the needle is higher than it used to be. For clarification, the needle did show the same speed as the digital read out before I went and removed the needles.

[codesplice]

Originally Posted by Blackrsx

Looks good! Also looks like if we swapped clusters it would've done the same thing.

That wouldn't have been as much fun though, right?

Great work both of you!

[SirBrass]

Originally Posted by sshole

I came from a STI, so I know what you're on about. It's just annoying knowing the needle is higher than it used to be. For clarification, the needle did show the same speed as the digital read out before I went and removed the needles.

I suppose. There's just other stuff that's at that level that's even more annoying, I think: such as fixing back deck rattle, that it wouldn't personally bug me really.

[BRZNutt]

Great write ups both of you. Ironic how the FR-S guy wanted red and the BRZ guy wanted white...

So how hard is it to actually take the cluster out of the car? I would like to do this just to take out the TPMS LED. I'm keeping the red LEDs for the back lights though. While I think the white looks very clean and it's what I had on my GLI, the red is much better for my old eyes at night...

[sshole]

Originally Posted by BRZNutt

Great write ups both of you. Ironic how the FR-S guy wanted red and the BRZ guy wanted white...

So how hard is it to actually take the cluster out of the car? I would like to do this just to take out the TPMS LED. I'm keeping the red LEDs for the back lights though. While I think the white looks very clean and it's what I had on my GLI, the red is much better for my old eyes at night...

It's not difficult to take the cluster out of the car. Here's what I did:

Tools needed: plastic panel pry tool (or wrap a flat head screw driver with electrical tape), phillips screw driver.

1. Remove plastic surround from radio. In the BRZ it's the silver piece above the center console that surrounds the nav unit. In the FR-S, it's the textured black piece above the center console that surrounds the nav unit. You do not have to remove the extra long piece that is in front of the passenger seat. Use pry tool or flat head screw driver to pop this off from the tops of the knee pad panels of the center console.

2. Remove single phillips screw holding in gauge cluster hood. Look through your steering wheel and you should see the phillips screw head peeking through the top of the gauge cluster surround (the flat black piece with the 3 buttons for mph/kmh, odo, and disp).

3. Remove gauge cluster hood by pulling towards the steering wheel.

4. Pull back the gauge cluster surround.

5. Remove 2 phillips screws at top of gauge cluster.

6. Pull gauge cluster back towards steering wheel and disconnect the wiring harness at the back of the cluster.