Changing gauge cluster light bulbs - How To

I read the thread...but maybe missed it.

I see no mention of the wattage spec of the bulbs used. You have to know that.

That style of bulb comes in at least 18W, 12W, 3.7W and 2.7W. THOSE figures are dependent on the voltage listed...which varies from 12.8-14V. The color (K number) will also vary between bulbs.

It's a mess is what I'm sayin'.

A 158 is the most common bulb I see used in bulb listings by Classic. That number in a Sylvania brand is listed as a 3.3W at 14V. The Big River has 'em in a pack of 10 for $8.

I read this on Moparts: 158 is a 3.36 watt lamp. 168 is a 4.9 watt lamp. 194 is a 3.8 watt lamp.

I do NOT know the voltage spec at which the listed wattages were figured. If not the same voltage...the numbers don't mean anything.

Changing from a 158 to a 168 isn't going to hurt anything. The 168 will be noticeably brighter than the 158. The much brighter bulbs (higher wattage)? Not a good idea. They put out enough heat to melt/frazzle/puddle plastic.

There is a possibility that the bulbs in your dash were replaced with the wrong wattage bulb(s). Also, my personal experience has taught me to buy Sylvania over some other no-name replacement. That's old experience...maybe Sylvania's bulbs are now no better than whatever-else no-name brand.

The Sylvania's mentioned above (Big River) do have a filament support between the filament holder wands. More support is better than less when it comes to incandescent bulb filament support.



Good luck!