LEDs in GM gauge cluster, Chevy trailblazer(High detail)!

[@chrisnshoe]

Great video man. I've been thinking about doing this to mine for a while now.

[@RydogsGarage]

thanks!

[@flyurway]

I just found a shipload of 12V LED's on eBay, both bulb and the flat disc styles are available in a slew of colors with resistors built in, save you all that hassle and mess of adding resistors. I just got some in blue and did my heater quadrant (flat style) and they worked well. When you're figuring out polarity I found that once you identified one, once you get all the bulbs off you can use an ohm meter to find the rest, all the grounds will be common.

[@Sixfoot8m]

You got mad skills kid awesome work.

[@jamesshaughnessy3472]

great video thanks i have a 08 trailblazer. and was trying todo the led dash

[@RydogsGarage]

James Shaughnessy just take your time and it will go smooth! you should be able to use my marks i made for which is positive in the video. so you don't habe to go back to the truck to check positive and negative. and order a few extra leds never know if/when you mess up

[@iamSelfSufficient]

Great video bro super informative thanks!

[@graysonkabir8970]

you prolly dont care but if you're bored like me atm then you can stream pretty much all of the latest movies and series on InstaFlixxer. Been binge watching with my girlfriend for the last few days =)

[@dallasmayson4342]

@Grayson Kabir definitely, have been using InstaFlixxer for years myself =)

[@seanplayspearlexr]

tackling this soon thanks for a great video man!

[@RydogsGarage]

no problem!! thanks for the kind words!

[@struble571]

Great. Thanks. Looking forward to working on it. Great video, by the way.

[@anonymoususer4356]

Nice work!

[@redmustang1995]

Nice radio!!

[@CheapskateGarage]

I did the same thing in a Silverado a few years ago. I had good luck getting rid of the hot-spotting (like you had on the 70 mark) by thoroughly hitting the LEDs with some 80 grit sandpaper.

[@RydogsGarage]

interesting! May have to give that a try on my next project! few months and almost 4k miles later after I did this, it's still perfect!

[@CheapskateGarage]

+rydog12100 Yeah, if the current is set right, the LEDs will outlast the truck. I've had the ones in the Silverado for about 3 years I think. I originally had to open it up so I could resolder the SMD resistors for the PRNDL display, and figured I'd improve the lighting while I was in there. I just picked up a Trailblazer, and it has the same uneven lighting. :(

[@RydogsGarage]

+pvfjr yeah they will outlast the truck! I have to redo the smd resistors on my dads sierra too, hahaha they all have it

[@marinrecordz24]

what size are those light bulbs bro? good information by the way

[@jameslucas6589]

Kinda great video. But your camera movement nearly made me toss. I hope you can slow down a bit next time or smooth out the jerky camera footage. Otherwise a very informative video. I am familiar with LEDs and voltages and polarity. Not sure what you used for a dropping resistor. Battery is around 13-13.5 volts dropped to 3-5dc max. Also, what about finding the cluster lighting circuit in the main. Add a pigtail to the circuit and install a power resistor? 5w should be more than adequate. The you could eliminate all the 1/2 w resistors.

[@joseortega1114]

Please send me the link for those LEDS bulbs please so I can order them as well my dad is a 2003 chevy trailblazer LT

[@RydogsGarage]

jose ortega they don’t sell these same leds anymore. you can find them on ebay if you type in 12v GM blue Dash LEDs

[@rogerm6069]

How do you install a check engine light. Someone remove mine and now it won’t pass state inspection?

[@KimberlyCaresForU]

QUESTION: I replaced all my bulbs with led bulbs that i had to solder to my cluster .. When I reconnected only one led signal light was working.. I tested all my led bulbs prior with my multi meter and they all worked... . My led bulbs did not have a resistor on them.. None of my other lights are showing nor are the needles moving .... ALL of my gauges worked and my cluster was lite prior to my modification ....

[@user-qn7wd1zs9f]

Hi guys ! I'm from Russia, we have a Chevy trailblazer is a very popular model. I got it, too. Want someone to chat on General topics. Only prices for parts we have a large.

[@cpufreak101]

Trailvoy Forums is a good place to go for information.

[@machocrx]

Hello and thank you for video , What led you purchase can you share a link.

[@tonycooper846]

HELP PLEASE I’m new to this changing bulbs, I took off the bulbs before I new which were the positive and negative, I do have the resistor on my lights, so I do I find where they go, I know I should have looked here first, I’m a Rookie TIA

[@lavacomplete6510]

Hello, are the turn signal bulbs the same as the back lighting bulbs

[@lilsolo68]

Hello. I've removed the and function on my envoy and now I need to remove the warning lights on the dash. Can I get to those bulbs using this same method?

[@stabill1]

very informative and thank you the only question is where can I buy the led with the resistors on them already?

