How to remove gauge tint/coloring?

[jackomcw]

Changing the color of gauges?

I recently swapped out the gauges in my 96 Civic to add a techometer but kept my old speedometer to retain mileage. The new gauges looked exactly the same but the new gauges have a reddish tint to them that the speedometer does not and the mismatching bothers me. Is there an easy way to remove the coloring from them?

 

[SpeedTechnik]

Yes, I am unsure if there is already a thread on this and you should look...but to put it simple. Is the tint coming from the light or is it part of the Tach ? if it is the light, then you have to remove the cluster and disassemble. After this you will have to switch the LED light behind the Tach to the color desired. then just reassemble and place back.

 

[jackomcw]

I looked but couldn't seem to find it, if it does exist. And the tint is part of the tach.

 

[SpeedTechnik]

Unfortunately I had never dealt with the tach being colored, sounds like you have the tach from that other Civic model..can't remember at the time and if I find the pic I will post it. I don't think you can do much about that as that's how it was made...but you can still try to compensate for it by changing the led for the white(?) speedometer to a reddish led so that they match.

 

[CO671]

Gauge faces, which are ricey and ugly, or swap over the new speedometer.
(unless your cluster you have ALREADY HAS gauge faces) take a photo and share it with is.

When swapping over the matching speedometer, write the mileage of the current speedometer, and the replacement speedometer and tape it onto the chassis
(inside drivers door where other info is) take photos, print them, and place them with the registration in the glove-compartment for future reference.

Here are options, which two are you referring to?

Check my thread for more info:
http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=219682

 

[SpeedTechnik]

Gauge faces, which are ricey and ugly, or swap over the new speedometer.
(unless your cluster you have ALREADY HAS gauge faces) take a photo and share it with is.

When swapping over the matching speedometer, write the mileage of the current speedometer, and the replacement speedometer and tape it onto the chassis
(inside drivers door where other info is) take photos, print them, and place them with the registration in the glove-compartment for future reference.

Here are options, which two are you referring to?

Check my thread for more info:
http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=219682

I knew someone had this. This^^ Take a pic to see what you are working with and I feel you should have done what Co671 stated. Record it for reference or just set the mileage to the new cluster.

 

[jackomcw]

They are all the first one, USDM 96-00 DX. Like I said, they all look the same in the light, but the tach and gas/temp gauge have a reddish tint that I assume the speedometer that was originally in that cluster also had.

The problem with the new speedometer is that it's km/h, since the person I ordered in from on ebay was Canadian. Otherwise I would just set the mileage and be done with it.

 

[CO671]

What do you mean by reddish tint.

 

[SpeedTechnik]

What do you mean by reddish tint.

This are my thoughts as well. Upload a pic in the light, and then one with the cluster light on so that we can see what is going on.

 

[jackomcw]

So my phone camera's not the best but you can see the difference in color here. The gas/temp gauge is the same tint as the tach.

 

[SpeedTechnik]

Can you see this difference when the light is off? if not then it is just a matter of changing the LED cluster lights.

 

[CO671]

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Here, get the bulbs from your old cluster, this thread explains it well.
http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=59115

or simply put, replace the brown connectors (with bulbs) with the connectors (with bulbs) from your old cluster
If manual cluster:

If automatic cluster:

Now the fronts open flip it round and change out the bulbs for leds(Blue circles) and undo the screws(Red circles) to get your gauges out. Note if you have an auto you will need to undo the clips(yellow circles) to reveal the screws and bulb.

http://www.d-series.org/forums/diy-forum/151071-diy-ek-civic-96-00-led-cluster-climate-control-conversion.html

 

[jackomcw]

Lights on the back of the cluster or the actual gauges themselves? Because I'm pretty damn sure all the lights on the cluster are the same. Do I have to take the gauges themselves out to change the lights you're talking about?

