Purpose, selection and replacement of light bulbs in the dashboard

Purpose of additional lighting

The main purpose of the backlight bulbs in the dashboard of a car is a comfortable display of the main sensors, allowing the driver, regardless of the degree of illumination in the cabin, to receive reliable information about the main characteristics of the working components and systems of the car during operation. Depending on their location in the electrical circuit, backlight lamps perform the following role:

1. Message about a sharp decrease in pressure in the engine lubrication system.
2. Reduction below the maximum permissible level of fuel in the fuel tank.
3. Displays the initiation of ignition of the turning lights.
4. Illuminated dimensions.
5. Turning on the high beams.
6. Emergency condition of the brake system.
7. Connecting emergency lights.
8. Battery low display.
9. Engaging the handbrake.
10. Awareness of the state of the power unit.
11. Opening the air supply system.

Modern dashboard lighting systems may contain several dozen bulbs. Some of them are responsible for monitoring events in the most important components of the car, others are simply illumination, and the third notifies about the operation of auxiliary systems and mechanisms. As a rule, if just one element fails, the entire “tidy” stops working partially or completely. To restore its functionality, it will require disassembly, diagnostics and repair.

Note! The color of the backlight directly depends on the importance of the signaled devices. For example, a malfunction is indicated in red, and non-emergency information is displayed in orange or green.

Preparing to replace the light bulbs on the instrument panel

When access to the instrument panel is open to us, all that remains is to unscrew the two bolts on the sides of the case and disconnect the power connectors.

Upon visual inspection, it will be seen that there are a total of 13 lamp sockets on the dashboard of the VAZ-2114, of which only 8 can be replaced with analogues or LEDs.

Pay attention to the general condition of the board, as if there are signs of oxidation or corrosion, they will need to be cleaned, regardless of whether the lamp is working or not. Because in most cases, the cause of failure is not the lamp, but the cartridge, which had traces of corrosion.

Selecting lamps for the VAZ-2114 instrument panel

Today, the market offers a wide variety of lamps for the VAZ-2114 instrument panel. Among them there are both conventional incandescent lamps and LED analogues, characterized by an increased service life, quality of light output, and low energy consumption.

Two different types of diode lamps: regular and diode

When purchasing new lamps, always buy several more elements, because the “legs” may break during installation.

Why and how often to change the backlight

Dashboard lighting bulbs are replaced primarily when they burn out. Sometimes the owner may not like the color scheme. In this case, the light sources are also reinstalled. Often people try to replace them with brighter and more durable led elements. The specifics of such work require knowledge of the basics of electrical engineering and the ability to correctly calculate the characteristics of the devices used. Otherwise, you can simply damage the equipment. Therefore, if you have insufficient experience, it is better to contact a specialized car service center for help.

Features of organizing LED lighting

LED light bulb for car

Using LED lighting for a car, you can use diode bulbs with a standard base. This way you can illuminate the instrument buttons on the panel. In a situation where several devices need to be illuminated at once, for high-quality lighting you should use an LED bulb placed in a special socket. This requires a special re-soldering. But you can simply buy it in a store or market.

In addition, to illuminate the car’s dashboard and its alarm system, you can use light bulbs that produce a narrow luminous flux. It can be obtained from a regular light bulb by using a special diffuser (lenses) for lighting. Thus, in the first situation, the lighting will be point-like, and in the second, the luminous flux will fall at a certain angle. When organizing button illumination, you can use light sources with a directional luminous flux. But to illuminate the speedometer and alarm panels, preference should be given to bulbs that provide a large scattering angle. Although this can already be left to the individual choice of the car owner.

Which light bulbs are suitable

In most modern cars, the following three types of light bulbs are used to illuminate the dashboard:

Why LED lighting is preferable

At the moment, there are a variety of products on the lighting market that can be used to illuminate any brand of car.

Note! Not every make of car actually needs this type of lighting. Some manufacturers include high-quality LED lighting in the dashboard already at the production stage. This situation is usually typical for expensive foreign cars.

Industrial dashboard lighting

But in most vehicles such additional lighting is absent or incomplete. This situation is especially relevant for older models that were manufactured at a time when LED backlighting had not yet been heard of. When choosing an LED type of lighting, car owners are guided by the following positive aspects of such lighting:

• diodes of this type have small dimensions, which allows them to be installed anywhere on the dashboard. At the same time, they are easily massaged;
• simple soldering of LEDs for different connections between them. Moreover, if the LED strip is re-soldered, then this procedure is carried out according to certain rules, which are also typical for working with individual diodes;
• even a small number of diodes installed on the panel can create a full-fledged type of lighting, sufficient for comfortable driving;

Pay attention! With the help of such elements you can even illuminate alarm systems.

• the ability to create not only white, but also colored lighting. Diodes can produce a beautiful and frequent glow in green, yellow, red, purple, green or blue. At the same time, replacing it with a new color is possible in the future and will not require excessive effort from the car owner;

Replacement instructions

To replace the light bulbs on the dashboard of any car model, you will need to dismantle its main parts, especially the upper decorative elements. The general instructions are as follows:

1. Dismantle the instrument panel by removing the trim and unscrewing the mounting screws.
2. In some models, the steering wheel must be moved to the down position.
3. After removing the cover, you need to unscrew the screws securing the panel itself.
4. After this, pull the instrument panel towards you and disconnect the power cable connector.
5. The instrument panel itself must be carefully placed face down, not forgetting to place a soft lining so as not to disturb the instrument needles.
6. Use a tester to identify burned out light bulbs and replace them with new ones.