[@RydogsGarage]

stabill1 i got them off ebay, but i now do all my led conversions with SMD LEDs they are a lot brighter and work out better in this occasion i will post a link

[@RydogsGarage]

stabill1 www.ebay.com/itm/112076311380 they are like this, 3 led diodes and a built in resistor, easier to get closer to the board so you get a more spread out light, i have re done my cluster 3 times from this video to find the best setup and this is what i like to use now

[@602Pinstriping]

stabill1 the only down s9de to using LED with resistors is HOT SPOTS

[@reivaxcruz8324]

What LED they use .. the T3 or T4.2?? I have 2006 Trail blazer i need to do that to mine

[@kooldesign4u]

I know this is old but where did you get those bulbs. I can’t find the ones with the resistors on them. Just ones without. Can those be used or are the ones with resistors better?

[@RydogsGarage]

Regena Rodriguez i use the SMD style now, they are flat and circular and have 3 led diodes on them, they have a built in resistor on them. just search in ebay, Blue SMD LED GM cluster or somthing like that

[@djnemesis82pluss1877]

Maybe after figuring out the negative and positive of one light u could do a continuity test to the others

[@RydogsGarage]

RobesEleven i have a new way to check the led it's self. i just have a 9v handy and tap it to see when it lights up. but i wonder if you could continuity test the board it's self.... interesting theory. i didn't think about that. work way better than testing it back in the car. but all trailblazers are the same board. i have pictures of the markings i made and have done 3 more clusters for friends and they all work great. will be re doing mine so to try something new.

[@djnemesis82pluss1877]

+Rydog's Garage I would think all the grounds would have continuity

[@dennissherman863]

awesome do u have a map which is positive?

[@RobPGamerVaper]

I am curious if you screw up the position on the motor when taking the needles off how do you get them set back in the proper position? Because I took apart my spare cluster to experiment and the needles moved

[@RydogsGarage]

what i always did was lightly turn them far left as you can. and it will stop. don’t push them hard. to hard and it will turn needle on the motor shaft. then sweep right and sweep back left again. mark that spot with your tape and marker. and then bring the needle to middle. remove needle. then on assembly. press needle back on and then sweep left and right and make sure it lines up with your mark. if it dosent you can give it a little presure and turn the needle on the motor shaft. and then always sweep left and right after you turn it. to see if it lines up with your marks. best i can explain over text lol.

[@joseortega1114]

Where did you buy that LED dash light bulbs at

[@slowrook]

how many watts each bulb can install please?

[@bta502]

Random question, but did you buy the $100+ wiring harness to connect your stereo?

[@RydogsGarage]

richandwealthy502 yes I have a video on it, I have Bose so I had to buy the $100 harness for the radio

[@juiced71]

looks awesome! can they be dimmed ?

[@RydogsGarage]

juiced71 yes sir all works normal. and sense this video i have re done it with even brighter leds and did everytbing g else in the car too

[@juiced71]

Rydog's Garage oh really what type of led did you use ? I looked at the 3 led or what you said in vid I have an 08 Tb Ss it would look sweet for sure I did my mirrors guy on Tb site has a sweet setup 15 or led lights in front I have red and for on coming cars see the yellow when I turn I will see if I can link my instagram vid here for you to peek at you will dig it just as much as I dig these dash lights lol

[@RydogsGarage]

juiced71 ryan_base2srt4 is my instagram add me there and i can show what it looks like now

[@juiced71]

Rydog's Garage instagram.com/p/BkcpRI1F6MJi6IRI7bLM19EdFQ2rGPnvqLj5xw0/ Guy from Texas sells these 👍🏻

[@juiced71]

will do ryan

[@whitestonechris]

So I recently did the swap, including green leds for the turn signals. Unfortunately, they stay on constantly and just blink brighter when I push the turn signal lever. Any advice on how to correct that?

[@RydogsGarage]

Chris Kekovski just the turn signal ones do it? possibly the wrong resistor.?

[@meanf1502]

on my 06 ls trailblazer was socket style what yr was yours again an what leds are better now

[@RydogsGarage]

Super Chevy mine is a 2009. and i use the smd style leds now

[@meanf1502]

Rydog's Garage are them a lot better an they must have switch them in 07 I think to your style

[@RydogsGarage]

Super Chevy as far as i know the dash is the same, i have done a few 05 clusters and a 06 ss cluster and it's been the same board and everything. has the yellow normal stock bulbs. and i romove them and solder in the leds

[@meanf1502]

Rydog's Garage I don't think I had to solder mine in its been yes since I did mine have you ever done the climate control ones yet mine left side is out them are stock

[@RydogsGarage]

yes i have converted everything in my truck climate can be done, it is a pain tho have to be very careful taking it apart. the slider knobs are hard to get off without damaging the board

[@1ohmwrecker]

So does the dimmer still work?

