Dash panel swap on '95 ski

[Tommy Sewall]

I am working on switching the old dash panel out on a '95 ski, I have it almost completely loose but there are little indicator lights that will not come out. I have tried twisting them and pulling but nothing seems to work. Any ideas? has anyone done this replacement before?

[a0128]

Looks similar to a push-on starlock washer. You will probably need to pry them back from the dash and cut them off. Given how rusty they are I would think they will cut easily.

[Tommy Sewall]

I finished the swap today. Ended having to cut all 20 wires and put them back together for the lights. It took a while but it looks good.

[OrlandoNautique]

Anybody do this swap as well? I too am having the problem with the red indicator lights and the clips in mine look like those in Tommy's picture - all rusted. Wondering if there is any way to replace the panel without having to cut any wires??? Thanks.

[NautiqueJeff]

I replaced the one on my '98 Ski Nautique. I had to cut the wires too unfortunately.

[OrlandoNautique]

NautiqueJeff - sorry for all the questions, but I'm not so familiar with Nautique repair. I bought the replacement panel thinking I could just unscrew the old one and swap it out. I also bought the new radio panel and that one took me like 3 hours to swap out b/c the way the radio had been put in . . .

What did you do about the clips? Mine are rusted like those above in the picture. Did you get new ones, and if so, where?
Are the clips the only thing holding in the lights?
So you cut each of the light wires (2 for each light, correct?) and then just spliced them back together?
Were you able to do it without taking the dash pod off? (mine is a bit fragile already so the less I mess with it, the better)
I was wondering if I bought all new lights if they plug in or something as some I've seen online come with connectors (mniboats) while others don't (nautiqueparts).
But, none of the new lights say they come with the clips . .. so I'm not sure what to try and do . . . or just return the dash panel

Any information is much appreciated. Thank you and Happy New Year !

[Emmett@Norman]

I'm in the same situation with the indicator lights. I had to cut all of those clips. Has anyone been able to find a suitable replacement?

[Emmett@Norman]

I dropped off my dash shell at a friend's restoration shop because I don't have a clue how to repair plastic. I asked him about the retainer clips that hold the indicator lights, he said he'd look into it. He just shot me a photo of what he found, they might overlap a bit since the indicators are so close but I'm going to give it a shot. It'll be a few weeks before I get the dash together, but I will let ya'll know how these work.

[OrlandoNautique]

I dropped off my dash shell at a friend's restoration shop because I don't have a clue how to repair plastic. I asked him about the retainer clips that hold the indicator lights, he said he'd look into it. He just shot me a photo of what he found, they might overlap a bit since the indicators are so close but I'm going to give it a shot. It'll be a few weeks before I get the dash together, but I will let ya'll know how these work.

Emmett@Norman - just wondering if you got things finished up and how it turned out. Did the clips work? What did you use to splice all the wires back together?
Thanks.

[Emmett@Norman]

OrlandoNautique,
The clips worked great, for a second I was afraid they would overlap but they fit perfectly. Here's a photo of the back of the panel.

[OrlandoNautique]

OrlandoNautique,
The clips worked great, for a second I was afraid they would overlap but they fit perfectly. Here's a photo of the back of the panel.

Emmett@Norman - thanks for the picture and info. Did you end up having to cut all the wires? I can't really tell from the picture. Thanks!

[Emmett@Norman]

OrlandoNautique,
Yes I had to cut all the wires. There's no way to get the indicator lights out without cutting them. I was careful to not cut any more than necessary and there was plenty of wire left over. The ground side of the indicator lights group together in groups of 3-4 and combine further as they connect back to the 'chassis ground' on the wiring harness. As things get shorter you have opportunity with the main ground to extend wires closer to the switch panel.

In the end, the previous 3 folks that modified my wiring had done some really bazar things to make it work. The stereo power wiring was connected through the heater switch for example. With all that cleaning up to do, cutting some wires was the least of my worries.

[OrlandoNautique]

Emmett@Norman - thank you for the follow up information. I bought the replacement panel thinking I could just unscrew the old one and swap it out, but I should have known it couldn't be that easy. I'm not keen on cutting everything, but maybe someday I'll give it a go. Have a great week.