Glad it worked out!

 

Anyone know if the 4th gen needles can be used on 5.5 gen cluster??

 

I haven't forgotten about checking that fuel gauge just super busy and away from home

 

Question on the needles that I noticed.

If you turn the needles clockwise to where they point straight down, would they stay in that position (straight down) after you carefully removed the needle?
I guess a better question is would the metal post, that the needle sits on, revert back to the resting position counter-clockwise once the needle is removed? Or would it potentially stay in that rested 'straight down' position?
Does the needle weight keep it pointing down?

I don't have the cojones to try it, but I really have no use to do it just yet. Just a thought.

 

No you can't rely on that. Besides the point, it's impossible to make them point straight down, there's pegs to stop the needle from wrapping around, look closely you'll see em.

In either case, even if you could do that, and somehow keep the needle post in the exact position it was (won't happen) You'd still be out of calibration by the time you install the new needles. You must do the calibration to remove the needles.

The fuel gauge is the only one that you could mark where it is. Also could do the temp gauge but you have to be able to monitor actual engine temp with an OBD2 scanner before and after to ensure you put it back in the same location

 

Ok, the answer is no. They're close in size but different. Also the mount is completely different.

 

Thats poopy! Thanks for the update.

 

so here is my update, stock bulb and warm white LEDs... Both taken with my phone..no mod at all..


stock




upgraded..

 

 

Big improvement. Good pictures, too. I swear, it looks like the hot-spotting is less obvious with the warm-white.

You're less than a month away from the 100,000 mile club.

 

Just an FYI, the bulbs that come with the base are FTL compared to the ones mentioned in the first post of this thread.

 

Yeah the hot-spotting is definitely less.
I`m almost there~~

 

How do I disconnect those wiring harnesses from the cluster?? I don't know if im missing something easy here but its a PITA.

 

They are a bit tight to squeeze but you do have to press in a small button as you pull it out. You might grab a flathead screwdriver and gently press it in (don't pry and snap it).

 

+1 on the flathead screwdriver. I pressed in the button on the wire harness while gently pulling downward on the cluster.

 

okay thanks ill try that

 

TunerMaxima3000, I have a 2001 Nissan Maxima SE...exactly what type & how many bulbs did you replace in your 2001 Maxima. The left side of my cluster has quit so I think it is time for an upgrade. I actually was going to purchase a 2001 I30 cluster but heard it will not work. So the bulbs will have to do!!! Thank you

 

4 of the HPx3 bulbs that are listed throughout this thread will work for you. You have the option of getting blue ones on your SE, they'll work well, I just installed some to replace my crappy ebay ones, I was VERY impressed with the uniform brightness. I do have other stuff done to my gauges though. NOTE: if you do choose blue, you will 'lose' your redzone, ie. it won't illuminate the same.

Here's a pic of the current set up, I need to get in there and light up the red-zone again.



NOTE- YOU WILL NOT GET THIS SAME EFFECT FROM THE HPx3 DROP IN, I have other LED's in there under the needles. But the numbers will be similar, just a bit more hotspotted.

 

My gauges are white...to get the blue look do I still go blue bulbs? Would it be better to go warm white with the white face gauges or will it not matter?

 

You mean the numbers or the gauge face? If you have the white faced SE gauges from the 2000/2001 then you can go with blue no problem. Actually any year should be good with the blue, but the 2000/2001 will come out a bit better due to the gauge design. What is the production date of your car?

 

The production date is Feb. of 2001. The gauge face plate is white. I have a shop manual that states the gauge bulbs are rated @ 14 V & 3 Watts. The lower mileage & shift bulbs are rated @ 14V & 1.4 watts. I plan on calling Superbrightleds.com tomorrow. Should I get 4 of the xhp3's in blue? Currently, I have no left side except the mileage kicks on...sometimes. What will the needles look like if I use the blue?
PS-Do I really need to disconnect/remove the steering column to get at the instrument panel? If I can remove it without disturbing airbag or steering wheel...I would prefer that. Thank you for all your help...It is very helpful

 

You will only have to remove the plastic cover that goes around the steering column, nothing airbag or wheel related. Then you pop a few pieces of plastic off and a screw here and there and the cluster is suddenly in your hands. When i did it, I was like "wow that was all it took?"

 

You want:

2- Blue HPx3
1- Warm or Cool White HPx3

Your gauge cluster has the same face (cover) as all 2000/2001, but the actual gauges and setup behind it are the 'new' style, which is the 2002/2003 style with only 2 main illumination bulbs.

This means you want 2 blue bulbs for the gauge faces, and 1 White for the LCD screen.

I will warn you that the blue will not look as good on your gauge style, but it should still work. If it were me, I'd order 3 Cool white and 2 blue, that way if the blues don't work you can use the cool whites. The added $6 or whatever is well worth it.

And if the blues work, you can use the cool whites for the ashtray, key ring, or the glovebox they're all the same size.

Correct, in actual fact you don't HAVE to remove the trim around the steering column, it's just easier to remove the trim around the gauges if you have it out of the way.

