UKSaabs

Hi All,
Thought it might be of interest to detail my repair to the dashboard lights of my 1987 SAAB 900i.
This first post details the simple replacement
Part 2 how I dealt with the fact that it didn't work because (I suspect) somebody in the past had damaged the PCB by replacing the bulbs with 5w rather than 2w

James

My repair seemed transient and kept cutting out. I suspected damaged PCB from previous 5w bulbs so decided to use the original bulbs in new holders using a new supply- see file. Since then, now 8w no problems



Hope its useful

James

I've done a similar repair in the past. The trouble arises with the dash lighting when the back of the panel warps through overheating. This is caused when 5w bulbs are fitted instead of 3w bulbs. The problem can be solved better by removing the binnacle lifting the circuit film and filing the back flat. If you can't obtain 3w bulbs use 5w ones but turn the rheostat down.

LEDs would also reduce the chance of melting stuff here, I imagine.

A number of people have done that too.

Moving this to the knowledge base

You have to be slightly careful with LEDs. They can get hot and can also be directional. Interesting about the warping; thank you. It would explain why trying to get it right before was always transient.