ambient temperature gauge illumination

The bulb that illuminates the ambient temperature gauge in my 240 burned
out a little while ago. As I recall, the bulb is a bit unusual with an
odd sized bayonet base unlike any of the others used in the car. Anyone
know where to find one of these? I suppose I could modify the socket to
use a more standard bulb but I'd prefer to just find one.

 

Is this the same James Sweet that advocates rummaging through the local
pick-a-part to find the odd part? *g*

While I was pulling seats out of the nearly intact '87 I found at our
local 'Pick Your Part', I pillaged the dash for all the bulbs, relays,
etc., I could find.

 

This gauge is a very rare option in the US, I've never actually seen one
down here. Found mine in a salvage yard up in Canada several years ago,
but I'm not about to go all the way up there to find a used lightbulb!
As I said, the bulb is unlike anything used anywhere else in the car
despite it being an OEM VDO gauge.

 

Hmm, I think I just found them
http://usa.vdo.com/products_solutio...ents/accessories/gauge-lighting/type-b-bulbs/

Perhaps a trip to the local marine store is in order.

 

oops, I missed the rare part in your original post. That would make it
tougher to find.
In the old days, junkyards had a network. You walk in, ask about a part,
they pick up a radio and call all their junkyard buddies. Don't s'pose
it's that way anymore though.

 

Well it appears to be a VDO type A, commonly available, I just haven't
seen them locally. I'll just order some.

http://www.egauges.com/vdo_indA.asp?PN=600-802

 

James, thanks for that link. I need to get some new bulbs for all the
gauges in my 242 turbo. I also have the ambient temp gauge, and I bought
my boost gauge at egauges. Now when I drive at night, the boost gauge is
so much brighter than all the others it looks like the sun is rising
inside my car. If I dim the instrument lighting to the point where the
boost gauge doesn't burn its image into my retinas, the rest of them are
completely dark. I hope it's as simple as needing new bulbs in the rest.

 

It could be, or you might have the wrong bulb in the boost gauge, or it
might just be a different design that is brighter. What color is the
illumination in the boost gauge? If it's white, you might pick up a blue
sleeve for the bulb to make it match the others which have an internal
blue filter.

 

I really don't notice any color difference. The bulb in the boost gauge
is what came in it. It's a VDO cockpit series, I believe. One of these
days I'll tear into it and see for sure what's going on. I think it may
be a combination of the old ones being weak and/or dirty and the new one
being a higher wattage bulb.