Looking for correct bulbs for 1965 Plymouth Valiant 200 for Instrument Cluster

[Maddog55]

My cluster panel lights have not been working. Bought the car over a year ago, and other owners obviously did all sorts of work. Fuses are all in order. I pulled the cluster yesterday and took out the bulbs. 5 out of 6 were 194. One was a 158.

Did the prior owners put in an incompatible bulb? Or would a 194 work? I’m looking to replace all the bulbs with LED versions but want to make sure I’m getting the right ones since LED ones are so expensive.

I found this chart online this morning, but want to be sure.

 

[Dana67Dart]

Mymopar.com

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From googling...

194 is a higher wattage version of the 158.

158 about 3.3W
194 about 3.8W

Higher wattage = more current and more heat.

IMHO

If you can get the 158 that is what I would stick with.

I have melted lenses using higher wattage bulbs

 

[Maddog55]

I would think with the LED’s that they wouldn’t get hotter than the standard OEM bulbs. Correct me if I’m wrong.

 

[Professor Fate]

My cluster panel lights have not been working. Bought the car over a year ago, and other owners obviously did all sorts of work. Fuses are all in order. I pulled the cluster yesterday and took out the bulbs. 5 out of 6 were 194. One was a 158.

Did the prior owners put in an incompatible bulb? Or would a 194 work? I’m looking to replace all the bulbs with LED versions but want to make sure I’m getting the right ones since LED ones are so expensive.

I found this chart online this morning, but want to be sure.

View attachment 1716326855

Before you get into swapping bulbs around, figure out why your panel isn't lighting up. If the bulbs are good and it isn't working, swapping to LEDs isn't going to change a darned thing. Make sure the panel is grounded and start tracing current paths and testing components. (are you sure the panel dimmer isn't just turned all the way down?)
Once everything is working correctly, and if you still feel the need to switch to LEDs, be aware that you'll open another can of worms. Most LEDs have a polarity, and must be installed in the correct orientation in order for them to work. The instrument lights need to be dimmable, and the turn signal indicators and hazard lights (if so equipped) will require the use of electronic flashers with dedicated grounds if you intend to also use LEDs for your outside lights... lots of threads on this, do a search. It isn't just a matter of swapping bulbs.

 

[Dana67Dart]

Depends on the LED.

Some have resisters that burn off the excess wattage. Others use electronics to switch the voltage on and off in a duty cycle.

Some are dimmable some are not.

The 158s in most cases have lasted 50+ years but LEDs while better now might not (regardless of their claims) how much do you like taking your cluster out?

 

[67Dart273]

^^Not only this above, but some LEDs won't dim properly in a cluster because they do not draw enough current. The dimmer is a simple variable resistor, known as a rheostat. The operation of it requires a certain "in range" load on it. EG if you were to go through the car and remove all the panel lights controlled by the dimmer, and put just one back in, the dimmer may not work well because of the reduced load

Another general issue with automotive style LEDs is that the light pattern simply just is not right. This is a big problem in tail/ park lights and reverse lights. Add that to the "china quality" issue.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I replaced the two cluster lighting bulbs in my 64 with ZEVO LEDs about four years ago. They don't dim, but I don't care. I can actually SEE my gauges at night. Nothing melted in all that time so I think I'm good. lol Also, sometimes you cannot use LEDs in the turn signal indicators.

 

[slantsixdan]

158 is the old short-life version of 194.

158: 3.4w, 2 candlepower, 500 hours
194: 3.8w, 2 candlepower, 2500 hours

The '65 I owned, and I'm pretty sure all the '65s I took apart over the years, used the metal bayonet-base bulbs (53, 53x, 57, 1891, 1893, 1895…) in the dashboard. '66s definitely used the all-glass wedge-base bulbs (158, then in later years 194).

There's a ton of junk on the market in LED bulbs. For reliability and safety (including fire-prevention safety) you're best off sticking to legitimate bulb makers, rather than the gumball-machine trinkets with no engineering behind them from StupidBiteLEDs and other such vendors. Good ones to fit the bayonet-type sockets in earlier-model cars are practically unavailable. The workaround, if you've got the bayonet sockets, is to buy the wedge-base sockets. That's these (sold individually, one "each" at the listed price, even tho the pic shows two—hence why two buyers left upset reviews, thinking one money got them two sockets) and install the good bulbs. That's this yellow-amber one, top pick for general dashboard illumination, much brighter light without glare that you'd get with the white bulbs. The yellow-amber bulbs work well behind green lenses in turn signal pilot lights, too. Red (high beam, oil pressure) is this one. Cold white is this one, and warm white is this .

The only "gotchya" points are minor: LED means Light Emitting Diode. A diode passes current in only one direction, not both like a filament. So if your car has a single green pilot light that flashes no matter whether you're signalling for a right or left turn, don't put an LED in it; it'll only work when you're signalling one direction, not the other.

And for the rest of the dash lights, it matters which way round the bulb is installed in the socket (or the socket in the circuit board). If the LED is installed backwards, it won't light when it should. If there are other LEDs in the system (as there are in the dashboard) then just one backwards LED can create weird new paths for electric current that shouldn't be there, causing a no-light or no-light-when-supposed-to or light-when-not-supposed-to situation.

So, fashion a jumper to ground the cluster properly (when installed in the dashboard it grounds via dashboard metal). Install one LED bulb/socket assembly. Try it out to see if it works correctly. If it doesn't, remove it, turn the bulb or the socket (not both!) 180°, and reinstall it so it works. Then move on to the next one: install one more LED bulb/socket assembly and try it out. Proceed this way until all the bulbs are installed and working.