tugalo Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 Does anyone know how to remove the indicator needles come the gauge faces so that the faces can be changed?
dave92cherokee Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 Most gauge kits come with the center holes made big enough to go over the needles. If you remove them there's a high likelyhood that you will break the needle or damage the gauge as they are not keyed and would not be accurate anymore.
Eagle Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 Does anyone know how to remove the indicator needles come the gauge faces so that the faces can be changed? Not recommended procedure.
deziped Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 To answer the initial question: Most come off by pressure on the back side of the needle. I used a piece of 1/16 thick metal by hacksawing a slit in it and sliding the needle in the slit, behind the guage, and then grasping both ends of the metal and gently applying even pressure on the back of the guage needle while pulling straight out. The needle and stem bend easily so you have to be carreful or its ruined. I also marked where the end of the needle was located on the guage before attempting removal to assure a close return of the needle on the guage to where it was prior to removal. seemed to work ok as the needle settled on the spot it was at when vehicle was previously operated. Ues this procedure at your own risk.
jpnjim Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 I tried to pop the gas gauge needle off my column shift gauge set, did not work out so well. :(
bighause Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 I also tried this... Resulted in breaking the needle clean off and buying a new gauge cluster I wouldn't recomend it
HOrnbrod Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 You need a gauge needle puller tool to remove the pointers safely. It's like a mini gear puller. The below works well too. It's an IC chip puller. You can make your own or radio shack has them, Pep Boys too. You slide it under, pry up, and off it comes with no scratching on the gauge face.
flint54 Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 On top of all that, if the needle happens to be resting against a post when you pull it off there could be further unwind of spring within the guage that will take away accuracy when needle goes back on. Also, I would never pull on the needle, with or without tool, unless I also had a way to grasp the shaft so I'm not pulling it also. I've pulled needles both successfully and unsuccessfully. Good luck!
HOrnbrod Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 On top of all that, if the needle happens to be resting gainst a post when you pull it off there could be further unwind of spring within the guage that will take away accuracy when needle goes back on. Also, I would never pull on the needle, with or without tool, unless I also had a way to grasp the shaft so I'm not pulling it also. I've pulled needles both successfully and unsuccessfully. Good luck! It's easy if you use a regulation tool like this. Pulled hundreds of them. :D Image Not Found
ParadiseMJ Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 I changed all the gauge faces without removing any needles, it was easy (helps to have a steady hand).
terrawombat Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 Thanks for the information, fellas. I swapped in a full gauge cluster into my Pioneer, but then lost the column shift indicator. Thought I could just swap over the old fuel gauge with the cutout for the shift indicator already there, but it didn't bolt in correctly. If I can find a way to swap the faces, I'd be golden. I'll give the suggestions in here a go :thumbsup: Wonder if this would work: 7oYq_l8wLAo
Geonovast Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 Thanks for the information, fellas. I swapped in a full gauge cluster into my Pioneer, but then lost the column shift indicator. Thought I could just swap over the old fuel gauge with the cutout for the shift indicator already there, but it didn't bolt in correctly. If I can find a way to swap the faces, I'd be golden. I'll give the suggestions in here a go :thumbsup: Wonder if this would work: 7oYq_l8wLAo The electronics are also not there for the fuel gauge, they're for the tach. There's a writeup in the DIY section on how to cut out the faceplate on the tach and to install the shift indicator light.
terrawombat Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 The electronics are also not there for the fuel gauge, they're for the tach. There's a writeup in the DIY section on how to cut out the faceplate on the tach and to install the shift indicator light. I have a full gauge cluster with the big fuel gauge instead of the tach, but no cutout for the shift indicator. I bought this because I thought I could just swap over my fuel gauge w/cutout from my idiot light cluster to this one. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case - it didn't fit for one reason or another. However, if I could simply swap gauge faces, I'd be fine.
Geonovast Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 The electronics are also not there for the fuel gauge, they're for the tach. There's a writeup in the DIY section on how to cut out the faceplate on the tach and to install the shift indicator light. I have a full gauge cluster with the big fuel gauge instead of the tach, but no cutout for the shift indicator. I bought this because I thought I could just swap over my fuel gauge w/cutout from my idiot light cluster to this one. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case - it didn't fit for one reason or another. However, if I could simply swap gauge faces, I'd be fine. Oh, forgot about those. :doh: The DIY would probably still apply. A little more, work, but you wouldn't be risking screwing up the gauge by removing the needle.
terrawombat Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 You talking about the DIY where the guy dremel'ed out a hole in the gauge face for the column shift indicator? I've seen that and have seen multiple people try their hand at it, but have yet to see one I was impressed with. I have a completely FUBAR'ed full gauge cluster that I can practice on before I do it on the "real thing."
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