Hi,
I've only owned this car since yesterday (!), but quickly
found that
the dash lights did not work very well. The owner's
manual
was
useless, and I found an estimate from the dealer to the last
owner, in
the past receipts, for nearly $100 to change the
bulb(s), so
I
thought I'd see if I could find out how to do it online.
Now
I've
made it easy for the next person that needs to do this.
I have no idea if other models of Saturns are similar. See if your dashboard is laid out the same.
First, make sure the ignition is off. Some folks even recommend pulling the fuse to the airbag when working in this area. Up to you.
Lower the tilt wheel down all the way.
The panel beneath the steering wheel pulls out, just be gentle and steady, don't bend it up. It can stay hanging there by its lower connections.
Now you can unscrew the sheet metal type screws (4) holding the black plastic "shroud" thingy around the instrument cluster. Two are above and two are now visible since you pulled that lower panel off. These screws have a "torx" head, not a phillips.
Wiggle and finagle and lift that out.
You will see the 4 bolts at the 4 corners. They are easy to spot against the white plastic of the instrument cluster. Undo all 4, don't drop them into the black hole of darkness...
Now you just kind of gently wiggle and tug, it pulls out straight forward. You are pulling the plug when you do this, there are a bunch of little connector pins that go into a white socket that remains on the wall behind the instrument panel.
PULL IT STRAIGHT FORWARD. Then once it is loose, tip it to get it out.
This white connector was what you are pulling the instrument cluster out of:
The little light bulbs (lamps) in my case were blue plastic and NOT available at any of my local car parts stores. I'm ordering some off the Internet that look right, I'll update this page with more accurate info. But if all else fails, a dealer should have them. You take them out by turning them 90 degrees to counter clockwise.
The white plastic bulb down low is the one for the electronic odometer. I checked it with an ohm meter, and it was touchy getting it to re-connect when I put it back in. Four of the little blue based bulbs were out. How do you know? Use an ohm meter, or connect the two metal contacts to a 9 volt battery, or connect them to the clips of a car battery charger and see if they light up.
The white odometer bulb was different.
When you put the cluster back in, check that the lights are all working as soon as you plug it back in and before putting all the screws and hardware back. You might have to turn one or two a little to get them to light.
You can buy the replacement bulbs online, try the sources below. I used "miniature light bulbs 2752MF". I've found them at miniaturebulb.com, as well as bulbtown.com. Try one of the google ads too, the ads are supposed to be targeted to what you need.
I realize this is simple, it is aimed at folks like myself that just want to know what they are getting into.
Disclaimer: I'm not a mechanic, do this at your own risk.
Don
I have no idea if other models of Saturns are similar. See if your dashboard is laid out the same.
First, make sure the ignition is off. Some folks even recommend pulling the fuse to the airbag when working in this area. Up to you.
Lower the tilt wheel down all the way.
The panel beneath the steering wheel pulls out, just be gentle and steady, don't bend it up. It can stay hanging there by its lower connections.
Now you can unscrew the sheet metal type screws (4) holding the black plastic "shroud" thingy around the instrument cluster. Two are above and two are now visible since you pulled that lower panel off. These screws have a "torx" head, not a phillips.
Wiggle and finagle and lift that out.
You will see the 4 bolts at the 4 corners. They are easy to spot against the white plastic of the instrument cluster. Undo all 4, don't drop them into the black hole of darkness...
Now you just kind of gently wiggle and tug, it pulls out straight forward. You are pulling the plug when you do this, there are a bunch of little connector pins that go into a white socket that remains on the wall behind the instrument panel.
PULL IT STRAIGHT FORWARD. Then once it is loose, tip it to get it out.
This white connector was what you are pulling the instrument cluster out of:
The little light bulbs (lamps) in my case were blue plastic and NOT available at any of my local car parts stores. I'm ordering some off the Internet that look right, I'll update this page with more accurate info. But if all else fails, a dealer should have them. You take them out by turning them 90 degrees to counter clockwise.
The white plastic bulb down low is the one for the electronic odometer. I checked it with an ohm meter, and it was touchy getting it to re-connect when I put it back in. Four of the little blue based bulbs were out. How do you know? Use an ohm meter, or connect the two metal contacts to a 9 volt battery, or connect them to the clips of a car battery charger and see if they light up.
The white odometer bulb was different.
When you put the cluster back in, check that the lights are all working as soon as you plug it back in and before putting all the screws and hardware back. You might have to turn one or two a little to get them to light.
You can buy the replacement bulbs online, try the sources below. I used "miniature light bulbs 2752MF". I've found them at miniaturebulb.com, as well as bulbtown.com. Try one of the google ads too, the ads are supposed to be targeted to what you need.
I realize this is simple, it is aimed at folks like myself that just want to know what they are getting into.
Disclaimer: I'm not a mechanic, do this at your own risk.
Don