Edited for the new page: Been using the iCarsoft LR2 to try and diagnose my persistent air bag warning without success. Using the S/M and wiring diagrams I was trying to find the air bag module to back probe the wires to see if there is a problem with the clock spring or module itself.

OK, less grumping. I was able to make lemonade out of today's lemon.

The offending module with the console pried up 8" in the back.


I'm supposed to back probe those little wires to see which circuit has the higher resistance. Without breaking one. Yeah right.


And it's grungy under there. Reason #1 why the bezel didn't want to come off. It was stuck together.


Figured I'd accomplish something today, 1912-ish Remington model 10 getting a refurb.


Here comes the lemonade. Decided to take a whack at the cluster. Took about ten minutes to pop out. Steering wheel all the way out and down was the first step followed by popping the wood grain panel off. Note the index marks for where the needles line up when rotated CCW. Needle does pop off. Use thumb and fore finger rotating evenly under the pivot point to act like pry bars. Takes a good bit of effort but they will pop off.


What's underneath. Notice there's a spare warning lamp that doesn't do anything.


And IMHO appropriate use of old earplugs...


Then a little road trip on the Sporty brought home some 35% window tint from a local tint shop, gratis.


Back together.


Turn signal is brighter than the rest. Hopefully the 35% tones down the others at night. If not I'll put another layer of tint over them.


Springs to preload the bezel against the steering wheel surround.


Springy things back where they belong. 1/4" wide tip straight screw drive was used to position them. PITA. When you pop this off just bend it in the middle enough for the dowel to release.


So while I didn't actually fix anything I did eliminate the distracting cluster warnings and dimmed the overly bright headlamp indicators. I also feel confident that I can do 'something' with the wood grain panels and found that the console sides come off pretty easily for replacement. Oh yeah, when the cluster is removed the parking lamps come on. Cluster back in, they go out.

Plus everything seems to still work.

 

I have went thru this thread over the past few days from beginning to end... Fascinating read... Great Work!!!

 

Thanks. The rains have come so I pulled the car in the garage. Cluster mods worked better than I wished. Still get the TPMS fault on the center display but the annoying lamps are GONE.

The garage floor is sopping wet from the temperature change today. We went from weeks of sub 0 temps to 68` today and the ice cold ground condensed water like crazy. Of course like any British chick she looks best when wet.



So today I got to work on the car outside and even got a bike ride in. Good times. We'll be back to sub freezing in the AM...

 

That one probably comes on when she gets excited by your playing with her 'happy pedal', but since its blacked out, you'll never know.

 

Ranchero, are you still considering jumping on the F-Type gauge cluster for the gauge face plates? Or was it an XF?

 

I thought it was an XF. Now that you mention it, the face pieces are barely held to the gauge by two tiny tabs where the needle protrudes through. Looks almost like casting flash. I'd actually rather change the color and brightness of the back lit numbers but I don't know if just the gauge faces would do that. I was leery of taking both needles off and digging further on my only running set of gauges. I'll try to pick up some used ones and see what comes of it. I remember a prior thread about changing the center display so I think it'll work.

How about white face?
Jaguar Bilder



Oh yeah, the clock of all things is married to the cluster. Had to reset it once it was back together. Odometer stayed correct but the trip odometers reset. Ran some errands last night and it's so much nicer without the bright indicators lit up. I might put another layer of tint on as the lamp indicators are still brighter than the numbers. I just can't believe that this made it past the fit and finish QA folks.

 

Have a look at the X150 off forum file download area for a file detailing all control modules and locations. See How-To thread https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...k-links-20091/ post #3

 

Ranch I'm missing something here. What was the problem with your instrument lights ?

 

Always preferred the dark faced gauges myself, the numbers show up better in the dark, with no reflection of the gauge faces.

 

Just the warning lights are annoying and too bright by half. I'd rather fix the problems than blind the lights but for the air bag fix at least, the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. The TPMS I'm sure will always be a PITA even after I replace the tire sensors but the monitor also says it's broke on the central display so the warning lamp is superfluous. I really don't need to know that the headlamps are on or any of the fog lamps when I'm driving at night and those LEDs are way brighter than the numeral display. So the simplest 'fix' for my sanity was to blind the air bag and TPMS warning lamps and dim the rest with the tint. Honestly I'm not too picky about stuff but that bothered me enough to do something about it. The results were way worth the effort since it only took
a couple minutes to pop the cluster out.

 

I had that and a couple others too. The problem is on the coupe the module tucks between to body colored sheets of aluminum that sits down low between the seat backs and under the back of the console. You can't see it from the rear seat area and the S/M is vague about how to replace it other than using the WDS tool to pull the info off the old and marry the new one to the chassis. I think on the vert it's somewhere else too. To do the actual probing the console needs pulled all the way out and I was not in the mood to fight that battle. I would have been money ahead to pull the column covers and try at the clock spring but thanks to the LR2 only being able to rear the generic 5 digit code and not 7 digit codes that the S/M supports I wasn't sure if that was the correct area to investigate.

I hope the LR2 will redeem itself down the road. Currently it's been kind of a flop.

 

I used to like green back lighting until I saw the blue on the F types and newer XK's. Just something about how neon blue it looks vs. drab dingy green like the number display is now. I'd like to get there from here.

Maybe it's just that since I drive the car so much and the gauge panel is the part of the car I look at the most while driving that I did what I did and am going to try some different overlays.

 

OK got ya , thanks. I don't seem to have that issue/concern. Enjoy

 

I had done something silimar to my odo. i didnt liked stock XF odometer, so made custom facelift with supercharged letters. i didntliked blue diodes, spo change them to white. then it wass tobright so covered with slight dark colour to make them better. and then colour was off to center console so again bought new odo and this time used very low consupmtion daylight diodes. and tinted one of the circele rmp and km/h labels when in dark. now cars (with upgraded interiorand repainted looks more like 2015 years model and its a joy to read odometer data now.

 

Muted brightness looks much better, and is easier to read I M H O. Images appear to have a much sharper, as well as a more pleasant contrast.Very Nice!!!

 

I would think just adjusting the brightness would do the same thing.

 

Not quite the same, but what you, want to do, or not, on your vehicle, is your choice to make.

 

I wish it would be true. I would want to tint my windows to have normal sex in the car(now its like sex in the zoo- everyones watching) ,also would want to put LED in number plate. but i would fail MOT.


Europe is very strict when it comes to car MOT. you can have sex in the car in daytime with no problem, but you cant tint windows for hiddint that. damn Europe..

 

Adjusting the brightness dims everything so you still squint around the warning lamp glare to see the gauges.

This mornings tragedy revolves around the door windows (again). Son had to work, I didn't and his Jag based Lincoln LS got an air bubble around the thermostat and overheated. Figured I'd just swap him out the XKR for his junk but my junk's windows decided to act up. Granted, it's been outside since the rain and we're around 5` this morning. Got it back in the garage and warmed it for 20 minutes without effect. Truck wouldn't start either, needs a 2nd battery for arctic conditions. Ended up dragging the wife's 180k mile half dead Ford Explorer down to pick him up. Got called into work on the way so back home and reset the XKR windows by disconnecting the battery. Made it into work and the passenger door had frozen again... Currently it's sitting out in the heated oil storage building with the windows half down hoping it dries out today.

Did I mention the dog had diarrhea this morning at 4am?

 

I don't think two midgets could have sex in an XK