Red/Clear rear cluster installation instructions
29 September 2001, 03:31 PM
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After 2 hours in the garage tinkering, my UK MY99 now has red/clear rear clusters, with a fog light! 
Here's how I did it:
First of all, remove the trim from around the back of the clusters. Then undo the 5 8mm bolts holding on the cluster. I started with the driver side one first, as that one needs modifying for the rear fog light.
Get a hairdryer, and heat up the rear of the cluster. I used a hammer and persuaded the cluster to come out slightly!! After a bit of wiggling, the cluster will come out, but there will be mastic everywhere! Beware the metal bit under the cluster is attached to the cluster!
I thought I'd be clever and transfer the bulbs and loom from the UK clusters to the Japanese clusters, but the bulb holders are different!
Get the driver side loom, and you want to remove the fog light bulb holder. Get a thin flat head screwdriver, and insert it into the plug, and lift up the centre plastic lug, the pins for the fog light will come out.
These wires can then be inserted into the spare spaces on the Japanese plug.
The next bit is the difficult bit. You need to make the hole for the new bulb holder. I traced round a 10 pence coin, as that was slightly smaller, and allowed for errors. I cut it out, and copied the extra lugs for the bulb holder. I used one of those Dremel things, as that allowed more accuracy!
OK, now I was happy that the Japanese loom now had the connections for the UK fog light and the bulb holder fitted.
From the old cluster, you will need to undo 3 phillips screws to remove the metal trim. Screw this trim to the new cluster.
Go back to the car, and remove all the old mastic. You'll see a recess in the back of the rear cluster. This is where I applied the new sealant. (I used Halfords, black sealent 40g - £3.49 each) I used a whole tube for one cluster as I didn't want it leaking.
I placed the cluster on the car, and then tightened up the 5 bolts. I was warned not to do them up too tightly as they can strip the threads!
I repeated it for the passenger side, but didn't bother with a fog light on that side.
The following website helped:
Here's how I did it:
First of all, remove the trim from around the back of the clusters. Then undo the 5 8mm bolts holding on the cluster. I started with the driver side one first, as that one needs modifying for the rear fog light.
Get a hairdryer, and heat up the rear of the cluster. I used a hammer and persuaded the cluster to come out slightly!! After a bit of wiggling, the cluster will come out, but there will be mastic everywhere! Beware the metal bit under the cluster is attached to the cluster!
I thought I'd be clever and transfer the bulbs and loom from the UK clusters to the Japanese clusters, but the bulb holders are different!
Get the driver side loom, and you want to remove the fog light bulb holder. Get a thin flat head screwdriver, and insert it into the plug, and lift up the centre plastic lug, the pins for the fog light will come out.
These wires can then be inserted into the spare spaces on the Japanese plug.
The next bit is the difficult bit. You need to make the hole for the new bulb holder. I traced round a 10 pence coin, as that was slightly smaller, and allowed for errors. I cut it out, and copied the extra lugs for the bulb holder. I used one of those Dremel things, as that allowed more accuracy!
OK, now I was happy that the Japanese loom now had the connections for the UK fog light and the bulb holder fitted.
From the old cluster, you will need to undo 3 phillips screws to remove the metal trim. Screw this trim to the new cluster.
Go back to the car, and remove all the old mastic. You'll see a recess in the back of the rear cluster. This is where I applied the new sealant. (I used Halfords, black sealent 40g - £3.49 each) I used a whole tube for one cluster as I didn't want it leaking.
I placed the cluster on the car, and then tightened up the 5 bolts. I was warned not to do them up too tightly as they can strip the threads!
I repeated it for the passenger side, but didn't bother with a fog light on that side.
The following website helped:
16 October 2001, 10:23 PM
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A thought -- would it be legal to configure the high-level brake light as a fog light? It would save drilling holes in the expensive STi clusters.
It would be nice if we could get some rear clusters that were entirely clear (lensed too, not proper clear like IS200 clusters). You could replace the red bulbs with some big red LEDs like the ones they sell in Maplins. How difficult would it be to make some light clusters (just the lens part) using a mould made from the original lenses? If they're lensed it's not like they have to be optically perfect (wavelength/20 and all that).
It would be nice if we could get some rear clusters that were entirely clear (lensed too, not proper clear like IS200 clusters). You could replace the red bulbs with some big red LEDs like the ones they sell in Maplins. How difficult would it be to make some light clusters (just the lens part) using a mould made from the original lenses? If they're lensed it's not like they have to be optically perfect (wavelength/20 and all that).
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