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Here, get the bulbs from your old cluster, this thread explains it well.
http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=59115

or simply put, replace the brown connectors (with bulbs) with the connectors (with bulbs) from your old cluster
If manual cluster:

If automatic cluster:

http://www.d-series.org/forums/diy-forum/151071-diy-ek-civic-96-00-led-cluster-climate-control-conversion.html

That would make sense if some of the bulbs had the blue sleeves and some of them did not but none of the bulbs on the new cluster have the blue sleeve, not even the ones behind the white gauge. The ones on my old gauge, however, did have the blue sleeves.

 

[SpeedTechnik]

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Here, get the bulbs from your old cluster, this thread explains it well.


or simply put:
If manual cluster:


If automatic cluster:






http://www.d-series.org/forums/diy-forum/151071-diy-ek-civic-96-00-led-cluster-climate-control-conversion.html

Again! these were my thoughts exactly!

jack
What makes you say they are all the same? have you checked them?? by the photo presented it is the LED's

 

[CO671]

That would make sense if some of the bulbs had the blue sleeves and some of them did not but none of the bulbs on the new cluster have the blue sleeve, not even the ones behind the white gauge. The ones on my old gauge, however, did have the blue sleeves.

Blue sleeves are mentioned in the thread I posted:

That is what it looks like taken out. The blue thing on the bulb is a sleeve that Honda puts on to make the light "whiter". If you rip it by accident then it is no big deal.

Again! these were my thoughts exactly!

jack
What makes you say they are all the same? have you checked them?? by the photo presented it is the LED's

edit: alright i see your reply now!

They're not LED's, they're the conventional incandescent bulb style.
(Unless we're talking about the bulbs inside his cluster now with the red tint, even then we don't know if they're LED's or not)

These are LEDs

yeah there you go ha-ha bad terminology but yes. the conventional bulbs. I replaced these once. You can speak to Honda corp and they can give you the matching color

lol, or just upgrade to all #74 Led's, might as well.


http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=219682

All Bulb Sizes for Civic

 

[jackomcw]

The bulbs are not LED's. However, I can't imagine just replacing them, even with LED's, would do the trick, since the bulbs in there are already identical. Hence, I feel like the gauges themselves must be tinted.

 

[jackomcw]

Several months ago I replaced the gas and temp gauges in my 96 DX with a tachometer and combo gas/temp gauge from a cluster I bought on ebay but kept my speedometer as the speedo in the cluster I bought was from Canada and thus had km/h on it. It worked perfectly but the gauges from the other cluster have a red tint that my gauges did not and it bothers me to no end. I've made a thread about this before and everybody tried to tell me that the bulbs were tinted and to make sure I removed the blue sleeves and whatnot but I assure you all of the bulbs are identical. Based on this image;

I would say my original gauges are from the USDM CX/DX in the top left and the gauges I replaced it with are from the nearly identical HX/LX/EX right below it.

Long question short, is the gauge itself tinted? What's the easiest way to fix this? I would prefer they all be white, I don't like the red that much.

EDIT: Car's a manual, just in case that's pertinent info.

 

[lethal6]

Thread merged with original. Please don't make a new thread when you already have the same identical question going on in another one.

 

[jackomcw]

Bumping this one last time because I'd really like an answer?

 

[CO671]

Bumping this one last time because I'd really like an answer?

Another thing that the previous owner could've done is put rubbing alcohol on the cluster face.
Lemme re-read this thread and do a bit more research, sorry i need to remember the issue.
Have you tried switching the bulbs around? Can you take a picture of your cluster in full view and in daytime and nighttime? I really want to help you, i'm actually looking into creating custom clusters for a secretish future project, so 96-00 Civic clusters are really on my to-do list.


edit: okay so i reiterated your problem:

USDM 96 Civic DX
-Installed new tachometer + fuel/temp, retained original speedometer
-Original cluster = USDM 96 DX
-New tach/fuel+temp = reddish tint, Canadian, km/h (speedometer omitted)
-Bulbs are not LED's

Now if we assume that the new cluster is to blame because your speedometer is obviously stock then
I'll go look up if Canadian EX/LX/SI clusters light up in amber/red instead of whitish yellow, as that seems to be the problem we can deduce, logically. right?