Montero Sport Compass, no illumination Options

[csyyap]

greetings again. my 1997 montero sport comes equipped with a 3 instrumentation cluster located on the top center of the dashboard. in between the battery and oil pressure gauges is a compass that usually illuminates when lights are engaged. unlike the two other gauges that use regular bulbs to illuminate them the compass appears to not have a traditional bulb. this is what was told to me by the car electrician. its not that i use this but it looks incomplete with two lit gauges on either side and the center blacked out. do i need to replace the whole compass? or did the electrician get it wrong and there exists a replaceable bulb somewhere inside? thanks

[Blackknight]

Interestingly I asked my mechanic about this same issue and he informed me that the board for the compass may need to be replaced. Mine does the same thing. They seem to last for a couple of years and then it fades. Replacing the board may be the way to go.

[Benckj]

I find this hard to believe. Even if the light is mounted off the board you can just replace with a new light rather than replace the whole board. Probably only a 10 c LED.

Jim

[Blackknight]

I find this hard to believe. Even if the light is mounted off the board you can just replace with a new light rather than replace the whole board. Probably only a 10 c LED.

Jim
[right][snapback]217144[/snapback][/right]

So you are saying as long as the bulb is replaced all should be well?

That would be interesting.

[Benckj]

More than likely as long as you don't have another problem like corrosion on the board or a bad power supply. I have not had one apart myself but have worked on similiar things before. My vehicle has the MMCS system so compass, etc is on a digital touch screen.

Jim

[Blackknight]

from what the mechanic said the board 'goes', maybe he meant corrodes ( especially in our kind of weather in the caribbean). I would love to see mine illuminate in the day, cuz I cannot see squat.....lol.

[Benckj]

It may be corroded but I would pull it first and assess the damage. Wouldn't be hard to retrofit a new light off the existing supply. If there is some corrosion is probably due to the capacitors rather than your weather which tend to leak once they hit the 10yr mark. They only cost about 20 cents each and very easy to replace. ECU's have a similiar problem especially with pre-95 models.

Jim

[csyyap]

based on both your replies i will try again to talk to the mechanic. i can see my LCD compass clearly in the daytime as it still functions well, its when i drive at night that i get bothered by the lack of illumination. thanks.

[Blackknight]

from what the mechanic said the board 'goes', maybe he meant corrodes ( especially in our kind of weather in the caribbean). I would love to see mine illuminate in the day, cuz I cannot see squat.....lol.
[right][snapback]217648[/snapback][/right]

You know I actually meant 'Night'? lol.

[jochy]

Come on people!!! Take your time and think for a few seconds. :grouphug:
If you take your time to open the gauge pod you will see 2 bulbs. One in the right side and another in the left side. Just turn it counterclockwise and you will see that the bulb will pop-out magically. This procedure takes maybe 10 to 15 min :banana:

How you guys think that this Japanese people think like USA Auto Market? Japanese built and manufacture cars to last, Americans built cars for a life span of 5 years, then throw it to the junker. :bwekk:
I can't believe people think that a gauge module of $300- $700 have to be thrown to the trash after bulb is blown out...LOL :amen:

So enjoy :beer:

[Benckj]

Come on people!!! Take your time and think for a few seconds.

From my understanding this was the first thing checked. It has also been described as the light fading rather than a bulb going out which is apparently a common fault with these units. If the board cannot supply power replacing the bulbs will not fix the problem.

Jim

[Blackknight]

I just checked another Mitsubishi site and the same thread was posted with the 'Do it Yourself' techniques to replace the bulbs. Is it allowed on this forum to post a link to another Mitsubishi site?

Tomorrow Godwilling, my 3.5 will be returning from the garage. Its already on my 'To do' list.

[Benckj]

Is it allowed on this forum to post a link to another Mitsubishi site?

No problem as long as its not a malinious or rude site.

I don't think we have a monopoly with info so I always feel its best if we use whatever means avaialble to help us out. I've even pinned some threads which have reference to other sites.

Jim

[Blackknight]

Okay, here is it.

http://www.pocuk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?...t=compass+bulbs

[csyyap]

the mechanic did say the 3 gauge cluster was housed in a sealed type plastic frame with only two available bulb sockets. both these bulbs were working so the battery and oil pressure gauge were illuminated. the illumination does not spread into the middle area where the compass is located, neither is there any kind of opening for anything in the compass gauge area.

[Blackknight]

You know I actually meant 'Night'? lol.

Just an update on the compass issue. I was able to replace the two bulbs for my compass. The compass is now working but ts not as clear in the day as it is in the night. This may be because the bulbs wee taken from a Misubishi Saparro. So I went online and checked on the part number for the bulb replacement for my compass. I think the part number is MR 227101. Maybe the saparro's bulbs have a lower wattage than the pajero/montero. At night its clear and legible.