How to make the "Si" logo on your gauge cluster glow...
Here's what you'll need:
-Phillips head screwdriver
-Flathead screwdriver
-400 grit or higher sandpaper OR nail polish remover
-Your gauge cluster
It should be noted that the orange gauge needles are rather finicky and will break off easily if you man-handle them. A replacement from hparts.com is about 20 bucks...but if you're cautious you shouldn't even come close to breaking them.
Start by unscrewing the two screws on the underside of the top of your outer bezel...in my case it's an aftermarket one
Next take the four Phillips head screws out of all four corners of the gauge cluster assembly. The entire assembly will simply pull out once you're done.
On the back of the cluster will be four wiring harnesses you will have to un-clip. There's two large blue ones, a small green one, and a small yellow one. The whole cluster will separate from the dash now.
Now you can get your ass out of the cold and take it inside to work on it in the comfort of your home. Partake in some yummy Wawa coffee...
Time to take off the outer clear shell. On the bottom of the cluster is three clips, on the top of the cluster is four more. Use the flathead screwdriver if they give you trouble.
Next is the black outer bezel. Three clips on the bottom, four on the top.
Unscrew the light bulb/wire on the top of the cluster. It simply turns a quarter turn and pops right out.
Now pull off the gauge bezel overlay, in my case a carbon fiber CTR version
It is held on by the two small white nubs in the bottom two corners.
The cluster should look like this, and here is your victim: The fuel/temp gauge area
On the back of the cluster, right behind the fuel/temp gauge, is two sets of three Phillips head screws. Remove them. Careful, the fuel/temp gauge will drop right out now.
You can set everthing else aside now, you should be left with just the fuel/temp gauge...
Flip the gauge over and find the area directly behind the "Si" logo. This is where you are going to use either the sandpaper or the nail polish remover to rub off the black coating. It will NOT rub off the red of the "Si" logo! That's the whole point
Grab your sandpaper or nail polish remover. I used some 400 grit sandpaper that can be bought for dirt cheap at any hardware store or Walmart. Use Home Depot, they're like the ricer emergency room... You want a MINIMUM of 400 grit, the higher the better!
Once you've sanded/nail polished off the area it should look like so....
You can hold it up to the light to make sure you're hitting the right area...
The sun makes for a good "tester" of how your logo will glow.
Then just do everything in reverse order to put the cluster back together and re-install it. Be sure to clean any greasy fingerprints off the clear plastic overlay!
And here is the finished product. The logo will glow whenever you have your parking lights or headlights on. It looks especially bad-ass at night.
That's it, you're done. One small, cheap, simple mod
There ARE other variations of this... you can rig it up to glow when your vtec engages, you can sand down the black part in varying degrees to how you like the logo to shine, etc etc.*on a side note, don't bother sanding behind ALL your lettering/numbering on your gauges...it looks like ass!
very good how-to indeed.
i cannot---sick diy though