Instrument panel light out

[y_p_w]

Great to be back. It's been a while since my last post here.

OK - 2004 WRX. Approximately half the lighting for the tachometer
(right in the center) is no longer there. I took a quick look
underneath the steering wheel and couldn't figure if there was any
kind of easy access for a replacement bulb (if it's incandescent). I
would have thought that it might be a bunch of LEDs, but I'm not
certain.

Any suggestions for simple things to look out for? Maybe a loose
harness?

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Great to be back. It's been a while since my last post here.

OK - 2004 WRX. Approximately half the lighting for the tachometer
(right in the center) is no longer there. I took a quick look
underneath the steering wheel and couldn't figure if there was any
kind of easy access for a replacement bulb (if it's incandescent). I
would have thought that it might be a bunch of LEDs, but I'm not
certain.

Any suggestions for simple things to look out for? Maybe a loose
harness?

Could be a ground wire or perhaps a fuse. Seems unlikely multiple bulbs
would burn out simultaneously.

Carl

 

[Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B]

Could be a ground wire or perhaps a fuse. Seems unlikely multiple bulbs
would burn out simultaneously.

Carl

If it's a bulb, it's probably just one. One bulb goes a long way!

If it's LEDs then there's a good chance of a loose connection.

 

[Chico]

OK - 2004 WRX.  Approximately half the lighting for the tachometer
(right in the center) is no longer there.  I took a quick look

My 2003 OBS is doing that right now as well - again. It's about the
third time it happens in the last year. The problem is that the bulbs
are popping out of the sockets in the instrument cluster. I don't
know why it started happening all of a sudden.

Not too hard to replace. 3 screws takes the instrument cluster
"frame" out. Drop the steering wheel and twist it around until it
comes out. Pull the top of the instrument cluster forward so you can
undo the wiring harnesses. Those might be a b!t@h to undo. Again,
twist the whole panel until it comes out from behind the steering
wheel. Shake it. Do you hear rattling? If so, that's the bulbs that
have fallen inside the panel. The lamps are twist lock style and
there are several (maybe 7 or 8) for the whole panel. Shake the panel
upside down until the bulb units fall out of a hole. I find that the
bulb assembly either falls out of the panel (and into the panel), or
sometimes even the bulbs pop out of the twist lock things. It doesn't
seem like it, but the bulbs are friction pushed into the twist locks.
They do come out.

Good luck. Whole job should take you less than half an hour, and if
they just popped out, you won't even need to buy anything.

 

[S.Hansen]

If it's a bulb, it's probably just one. One bulb goes a long way!

If it's LEDs then there's a good chance of a loose connection.

You will have to pull the cluster; most subies have a special bulb and at
our shop a special order part- so get some ahead of the job

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Great to be back. It's been a while since my last post here.

OK - 2004 WRX. Approximately half the lighting for the tachometer
(right in the center) is no longer there. I took a quick look
underneath the steering wheel and couldn't figure if there was any
kind of easy access for a replacement bulb (if it's incandescent). I
would have thought that it might be a bunch of LEDs, but I'm not
certain.

Any suggestions for simple things to look out for? Maybe a loose
harness?

I had this happen to me earlier this year. I noticed that one side of
the instrument lights was out. And just as suddenly, a few weeks later,
it was completely back to normal. I think it's grounding problems.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

You will have to pull the cluster; most subies have a special bulb and at
our shop a special order part- so get some ahead of the job

Anyone recall that Radio Shack part number for replacement bulbs? Seems
they were close enough to work for some folks.

Carl

 

[Robert Rubenstein]

Labor is 95% of this job. Don't save a a couple dollars getting a bulb
that almost fits, and have to do it again.

Robert

 

[Chico]

Anyone recall that Radio Shack part number for replacement bulbs? Seems
they were close enough to work for some folks.

When it happened to me the second time, I called a dealer (and even
showed up) and they didn't have anything special. They were just run-
of-the-mill bulbs. Made by GE I think. I ended up returning them
once I figured out they were just falling out.

Dealer suggested converting to LEDs if replacements didn't work. Not
sure what would be special about "dealer" bulbs. I can't imagine that
Subaru would be wasting their time making bulbs. Leave it to those
who are used to making bulbs.

The twist lock sockets are probably the only thing unique about those
bulbs. But they are just sockets - probably standard for printed
circuit board applications. The bulbs come right out with a good
tug.

Then again, maybe they should not be pulled out. Maybe that's why
mine keep falling out ...

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Anyone recall that Radio Shack part number for replacement bulbs? Seems
they were close enough to work for some folks.

Carl

Dunno if this applies to the newest models or not, but I found a few
links in a search;

http://tinyurl.com/djobga


Carl

 

[y_p_w]

I had this happen to me earlier this year. I noticed that one side of
the instrument lights was out. And just as suddenly, a few weeks later,
it was completely back to normal. I think it's grounding problems.

It's back on again. I'm guessing it probably is a grounding problem
as you suggest. I might check the ground wire bundle I've got that
was chewed (not completely through though) up by a rodent. Or it
could have been a loose connection that was jarred back into place.

 

[Chico]

It's back on again.  I'm guessing it probably is a grounding problem
as you suggest.  I might check the ground wire bundle I've got that
was chewed (not completely through though) up by a rodent.  Or it
could have been a loose connection that was jarred back into place.

You just reminded me to go out and fix mine. Rainy night, so a good
night for this job. Once again, 30 minutes of shaking my cluster
until the bulbs fall out of the holes, push them back into the twist-
lock sockets, and put everything back together again. It annoys me
that the bulbs keep falling out. I'm not sure what to do to keep them
in. I should have glued them or something ...