Shogun Sport Compass Bulb [s] Removal and Refitting
Shogun Sport compass bulb replacement, this one comes up quite a lot and while a bit fiddly, it’s an easy job. Older generation Shoguns [including the Shogun Sport offered a ‘tri gauge’ which in the Sport variant has an electronic compass in the center. We actually find the compass pretty useful especially driving around the Spanish campo exploring tracks – sometimes you need to know which direction you are going in!
You would think that changing the bulbs would be a simple affair with bulbs simply back lighting each gauge, this is the case with the oil pressure/battery gauges but the compass has different bulbs and there are also two of them.
Tri Gauge Removal
To remove the pod from the dashboard prize off the rear half – this is simply clipped on but it is best to use a plastic pry bar or similar as to not damage the dashboard.
To remove the front half of the unit there are two screws, one each side – remove these and the unit will become free.
Finally, separate the connector/wiring harness.
At this stage it is better to have a clean well lit work surface as there are quite a few parts and ten thousand small screws to remove. First up are the screws which hold the grey outer shell or the front half of the dash pod.
Once this is removed begin removing the screws that hold the clear plastic facia in front of the dials – this will free the facia itself as well as the black surrounds for the left and right dials.
To replace the bulbs for the battery/oil gauges locate the wires to back of each gauge and twist – the bulb holder will slide out.
Replacing Shogun Sport Compass Bulb
The compass is different – while it is possible to change the Shogun sport compass bulb without taking the back off the unit it is way easier to unclip the white back from the black front [there are 3 clips], this allows easier access to the bulbs which are located inside the unit and are connected via the circuit board itself. Be careful separating these two plastic pieces as you get the feeling something might crack…
You will need a flat head screwdriver to get at them. If you are doing a straight swap then get original Mitsubishi bulbs – we bought T4,2 LED’s and while they are the right size the plastic fitment is off slightly meaning they won’t stay in place.
In our case we tested the connections and it looks like the board is shot so while the compass works perfectly it just does not illuminate which annoys me a great deal! Second hand units can be had for around €40,00 but obviously not a priority at this stage, it is however still on the jobs list for a later date. Interestingly, not many Shogun sport or ‘Montero sport’ models here in Spain have the tri pod instrument cluster on the dash so it looks like sourcing a unit from the UK.
UPDATE:
Having taken a closer look at the unit I decided that genuine bulbs were going to be the way to go and worth the risk of €16.00 for a pair….
The part code you need is MR283314
The bulbs are expensive for what they are, we purchased ours on ebay and while there were cheaper suppliers out there it was the whole import and availability issue that made us settle on a UK seller [we had friends coming to Spain so avoided import tax and customs which is taking 6-8 months].
Bulbs fitted with no issues as you would expect from an OEM part, remember to turn on the ignition as the compass light comes on automatically when you start the engine. They are a bit of a fiddle to to get lined up but once they are its a quarter turn with the screwdriver and ther are in.
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