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194 vs 161 bulbs


sosuzguy

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I need to replace all the bulbs in the speedo and warning lights on an 85 Riv. I've looked in the 85 service manual and 83 service manual and have found in the chassis electrical section what bulb numbers for most every car from those year except for the Riviera and Regal! Does anyone know where this might be listed? It's not in the owners manuals either. I know that some of the Riv bulbs I've seen in the past used 161 bulbs while the Volts light used a 194..in the early 79-85 years..however in the past I've used 194 bulbs. Anyone have any idea what the difference is in these two bulbs? The service manual says both are 2 candle power. Would it be okay to use all 194 bulbs? Thanks...

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Jayson,

Now that you've opened this can of worms I've got a couple of questions.

What are the small bulbs on my '85 that provide the ambient lighting for the a/c vents and are tucked up under the dash cover? Most of what is readily available - 161 and 194 - seem too bright. (I came up with a fix for those lenses when you break a tab on one; I'll tell you about it later when I can post some pictures.)

Can anyone recommend a brighter bulb for the dash lights? I cannot see the cruise light on my '85 during the day; especially when I have my sunglasses on.

I'm not surprised that the 84/85 manuals don't list bulbs; none of my manuals for the earler models do either. I guess you're expected to pull one, read it, and get the replacement; like we all have this big assortment of bulbs just lying around.:D

Ed

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The best I can come up with is the 161 or 194 bulbs. Maybe try the 161 bulb in amber to darken it a bit?

I just replaced all the bulbs last night in one of mine. It really made a huge difference with just fresh 194 bulbs in it! The cruise light has always been dim, just something they did that didn't seem to make any sense. I do know that there was a service bulletin on these calling for the filters to be changed out.

The 85 manual has a section that list like 4 of the Buick cars with bulb charts but Riviera is not one of them, but the 1982 SM does!

SM_82_Bulb chart & speedo.pdf

post-48336-143138188373_thumb.jpg

Edited by sosuzguy
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Ed I did some editing and pulled together the bulb chart and back of the speedo from the 82 Riviera and posted it in my previous reply. It list some funny bulb number for interior illumination. I have no idea which ones would go into the dash down lighting.

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Guest wildcat465

I would guess that the 161 bulbs would throw off less heat than a 194. It seems like the bulbs in the close plastic housings use the 161's.

That chart from the service manual looks like the "Direct panel illumination" uses the 161 bulb. That might be what GM specified for the "ambient" lights above the A/C vents. :confused:

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  • 13 years later...

Hello fellow Rivi owners. I'm going to replace the bulbs in my instrument panel on my 64 Riviera. I noticed that all six illumination bulbs are w 161. If I replace those for 194 bulbs, will they get too hot? Would I need to change a fuse to higher amps...if so, which fuse and from how many amps to how many amps?

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Check your shop manual as bulb size is location dependent. If I recall I think #158s (3.4watt) were used for general instrument lighting and they are very close to the 3.7 watt #194.  If the internet is correct, the 161s are lower wattage at 2.7.  

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1 hour ago, JZRIV said:

Check your shop manual as bulb size is location dependent. If I recall I think #158s (3.4watt) were used for general instrument lighting and they are very close to the 3.7 watt #194.  If the internet is correct, the 161s are lower wattage at 2.7.  

The shop manual shows...

*Instrument cluster dials 161

*Turn signals, headlight high beam, indicator lights 194

 

I have no idea what the "instrument cluster dials" are, but I'm going to guess those are the illumination lights, because all six illumination lights I pulled out are 161.

Also, there is not a single 194 bulb in my instrument panel. The turn signals, headlight high beam, and indicator lights in my car are all 158 bulbs, which is different from what the shop manual says.

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1 hour ago, Jim Cannon said:

Put in LED bulbs there. Brighter and cooler at the same time. Get warm white color temperature.

 

SuperBrightLEDs is having a sale right now.

 

https://www.superbrightleds.com/2023-independence-day-sale

 

 

I was thinking about LEDs. However, it's my understanding they aren't dimmable, which I admit has me leaning more towards what was original.

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56 minutes ago, atencioee said:

all six illumination lights I pulled out are 161

You mean bulbs that fit in twist lock wedge sockets like these? If so, modern alternative are #194:

image.png.756a7b49256a5e05abbc678c4dd2d7b3.png

SuperBright has COB style 194 LEDs now. I used front firing SMD LEDs - cool white in my instrument panel. Courtesy lighting are warm white 1161 style COB LEDs popular with RV'ers

Even if "dimmable" is an LED feature, it will not happen with the rheostat on the light switch. Stay with original if dimming is important to you.

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2 hours ago, atencioee said:

The shop manual shows...

*Instrument cluster dials 161

*Turn signals, headlight high beam, indicator lights 194

 

I have no idea what the "instrument cluster dials" are, but I'm going to guess those are the illumination lights, because all six illumination lights I pulled out are 161.

Also, there is not a single 194 bulb in my instrument panel. The turn signals, headlight high beam, and indicator lights in my car are all 158 bulbs, which is different from what the shop manual says.

Not a big deal. Some previous owner probably used what was available.  Personally I do not like bright instrument cluster lights. They cut down on your natural night vision. Kind of like bright lights from an on coming car.  You idiot lights for your oil pressure, water temp, and amps will catch your attention easier;  because your night vision is good, they’ll appear brighter and definitely catch your attention quicker.  Turn signal and high beam indicators are only temporary.  Like on the newer cars, I’d rather have a soft blue for the headlight indicator, soft green for the turn signals.  I want the bright lights on the outside of the car : brake lights, turn signals, and headlights.  Good night vision allows you to see more than what’s directly in front of you.  Remember the night driving classes in the Army?  Totally dark inside the cab and you could drive by the light of the moon.

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7 hours ago, atencioee said:

I was thinking about LEDs. However, it's my understanding they aren't dimmable, which I admit has me leaning more towards what was original.

My LEDs dim somewhat with the factory rheostat dimmer knob on my '63. They may not be perfect, but I like them.

 

I up-sized all of my factory bulbs once with 1 candlepower brighter bulbs. That helped some, but I felt the instruments were still too dim.

 

When I went to LEDs, I finally felt like the instruments and controls were clearly visible. I do not find them too bright for night driving. Remember, I went with Warm White.

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You have to be extremely careful using a higher power bulb for something that stays on.

A 194 bulb puts out more wattage so it runs hotter which in turn starts to melt the plastic housings/parts. 

They are OK for lights that aren't on for too long like signals etc.

IF you need brighter look into the LED's mentioned.

Just my thoughts.

 

Tom T.

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I have driven some Buicks with impressive dash lights.

 

One might consider the average age of a new Buick buyer in 1964-65 was about 45 years old. That's right on the edge of bifocals and a bit short of the onset of myopia. But they went off the showroom floor with little complaint.

 

The average age of the Riviera owner today has advanced about 15 years, maybe more. And the electrical connectors and grounds are around 60 years old.

 

Might be the focus shouldn't be so much on the bulbs.

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