[@g8orfan152]

I know this is old but if I ship my cluster top you can you do mine?

[@gmv198558]

Dam bro great job I would love to rock those but dam solder why can't they just plug in

[@RydogsGarage]

G Money ikr i wish they plugged in too so much easier that way

[@gmv198558]

Dam i ordered the bulbs on Amazon and I no I'm going to be shitting a brick putting them in

[@rafaelmanuel9522]

what kind of solder wire you used?

[@carloscera2725]

Do you Know what normal lightbulb it uses? My Rpm is dark and some of the miles, gas and the other 3 are fine, its the left side of the dashboard that's dark

[@RydogsGarage]

Juan Cera I'm not sure of the exact part but if you search the Internet for gm guage cluster light bulb everyone sells them, If your going to do this project I would highly highly recommend going to LEDs becuase they will outlast the truck if done properly... the stock bulb will burn out again

[@krazzyEyes56]

Will the led lights dim

[@jonathancastro7077]

Hi I wanted to know where you got the blue lights from I been looking for the. Same exact ones you have? Can you help me please

[@RydogsGarage]

Jonathan Castro i buy the Leds on ebay. just search SMD Led GM cluster.

[@marlondowell8570]

Bro thank you!!!

[@prisonmike7550]

Which LED's did you buy and where did you purchase them from? Looking to do mine sometime in the near future and want to buy a reliable product. Thanks for the info.

[@RydogsGarage]

I bought them on eBay, they are 12v lets with the correct resistor soldered to them, I was going to order more a week ago and I cannot find the seller so not sure if they are still available...

[@RydogsGarage]

+rydog12100 they are 12v LEDs with correct resistors*****

[@alexrubio5031]

What iff i dont use resistor ?

[@wild8757]

My LED bulbs don’t have the little resistor on the positive, just two straight wires and the long wire is the positive, what is the benefit of having the little resistor on the positive wire?

[@caddyguy5369]

So you don't kill the LED with 12V. Generally Red requires around 2.2v Blue, white and green usually require 3.2v. Value of resistor depends on color used and how they are wired. You can put 3 LEDs in series and use a lower value resistor. You could also use a larger value resistor per individual LED instead. Math.

[@wild8757]

@@caddyguy5369 I did all mine in blue, the whole cluster, four-wheel-drive switch, rear wiper switch, climate control, memory seat buttons, Bose stereo and CD player, power windows and locks on all four doors, heated seat switches, climate control in the rear center console and the OnStar garage door opener three buttons on center headliner, all of mine just had one longer L+ shaped lead and one shorter L-shaped lead, been that way for two years now and everything is still lit, soldered them all in, looks awesome.

[@caddyguy5369]

@@wild8757 Nice. What vehicle? I'm working on RGBW in a 2000 Bonneville. Setting it up so the factory dimmer switch still works without messing up the color mix. I picked a really hard vehicle to do it in though because all the buttons are molded translucent red so I'm going to have to make all new buttons from scratch.

[@wild8757]

@@caddyguy5369 yeah that sucks that the buttons are already tinted over red, I have a 2006 Chevy Trailblazer LT with 83,000 miles on it, I’m the original owner, my dimmer switch dims all the LEDs on the dashboard just like it did before I put the LEDs in

[@caddyguy5369]

@@wild8757 Nice. I have a 2019 equinox I'm tempted to do because everything is white already so RGB wouldn't require Modding buttons. Need to get the electronics sorted first though. Then it will be pretty trivial to do more of my cars. Super anxious to be able to cycle through colors the first time. I was just going to do a single color change, but couldn't make up my mind what color i wanted, so as usually i have to punish myself and make it overcomplicated. :-) Also going to put in a second zone of RGB+CCW for dome lights.

[@jaretsrodriguez5218]

What resistor you using?

[@brut3k1tsexploits26]

Can i do this on a 02 chevy tahoe?

[@kooldesign4u]

I changed all my led. They all work except when i plugged it back in the part for the speedometer started smoking. I never went near there any clue. ?

[@caserolo8177]

My left signal ligth stop working and i never touch that bulb

[@ka2lal]

they make colored bulbs so you just replace them

[@jackarmando]

what happens when you dim the lights? will they like glitch and flicker ?

[@RydogsGarage]

nope mine worked as should. but only to a certain point then

[@jackarmando]

@@RydogsGarage oh wow did not think you would answer it, haha but thanks man!

[@RydogsGarage]

@@jackarmando no prob and apparently i never finished the sentence lol. anyways they only dim so much then turn off. but they dimmed dark enough. but changing color was best thing i did. blue works the best.

