What is the best/easiest way to change the bulbs in a Ford F-150 instrument cluster to LED bulbs?
I have a 2006 Ford F-150 XLT, and I have a couple of lights burnt out in the instrument cluster. I decided when I replace the burnt out bulbs I might as well replace all of them to LED, and probably even change the color. I've searched a lot but can't find the exact answers to my questions, and I'm hoping some of you can help me out and answer them before I take the entire cluster assembly out to change the bulbs. My questions are:
1. When bulb would be best to use? I know the actual Ford part numbers (YL3Z-13B765-CA and -DA), but wondered if there's an actual bulb number that I can find the LED lights for? I have read anything from bulb type #74, to 161, 194, 37. I've also seen T5 and T10 type LED bulbs. What would be the best and brightest?
2. Does the bulb separate from the socket? Or do I have the buy the entire part together? Also, if it does separate, how easy is it to put a bulb back in? Do I need to solder or mess with the wires coming from the bulb at all?
3. I know Ford used the green/teal backlight on the instrument clusters, and I have read sometimes the needle doesn't show up very well after you change the bulbs to LED bulbs. I'm going to go with green LED bulbs anyways (my truck is green), so in your opinion will green show up decent enough to see?
Can't be done easily. The incandescent bulbs are resistive coils of tungsten filament wire. They are driven by constant-current 5v driver amplifiers on the instrument display circuit card inside the cluster assembly case. The bulbs are soldered in place above little plastic standoff mounts.
In order to install LED's, the constant-current driver circuits have to be converted to constant voltage 11.6 volt driver circuits. Those two types of driver circuits have almost no components in common, so an in-place conversion on the main board is not possible unless you are Rembrandt with epoxy and a soldering iron. All I can say there's you build a new circuit card and figure out how to mount it somewhere and wire it up to the LED's inside the cluster, and you are in business. Built many circuit cards?
You could try something like this.
http://www.ebay.com/...rd%20F-150
If there's no LED replacement part, then you will have to look for aftermarket. Check LMC Truck on the www to see if they offer any LED bulbs or LED replacement dashboards.
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