Installed new Dobinsons front adjustable panhard bar
What Did You Do with Your 80 This Weekend? (103 Viewers)
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thatcabledude
GOLD Star
Water, water, and more water... You stay well hydrated!!
I couldn't wait until the weekend; I fixed my PIAA 520 yellow ion driving lights this afternoon.
My relay switch started going bad on me at least a year ago. Sometimes the lights would turn on as soon as I pressed the button. Sometimes they would come on after a few minutes. Sometimes I would have to stop, open the hood, and tap the relay switch box. Sometimes none of that worked and they never came on. And then, sometime within the last 12 months, one of the bulbs burned out too.
El Guapo hasn't been my DD for nearly seven months now, but after two camping/riding trips without the extra lumination, I ordered two bulbs and a new relay switch (factory replacement parts) from Walmart.com. I received them in three days.
The relay switch replacement was REALLY easy: unplug the old one; plug in the new one. The bulb replacement would have been pretty easy too, if I had read the manual first. Instead I removed the screws, and when I did that, the "nuts" (see red circle) fell out. I ended up holding them back in place with thin strips of gorilla tape (after trying sticky putty and gorilla glue) while I reassembled the light and then put the screws back in.
My relay switch started going bad on me at least a year ago. Sometimes the lights would turn on as soon as I pressed the button. Sometimes they would come on after a few minutes. Sometimes I would have to stop, open the hood, and tap the relay switch box. Sometimes none of that worked and they never came on. And then, sometime within the last 12 months, one of the bulbs burned out too.
El Guapo hasn't been my DD for nearly seven months now, but after two camping/riding trips without the extra lumination, I ordered two bulbs and a new relay switch (factory replacement parts) from Walmart.com. I received them in three days.
The relay switch replacement was REALLY easy: unplug the old one; plug in the new one. The bulb replacement would have been pretty easy too, if I had read the manual first. Instead I removed the screws, and when I did that, the "nuts" (see red circle) fell out. I ended up holding them back in place with thin strips of gorilla tape (after trying sticky putty and gorilla glue) while I reassembled the light and then put the screws back in.
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GOODNESS, I was wondering why fan was not working very good....had a critter in the cruiser just long enough to start building a nest....snapped him and trashed him 
Put white LED back-lighting in the instrument cluster. MUCH better than the fading green on my 21 yr. old Cruiser.
My old eyes can actually see the gauges now.
My old eyes can actually see the gauges now.
COYS
SILVER Star
80hp+
If you only need to replace the four main back-lights (gauges) then you can just pull the cluster away from the dash a bit and reach back behind it to remove the bulbs and their bases. Most LED's are polarity sensitive (some are not), so IF you happen to not have one light up, just pull the base flip the LED around and it should light up.
IF you need to replace any of the smaller bulbs (PRND2L....etc) then you'll need to pull the cluster all the way out.
The lousy cell phone pics (ancient Iphone4) don't do it justice. The light is just right, nice and bright but not overpowering. Gauges are very crisp looking now (despite my poor pics). Looks like the dash in my LX470.
How do they respond to the dimmer?
No issues. Work just like the OEM bulbs. We will see how long they last . I've read of accounts where some LED's did not last very long...or started 'flickering'. That would be my only concern.
Buy good quality LED's if you choose to do the swap. I will report any problems I have with mine. Removing the gauge cluster (I took mine completely out) was not as difficult as I had expected. It's a tight fit getting it past the steering the wheel, but it will come out as one piece.
I replaced my 'D' (drive) bulb and PWR (power) bulbs as well. Good time to add diff lock bulbs if you ever plan to add lockers and use the OEM switch to activate.
I ended up with 2 different brands of LEDs in the Sequoia. Within 3 months all of one brand was flickering, the other going strong. Definitely a quality difference between different imports, but pricing is about equal.
Next time, just put your thumb or finger over the plate number.
Oh.......and over the bumper too, since I can read the plate number 8AGP780 in the reflection on the bumper.
I never understood why people cover up their plates, unless you advertise on the internet that you keep a treasure trove of guns, currency and gold bullion in the trunk. Everyone can tell when you park at the grocery store that its an M4 with some fancy parts on it. Whether they saw your license plate number on line wont make or break their decision to steal the car 
I never understood why people cover up their plates, unless you advertise on the internet that you keep a treasure trove of guns, currency and gold bullion in the trunk. Everyone can tell when you park at the grocery store that its an M4 with some fancy parts on it. Whether they saw your license plate number on line wont make or break their decision to steal the car
This 100x, the idiots selling their car/truck with thier finger in the photo over the plate gets me everytime. Not sure what people think they are protecting when your tag is seen by thousands of people on any given day that you leave your garage.
This 100x, the idiots selling their car/truck with thier finger in the photo over the plate gets me everytime. Not sure what people think they are protecting when your tag is seen by thousands of people on any given day that you leave your garage.
^^^^^^
It's not about having your car stolen (though that is a possibility). It's about preserving general 'Anonymity' on the internet. A good practice if you are smart.
But...what do we 'idiots' know.
I think anonymity online is a falsehood. When you're selling your $2000 $hitbox tercel on craigslist with your email, phone number, and address but cover your plate with your finger, i think the term idiot fits. Everyone's info is out there, if you have any form of credit it's likely its been leaked and/or hacked in the past few years.
^^^^^ Contact Information is something quite different than advertising/revealing items you might have of substantial value and then providing a means of locating it (I.E. license plate number). I'll not argue that while driving among the general public..anyone could record your plate number and perhaps run it down, or simply follow you home, but there is no sense providing that information to Lord knows who on the internet.
It's just good practice to do what you can to safeguard against things like that. Doesn't take a lot of time or effort. You run the risk of being a labeled an 'idiot' for doing so, but folks are entitled to their opinions.
With regards to Craigslist, IMO that is poor venue in which to sell certain items. But even so...you can limit the methods of contact you provide. Unless you're idiot....of course.
Try looking up someone by their license plate. Pretty tough to do unless you're LEO.
Installed my Baja rack and hit a Tacomaworld meet for a little wheeling. Also got new tires. Bridgestone Deuler AT Revo 3s.
