The Ford Capri Laser Page

Hi folks

Does anyone know the correct wattage for the capless instrument panel bulbs? 5 out of 8 of mine are blackened but as I'm so old I can't read the wattage on the bulbs even with a magnifying glass. I'd guess they're about 2W if other makes are anything to go by.

Cheers

Paul.

Hi Paul,
You're correct as the specifications in the Haynes manual state 2W or 3W for the illumination and warning lamps.

Andrew.

Thanks Andrew, I guess the 3W are for the warning lights and the 2W for the background lighting.

Cheers Paul.

Don't muck about with the old inandeciant bulbs if you have them out , get some led bulbs , they fit straight into the holders are brighter , don't get hot and come in colours ( I got blue which works well as the original blue bulb covers had long ago crumbled in the heat of the old bulbs ) just search on ebay for " led bulbs capless" , there are oodles and they cost bugger all . The only issues are the dashlight dimmer wont work ( have to turn it right up ) and the bulbs are polarity sensitive so you have to get them in the right way ( suggest you check this BEFORE refitting the dash ............and that didn't happen to me )

Mc Tool wrote:Don't muck about with the old inandeciant bulbs if you have them out , get some led bulbs , they fit straight into the holders are brighter , don't get hot and come in colours ( I got blue which works well as the original blue bulb covers had long ago crumbled in the heat of the old bulbs ) just search on ebay for " led bulbs capless" , there are oodles and they cost bugger all . The only issues are the dashlight dimmer wont work ( have to turn it right up ) and the bulbs are polarity sensitive so you have to get them in the right way ( suggest you check this BEFORE refitting the dash ............and that didn't happen to me )

Sounds too much like modern technology to me. Actually everything on the back of my dash is in good nick, it had never been out before so i think I'll leave it as Mr Ford intended. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Paul G wrote:I guess the 3W are for the warning lights and the 2W for the background lighting

Hi Paul,
I believe that 3W are also suitable for the back illumination as I wouldn't have thought that they produce much more heat than 2W bulbs. As you probably already know, 5W bulbs in this application are a no-no as the extra heat that they emit can melt the plastic bulb covers/diffusers.

Andrew.

Andrew 2.8i wrote:

Paul G wrote:I guess the 3W are for the warning lights and the 2W for the background lighting

Hi Paul,
I believe that 3W are also suitable for the back illumination as I wouldn't have thought that they produce much more heat than 2W bulbs. As you probably already know, 5W bulbs in this application are a no-no as the extra heat that they emit can melt the plastic bulb covers/diffusers.

Andrew.

Just been out and bought some bulbs. The 2W ones were hideously expensive for what they are but rather keep the car right than risk melt downs or overloading the dimmer switch.

Paul G wrote:
Sounds too much like modern technology to me. Actually everything on the back of my dash is in good nick, it had never been out before so i think I'll leave it as Mr Ford intended.

Agree with you there Paul, I feel just the same Never felt the need to go modern with my Capri lights.

The only upgrade I may do is the headlight upgrade a la Nick and John. Will have to see how I get on with the standard ones first.