 

Thank you! I will order the extra bulbs just in case i dont like the blue. I was going to try & remove the cluster without disturbing the steering column...It will be easier to just unclip the mirror, dimmer and tcs harnesses to get at the cluster. Thank you so much for the help!

Led's ordered! Will I have to re-calibrate the needles if I remove the cluster from the vehicle?

 

Do the gauge needles need to be re-calibrated with panel removal?

 

^^ no they do not as you will not/should not be removing the needles.

 

Put bulbs in today...daytime of course...tough to see but I put one blue and one cool white in and I like the blue better. I will wait for final judgement later in the evening. Blue looked more crisp than the cool white during the day but at night is what counts. All posts & replies have been very helpful and everything went very quickly. looks like i will be making more lighting changes very soon! Thank you to all that had a hand in this LED mod!
ps-Just replaced the Bose sub on the parcel shelf using the Bose amp. I love it as I still have the space in the trunk but a much better sub that doesn't rattle/pop like a piece of junk!

 

I just replaced my bulbs with blue LED's. I must say it looks way better and much much brighter! I used #74 led's, they fit right in. Very easy!!

 

I got my bulbs in my 02 in over the weekend and it makes a HUGE difference. I bought the bulbs back in May and waited until now because it's been way too hot.

I did have some issues (mostly due to me being a big guy trying to work in an enclosed space) and want to offer some suggestions.

First, getting the steering column cover off. No rocket science here. Just 3 screws on the bottom and a little squeezing to get the top cover off. It has a few spots that hold it together without the screws. Remember to snap it together before trying to put the screws back in when you're done.

Now the cluster cover/dash piece. Remove the 2 screws at the top. Now there are 2 spring loaded snap pieces on the bottom right and left of the piece. I pulled it straight back like the guide said but one of my clips managed to pop off and fall down in the dash somewhere. After this, I had hell getting the electrical connectors loose on the left side of the piece. Does anyone have any pointers of photos as to where to push to get them apart? Anyway, I ended up disconnecting the accordion tube and the electrical connector from the right side and leaving the 2 wires on the left side connected. I just let this piece hang from the left side of the steering wheel while I worked on the instrument cluster.

3 screws hold the instrument cluster in. I was able to get it out and flip it upside down to work on it without disconnecting the wiring. I did most of this work on the right side of the steering wheel. Don't work over the steering wheel because if you drop a bulb and base in there, like I did, it's hell to fish it out. The bases take about a quarter turn to back out then then they should come straight out of the PC board they are in. I rocked the old bulbs in the long direction of the base and they all came out easily without breaking. Putting the LED bulb in was a trial and error situation. Most only required flipping the LED around in the base and putting it back in. I had one give me some trouble but I eventually got everything correct. It's nice having everything connected so you can check it quickly by turning on the lights. One bulb was loose in the base and I had to use a small screwdriver to adjust the contacts to give it a little more squeeze.

It took me a little longer than expected, mostly due to trying to get the electrical connectors on the left side disconnected and being scared to pull too hard on the accordion tube but I got it done. I hope this helps.

 

They are a little tight the first time around. Leaving one half connected is a good way to go, but I would suggest leaving the RIGHT side connected, it's easier that way.
The accordian tube and plug are a pita to reconnect, especially if you have big fingers.

To re-itterate, it's easier to just turn the whole base assembly, you don't need to remove the LED.


Congrats! post pics as well man, nice to hear it worked out for you.

 

This is great, but why is it blue-ish? I only used white LEDs?

 

^Cool white will give you a blue-ish hue.

Warm white is a little dimmer, but will be white/stock colour.

 

Oh ok thanks. I think I'm gonna stick with this

 

Did the switch last week to cool white LED's from superbrightleds.com. Ran into a problem on the left side of the dash. After screwing with the LED's for a few, I determined that the bulb sockets were damaged when I finally saw where there my have been some melting of the plastic. I'm going to have to get replacements through my dealer since the last time I checked, Pull-a-parts in the area don't have 5th gen, plus I wouldn't go through that trouble for two wedge bulb sockets.

The only interior lights left to change to LED are the map light, ash tray and glove box. I did the key light too. Anyone know what the LED equivalent is for the map light?

This thread was extremely helpful. Thanks to all contributors.

 

Your map light uses a bayonet bulb design. Search "bayonet led" on ebay, or wherever you're buying your bulbs.

Also, unless the bulb you get supports polarity in either direction, you may have to snip the wires going to your map light and swap them. Not a big deal at all... snip snip crimp crimp / done

 

If you need to buy parts, might as well get a discount. See this post http://forums.maxima.org/8272195-post22.html

 

I can hook you up with the one for the Map light. PM me.

As Rochester said, some you can't reverse the polarity, and most aren't very high quality off ebay. You could buy it from Superbright but they're not cheap, and you'd have to cut wires to swap polarity because the ones they have aren't reversable.

As I said, PM me, or "Tyutyunnik", we both sell the same products.

 

Is there an LED solution for the climate control, clock and radio lights?

 

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