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No need to replace all of them... 1 Saabers Like This Post! Posted by Larry West [Email] (#1140) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Larry West) on Tue, 5 Jun 2012 09:16:40 In Reply to: Thank you!, GFW3pedals [Profile/Gallery] , Tue, 5 Jun 2012 08:36:09 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
The most important bulbs you must replace are the illumination bulbs for the actual instruments. These burn whenever the ignition is on, so they fail much sooner than any others. The only possible exception to that might be the turn signal bulbs.
The rest of the bulbs are all used very intermittently, and for very brief periods (unless you drive with a CEL for a long time, anyway...).
In fact, depending on the cluster, year, options, etc., you may not need to buy any bulbs, or just a couple. These clusters are usually set up for options that may or may not be on your particular car. One that is not on ANY 9-5 is the ACS, aka Automatic Clutch System, aka Sensonic. Yet, there IS a bulb position for "CHECK ACS", and in the two clusters I've taken apart has had a bulb in it that is never used. Take that & move it to one of the illumination positions. You can find other items, like TCS if your car doesn't have that, and the odd one that looks like lamps shining two ways that is not used in the USA at all, but still has a bulb in it.
Lastly, if you want to go really on the cheap (though I do not recommend this), you can probably just swap bulbs around, putting the old illumination bulbs into the intermittent lamp positions and v-v. You do run the risk, however, of the old illumination bulbs failing early in an intermittent position, as the primary killer of incandescent lamps is startup current. That's why most incandescent lamps fail when you turn them on...
_______________________________________ Current: 2002 9-5 Aero Kombi Cosmic Blue 2000 9-5 SE sedan, Imola Red 1990 900S Rose Quartz, Auto Past: 1999 9-5 LPT Combi 1999 9-5 LPT sedan 2002 9-5 Arc 1990 900 5-speed 1986 900 turbo Convertible 1991 9000 turbo 1980 99 GLi 1986 900 turbo 1986 900 S 1991 900 turbo 1984 900 turbo 1976 99 GL
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