Dim Speedo Lights

Just finished putting a new dash in and rewiring my 75 CJ-5. I used aftermarket gauges, but kept the original Speedo. All the lights are working but the unit just seems to dim at night. I did pull out the bulbs and harness and the bulbs seem bright. Has anybody done an upgrade (Different bulb), or have tips on getting more illumination?

 

Are you referring to the actual gauge lights, or the switch indicator lights(ie. hazard, lights, wiper)? My indicator lights seem somewhat dim compared to the aftermarket gauges I put in, so I just figured it was the plastic was old and cloudy. I know for a fact those are a bugger to fix 'cuz the wires and bulbs are tiny! But with a steady hand and patience, you might be able to upgrade the bulbs... Not worth it IMHO.
Just had a quick thot... is your light switch working properly? Can you dim/brighten the lights when you turn the nob? It may be that you just need to clean the contacts on the light switch rheostat?

 

Make sure you have the speedometer case well grounded, the mounting post hardware should be grounding it to the dash.

 

x2 - check the ground. Next, the bulbs used in the speedo are tiny and long compared to a lot of courtesy bulbs out there. My PO had just stuck some in some that the base matched and mine was dim. Matched the longer bulb up and it seems to throw the light in the speedo better giving a brighter appearance. My .02

 

CK the Ground and replace the Bulb I have seen bulbs get dim and not go out. usely the bulb glass turns black though. to the other ? yes different bulbs put out more or less light and the have the some base.

 

That speedometer gets very minimal light as it is. It's a CJ thing.

 

I had the same problem with mine. Right bulbs, good ground....I ended up removing the colored light difusers - they were of course the originals and full of dirt, crust, etc. Of course now I have white light instead of the green tint but I can see the speedo.