ambient temperature gauge illumination

The bulb that illuminates the ambient temperature gauge in my 240 burned
out a little while ago. As I recall, the bulb is a bit unusual with an
odd sized bayonet base unlike any of the others used in the car. Anyone
know where to find one of these? I suppose I could modify the socket to
use a more standard bulb but I'd prefer to just find one.

James Sweet wrote:
> The bulb that illuminates the ambient temperature gauge in my 240 burned
> out a little while ago. As I recall, the bulb is a bit unusual with an
> odd sized bayonet base unlike any of the others used in the car. Anyone
> know where to find one of these? I suppose I could modify the socket to
> use a more standard bulb but I'd prefer to just find one.

Is this the same James Sweet that advocates rummaging through the local
pick-a-part to find the odd part? *g*

While I was pulling seats out of the nearly intact '87 I found at our
local 'Pick Your Part', I pillaged the dash for all the bulbs, relays,
etc., I could find.

clay wrote:
> James Sweet wrote:
>> The bulb that illuminates the ambient temperature gauge in my 240
>> burned out a little while ago. As I recall, the bulb is a bit unusual
>> with an odd sized bayonet base unlike any of the others used in the
>> car. Anyone know where to find one of these? I suppose I could modify
>> the socket to use a more standard bulb but I'd prefer to just find one.
>
> Is this the same James Sweet that advocates rummaging through the local
> pick-a-part to find the odd part? *g*
>
> While I was pulling seats out of the nearly intact '87 I found at our
> local 'Pick Your Part', I pillaged the dash for all the bulbs, relays,
> etc., I could find.


This gauge is a very rare option in the US, I've never actually seen one
down here. Found mine in a salvage yard up in Canada several years ago,
but I'm not about to go all the way up there to find a used lightbulb!
As I said, the bulb is unlike anything used anywhere else in the car
despite it being an OEM VDO gauge.

James Sweet wrote:
> clay wrote:
>> James Sweet wrote:
>>> The bulb that illuminates the ambient temperature gauge in my 240
>>> burned out a little while ago. As I recall, the bulb is a bit unusual
>>> with an odd sized bayonet base unlike any of the others used in the
>>> car. Anyone know where to find one of these? I suppose I could modify
>>> the socket to use a more standard bulb but I'd prefer to just find one.
>>
>> Is this the same James Sweet that advocates rummaging through the
>> local pick-a-part to find the odd part? *g*
>>
>> While I was pulling seats out of the nearly intact '87 I found at our
>> local 'Pick Your Part', I pillaged the dash for all the bulbs, relays,
>> etc., I could find.
>


Hmm, I think I just found them
http://usa.vdo.com/products_solution.../type-b-bulbs/

Perhaps a trip to the local marine store is in order.

James Sweet wrote:
> clay wrote:
>> James Sweet wrote:
>>> The bulb that illuminates the ambient temperature gauge in my 240
>>> burned out a little while ago. As I recall, the bulb is a bit unusual
>>> with an odd sized bayonet base unlike any of the others used in the
>>> car. Anyone know where to find one of these? I suppose I could modify
>>> the socket to use a more standard bulb but I'd prefer to just find one.
>>
>> Is this the same James Sweet that advocates rummaging through the
>> local pick-a-part to find the odd part? *g*
>>
>> While I was pulling seats out of the nearly intact '87 I found at our
>> local 'Pick Your Part', I pillaged the dash for all the bulbs, relays,
>> etc., I could find.
>
>
> This gauge is a very rare option in the US, I've never actually seen one
> down here. Found mine in a salvage yard up in Canada several years ago,
> but I'm not about to go all the way up there to find a used lightbulb!
> As I said, the bulb is unlike anything used anywhere else in the car
> despite it being an OEM VDO gauge.

oops, I missed the rare part in your original post. That would make it
tougher to find.
In the old days, junkyards had a network. You walk in, ask about a part,
they pick up a radio and call all their junkyard buddies. Don't s'pose
it's that way anymore though.

>
> oops, I missed the rare part in your original post. That would make it
> tougher to find.
> In the old days, junkyards had a network. You walk in, ask about a part,
> they pick up a radio and call all their junkyard buddies. Don't s'pose
> it's that way anymore though.

Well it appears to be a VDO type A, commonly available, I just haven't
seen them locally. I'll just order some.

http://www.egauges.com/vdo_indA.asp?PN=600-802

James, thanks for that link. I need to get some new bulbs for all the
gauges in my 242 turbo. I also have the ambient temp gauge, and I bought
my boost gauge at egauges. Now when I drive at night, the boost gauge is
so much brighter than all the others it looks like the sun is rising
inside my car. If I dim the instrument lighting to the point where the
boost gauge doesn't burn its image into my retinas, the rest of them are
completely dark. I hope it's as simple as needing new bulbs in the rest.

James Sweet wrote:
>
>
> Well it appears to be a VDO type A, commonly available, I just haven't
> seen them locally. I'll just order some.
>
> http://www.egauges.com/vdo_indA.asp?PN=600-802

tom callaway wrote:
> James, thanks for that link. I need to get some new bulbs for all the
> gauges in my 242 turbo. I also have the ambient temp gauge, and I bought
> my boost gauge at egauges. Now when I drive at night, the boost gauge is
> so much brighter than all the others it looks like the sun is rising
> inside my car. If I dim the instrument lighting to the point where the
> boost gauge doesn't burn its image into my retinas, the rest of them are
> completely dark. I hope it's as simple as needing new bulbs in the rest.
>
>

It could be, or you might have the wrong bulb in the boost gauge, or it
might just be a different design that is brighter. What color is the
illumination in the boost gauge? If it's white, you might pick up a blue
sleeve for the bulb to make it match the others which have an internal
blue filter.

James Sweet wrote:
> tom callaway wrote:
>> James, thanks for that link. I need to get some new bulbs for all the
>> gauges in my 242 turbo. I also have the ambient temp gauge, and I
>> bought my boost gauge at egauges. Now when I drive at night, the boost
>> gauge is so much brighter than all the others it looks like the sun is
>> rising inside my car. If I dim the instrument lighting to the point
>> where the boost gauge doesn't burn its image into my retinas, the rest
>> of them are completely dark. I hope it's as simple as needing new
>> bulbs in the rest.
>>
>>
>
> It could be, or you might have the wrong bulb in the boost gauge, or it
> might just be a different design that is brighter. What color is the
> illumination in the boost gauge? If it's white, you might pick up a blue
> sleeve for the bulb to make it match the others which have an internal
> blue filter.

I really don't notice any color difference. The bulb in the boost gauge
is what came in it. It's a VDO cockpit series, I believe. One of these
days I'll tear into it and see for sure what's going on. I think it may
be a combination of the old ones being weak and/or dirty and the new one
being a higher wattage bulb.