[@jackarmando]

@@RydogsGarage yea i have blazer from 2002 and its like safari light gold color, im gonna paint it white and would like to match the outside color so white. Haha but i had blue onces and is also very nice

[@toddhaines7956]

Forget messing with LED's that need a resistor! Get the 12 volt LED cubes that the resistor is built in. They last for years unlike the junk sold on Amazon. www.ebay.com/str/gmgaugerepair/2003-2006-Gauge-LEDs-GM/_i.html?_storecat=23700036017

[@Jcw-gj7br]

Where can I get the leds for my trailblazer?

[@MrCarmineleon]

Joseph Wigfield amazon

[@Jcw-gj7br]

carmine leon thanks, I found them and got them. Now just need time to tale truck apart and learn to solder them in

[@tumjee20008]

what is the value of resistance?

[@fredys4563]

What soldering iron did you recommend?

[@Bige4u]

Very nice by far if you're already familiar with soldering, and always use 60(tin)/40(lead) electronics solder... www.amazon.com/UY-CHAN-Programmable-Pocket-size-Soldering/dp/B07SQDZ9SV/ref=pd_sbs_469_8?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07SQDZ9SV&pd_rd_r=f4ad5354-ef0d-472e-a09e-db01f17b3c54&pd_rd_w=w7T3p&pd_rd_wg=XiPY4&pf_rd_p=7cd8f929-4345-4bf2-a554-7d7588b3dd5f&pf_rd_r=0NP56MVWF1YKVW46JPK4&psc=1&refRID=0NP56MVWF1YKVW46JPK4

[@Truckingforlife323]

do you know which resistors can be used to do that mod? thanks bro

[@RydogsGarage]

+Alex Reyes i believe they where 420ohm for the blue leds if i remember correctly

[@flyurway]

With blue you'll use 470 ohm for 12V. You can buy 12V ready LED's (resistor built in) on eBay.

[@WFMGINC]

How do you get rid of that ugly analog mileage color and change it to LED?

[@RydogsGarage]

I have no clue how to do it everything in my car is blue LEDs except for that mileage reading it is still the ugly green

[@WFMGINC]

www.coloredfilms.com/film-samples.aspx just learned you can guy filters to change the ugly green out for around $2

[@perrybimbo7790]

Why didn't you just swap a V8

[@RydogsGarage]

Perry Bimbo what do you mean?

[@kamil9171]

BUT U DIDN'T EVEN SHOW HOW U SOLDERED

[@KirbyLouis]

lost me at soldering. id rather buy one for 200$

[@stevestevenson289]

Gdamn this is complicated....

[@josephfernandez9697]

I need a phone number or web I D for replace L E D

[@Wittsity]

This is kinda dumb why connect it to the car to test the lights and che k for polarity best to just use a 9v battery and wires to test the lights lol use ur head and common sense

[@KimberlyCaresForU]

QUESTION: I replaced all my bulbs with led bulbs that i had to solder to my cluster .. None of my new led blubs had an resistor on them... When I reconnected my cluster in my truck only one signal light was working.. I tested all my led bulbs prior with my multi meter and they all worked... .. None of my other lights are showing nor are the needles moving .... ALL of my gauges worked and my cluster was lite prior to my modification ....

[@RydogsGarage]

Klove The Lou unless you bought SMD Leds that have a built in resistor, you are suppost to use a resistor on each led. like i have in the video. in order for the leds to light and not short out. but that’s a seperate issue from the rest of the cluster not functioning, there could be a wiring issue with the harness if you were not careful, or possible solder splater got somewhere where it’s not suppost to be and shorted the board. it’s hard to say not having the board infront of me but your going to have to go over every connection on board. and make sure it’s good and not burnt.

[@KimberlyCaresForU]

Rydog's Garage LED LIGHTS: Yeah the ones I ordered were just straight line led bulbs with no resistors . SOLDER: My soldering job was actually pretty flawless with slight touch to 2 of the stepper motors.. slight touch... HARNESS: Took my time with the entire process and when I disconnected it and reconnected it I felt as though I was very careful with it..lol.. STARTING OVER: Yeah I am.going to look at everything again because clearly either without the resistors the bulbs blew out all but 1 or they shorted the entire board out.... Its a serious mystery.

[@RydogsGarage]

Klove The Lou i’ve noticed the boards will act really wierd if you have shorted out leds in them becuase i believe that the power gets transferred through everything, i have yet to look at schematics

[@KimberlyCaresForU]

Rydog's Garage Oh ok..Yeah. I feel like a mad scientist because I took my time and removed each individual old bulb and solder the new LED bulbs one at a time also.. Again the left signal light works no problem. My fuse for the cluster works no problem.. THE PROBLEM: Needles not moving and no other led lights are showing when I connect it to the stable harness in my truck... ...

[@joeburttschell1286]

@@KimberlyCaresForU long story short send your cluster to a company that has life time guarantee. It takes 1 week and you can still drive your truck. I went through the very same thing