Clock Light

I have an intermittent clock light. If I tapped the clock , I could get the light to come back on, but now it won't work at all. So , it may be a bad bulb, or maybe just a bad connection.

So, can I remove the clock by just popping it out from the front, or do I need to remove some plastic to remove it from the "backside" ?

To remove the clock you would need to remove plastic (windscreen and garnish at the very least I think).
Someone commented on a thread that you can remove the mirror and access the back of the clock with a pair of long needle nose pliers.
The bulb holder is rubber ( I think) and is a push fit into the back of the clock).
Good luck
Don

IIRC, to remove the clock you have to get to it from the back (two screws hold in place to the gray garnish). Which means removing the upper right fairing or at least getting it loose. As Don said, you can get to the bulb by removing the mirror.

Hi Jim,

I'm surprised you wouldn't have changed out that bulb and all the dash bulbs as part of your PM services!

Best to remove the windshield, the black garnish panel and the upper grey plastic dash component to get easy access to that clock bulb and the four instrument bulbs as well. Might as well change them all so you don't have to go in there again anytime soon. The clock bulb is extremely tiny and may be hard to find at an auto parts store, but should still be available from Honda.

Just remembered - It MAY be just a bad connection too. The bulb has two tiny wires that sit outside the glass bulb and by bending those outward slightly, you get a better connection to the terminals inside the bulb socket. Happened to mine and the bulb I initially thought was dead three years ago is still working fine today.

Bush said:

The bulb has two tiny wires that sit outside the glass bulb and by bending those outward slightly, you get a better connection to the terminals inside the bulb socket.

Click to expand...

I had to do this with a position bulb a few weeks back. Some bulbs have each wire lead form a U to ensure good contact. These bulbs had one short length of wire for each side bent straight up and against the glass. The first one work fine but the second bulb didn't. It lit up when I touched the socket. Pulling the wire away from the bulb slightly made it right.

It has been a while, but as I remember, remove the R. mirror and then reach in with some hemostats or whatever, the bulb socket just pulls from the clock. Pull out the bulb from the socket and replace. It seems like I found a substitute from Auto Zone.

Bush said:

Hi Jim,

I'm surprised you wouldn't have changed out that bulb and all the dash bulbs as part of your PM services!

Best to remove the windshield, the black garnish panel and the upper grey plastic dash component to get easy access to that clock bulb and the four instrument bulbs as well. Might as well change them all so you don't have to go in there again anytime soon. The clock bulb is extremely tiny and may be hard to find at an auto parts store, but should still be available from Honda.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that info. It shouldn't be as bad a job as I thought it would be.

I actually replaced all the dash light several years ago , but I must have had a brain f*rt that day because I failed to replace the clock light - me very, very bad. I have a feeling that it's just a bad connection, but in honor of the of Preventative Maintenance god, I promise you Mr. Bush, that I will replace that little sucker, regardless. And all the other bulbs, again. It's probaly been three years - can't take a chance, can we ?

BTW, that extra camshaft belt guide I installed hasn't chewed up the new timing belt ( yet ).

Had fun today replacing the bulb - it was burned out and black. I had to remove a bunch of the upper plastic and some on the right hand side.. Didn't take that much time, but a pain in the you-know-what. I loosened the upper right plastic and pried it back a bit to get at the back of the clock and the bulb socket. I had a #74 bulb which physically matched the bad bulb and it seems plenty bright this afternoon when it was overcast. So it should illuminate great at night.

If you ever have a bunch of plastic off for some reason, be smart and replace that bulb ( Don't heed this, Mr. Bush. I know you belong to the " If it ain't broke, don't fix it " school ) It could save you a bunch of work & time in the future. It's surprising how much I missed being able to see the clock at night.

I hate lamps that are out too. I always replace them as soon as i can. I just had my Toyota Tundra cluster out to replace the "D" gear indicator lamp. On this ST though, i do "save up" non-essential jobs until i have a few to do at the same time. Chunk.