Partly broken dashboard backlight.
My dashboard is partly dark, I cant's see the oil pressure, engine temp and any speed over 100 kph.
How do I change the broken bulbs?
XJ2000 Sport 2.5td
How do I change the broken bulbs?
XJ2000 Sport 2.5td
Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 116
Likes: 1
From: Gads Hill, Ontario
Year: 1996
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
There's a lot of clutter behind the dash, I believe your best bet is to pull out the entire instrument cluster, then you can see what you are doing.
Not sure if your 2000 is different, on my '96 I can do it in about 5 minutes:
- remove the plastic surrounding the steering column (3 torx screws underneath, then the 2 halves separate and come off. You need to unscrew the tilt lever to remove the one half)
- remove the plastic cover over the electrical connector that goes to the signal light switch
- remove the entire plastic bezel of the dash. 4 screws I think. One above headlight switch, one above lighter, I forget right now where the other two are. There are clips that hold it in place by the radio, by the headlight switch, and a few other places. It pulls straight away from the dash. It's a tight fit to get it out once it's free, but it does come out. The Haynes manual says you have to remove the plug from the signal light switch, but I never do - I just removed and threw away the plastic cover from the connector.
- now you can see the 4 or 6 screws to remove the instrument cluster
- pull it towards you until you can reach the connectors behind it. Unplug the two plugs, then you have the whole thing available to fix.
- I believe the bulbs are a #168, but I replaced all mine with red LED's from superbrightleds.com. There are many write-ups on this board about it.
- LEDs or not, you probably want to replace all the illumination bulbs, to keep the illumination even. I think there are 6. I wouldn't mess with the other bulbs, but you can replace them too if you want (like signal lights, hi-beam indicator, etc.) Make sure you get the right bulb for hi-beam indicator, it's a real nuisance if it's too bright.
Not sure if your 2000 is different, on my '96 I can do it in about 5 minutes:
- remove the plastic surrounding the steering column (3 torx screws underneath, then the 2 halves separate and come off. You need to unscrew the tilt lever to remove the one half)
- remove the plastic cover over the electrical connector that goes to the signal light switch
- remove the entire plastic bezel of the dash. 4 screws I think. One above headlight switch, one above lighter, I forget right now where the other two are. There are clips that hold it in place by the radio, by the headlight switch, and a few other places. It pulls straight away from the dash. It's a tight fit to get it out once it's free, but it does come out. The Haynes manual says you have to remove the plug from the signal light switch, but I never do - I just removed and threw away the plastic cover from the connector.
- now you can see the 4 or 6 screws to remove the instrument cluster
- pull it towards you until you can reach the connectors behind it. Unplug the two plugs, then you have the whole thing available to fix.
- I believe the bulbs are a #168, but I replaced all mine with red LED's from superbrightleds.com. There are many write-ups on this board about it.
- LEDs or not, you probably want to replace all the illumination bulbs, to keep the illumination even. I think there are 6. I wouldn't mess with the other bulbs, but you can replace them too if you want (like signal lights, hi-beam indicator, etc.) Make sure you get the right bulb for hi-beam indicator, it's a real nuisance if it's too bright.
Thanks for an extensive answear.
What about the airbag? The service manual is full of warnings regarding working on the car with the airbags still connected. Do I have to remove them aswell?
And bulb #168 is a Jeep specific bulb, or something I can find in any bulb-shop (Norway)?
What about the airbag? The service manual is full of warnings regarding working on the car with the airbags still connected. Do I have to remove them aswell?
And bulb #168 is a Jeep specific bulb, or something I can find in any bulb-shop (Norway)?
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