In order to unscrew the light bulb from the socket, you need to turn it counterclockwise a quarter turn. After installing the new one, you need to reassemble the panel in the reverse order and check its serviceability.

Cost of replacing dashboard lamps

A professional car enthusiast will not skimp on car repairs. The question of the cost of replacing lamps in the instrument panel is the last thing on his mind. The only thing he pays attention to is the quality of the work performed. This quality can only be provided by service center professionals. Thanks to their high professionalism, they are able to identify any malfunction and quickly eliminate it.

Main conclusions

Light bulbs in the dashboard of a car are intended both for its general illumination and improving the perception of information at any time of the day, and for the following specific tasks:

1. Notification of emergency situations in the operation of particularly critical units.
2. Signaling for turning on and off elements of the optical system.
3. Display of the operation of additional mechanisms (handbrake, emergency lights).

Bulbs are most often replaced when they burn out, as well as when it is necessary to install brighter and more reliable backlight sources for the dashboard. Lamps can be with a base, socket or without it. LEDs are often installed in the dashboard. Despite the fact that they are expensive, they work an order of magnitude longer than usual. To reinstall them, you will need to remove the decorative trim, unscrew and remove the panel itself. In this case, you need to follow the instructions and recommendations specified in the passport of a specific car brand.

Previous

Car lightAll about connecting DRLs on a car

Next

Car light What to do if the backlight of the VAZ 2114 instrument panel does not light up

Replacing light bulbs in the dashboard of a VAZ 2114

Replacing light bulbs in the VAZ 2114 dashboard does not require contacting a car service center. You can do it yourself. To do this you will need a Phillips screwdriver and new lamps. Algorithm for performing the procedure:

1. Remove the decorative trim. To do this, you need to unscrew the fasteners with a screwdriver. You should start removing the part from the bottom, pulling it towards you.
   Read also: Do  -it-yourself car window lift repair Video
2. Disconnect the cigarette lighter wire.
3. Remove the screws from the dashboard trim.
4. Remove the trim.
5. Disconnect the wires from the instrument panel.
6. Unscrew the tidy fasteners. Usually the part is held on by self-tapping screws.
7. Remove the panel.

1. Remove the bulb sockets that have failed. To do this, they must be unscrewed counterclockwise.

2. Remove faulty lamps.
3. Replace light bulbs.
4. Check the functionality of the indicators. If they start working, the fault is identified correctly. If this does not happen, another lamp may have burned out, or the cause of the failure may be different. Sometimes it happens that the new light bulb turns out to be defective. To check it or find a non-lit lamp, you can check them with a multimeter. This is done like this:

• Switch the device to ohmmeter mode;
• Install one probe to the side of the base, and the second to the patch at its end;

If the arrow of the device moves, the element is working. This method is not suitable for testing LED lamps. In this case, for diagnostics, the multimeter should be set to diode mode. Measurements are carried out according to the same principle, but during the process it is necessary to swap the probes. If the lamp is working, the current should only flow in one direction. But usually a burnt-out element can be identified by eye.

1. Assemble the dashboard and other elements. The operation is performed in reverse order.

At the end of the work, it is necessary to check the functionality of the dashboard lamps or the entire panel. Some 2114 owners change the bulbs not because they burn out, but to improve the glow or change the color of the dashboard backlight using LED elements. Driving with the instrument panel or individual indicators not illuminated is not prohibited by law. But this causes noticeable discomfort. Failure of the battery warning lights, oil pressure or fuel level may prevent you from noticing a serious vehicle breakdown or lack of gasoline in time. Therefore, it is recommended that a backlight malfunction be repaired immediately when detected.

Organization of backlighting of stove control buttons

The second most popular situation in organizing the lighting of the dashboard in a car is the illumination of the stove control buttons.

Stove control buttons

Foil reflector

The organization of the backlight of the console buttons intended for controlling the stove is carried out as follows:

• First, remove the handles, as well as the glass from the control unit;
• We make a reflector out of foil. It will need to be secured under the removed glass;
• then carefully unscrew the lower part of the console. Under it there will be a cartridge with an old light source, which must be replaced;
• replace the old light bulb with an LED;

Note! You can install an LED strip under the bottom of the console. Thanks to its self-adhesive base, it will easily take the required position. In this situation, it will be connected with its wires through the cartridge. The main thing here is to maintain the polarity of the wires, otherwise the LED strip will not light up.

• After installing the LED, return all parts of the console to their original place in the reverse order.

Ready-made console lighting

The simplest way to create backlighting involves the following manipulations:

• take the button out of the console;
• we disassemble it into its component elements;
• inside such a button there should be a light bulb that changes to an LED;
• if necessary, you can remove the light filter from the button or combine it with a new diode glow. As a result, you can get a new beautiful and unique shade.

As you can see, illuminating the console designed to control the stove in a car is quite easy.