Need HELP removing trim

[GringoPete]

I need to cheack/replace bulbs for the buttons on the heater/ A.C. Control panel as the buttons no longer illuminate.

Does anybody know how to access this?

[spinne1]

Step one is to tell the year of your car. Step two is to tell the exact kind of AC control unit you have. A picture is preferred. Then, someone can help you.

However, the answer may be that the unit itself needs replacing instead of the lights. Next, the lights are not easily replaceable if they are anything like mine on my 92s. They are permanently soldered and glued in place if I remember correctly. They are tiny little light bulbs with two fragile wires coming out of them.

[pcmos]

That is correct, I have sucessfully replaced those tiny bulbs before in both my 2000 and recently in my 2004 LeSabre. Unfortunately it is fast becoming very difficult to get hold of the tiny bulbs which used to be sold at radio shack. I havn't been able to find them there recently. They're soldered directly to the circuit board built into the climate module and they also have a small green rubber cap pushed over them which gives them the proper color. Before you attempt to desolder them from the board you need to try and carefully pull that cap off to prevent it from getting destroyed by the heat of the solder action. If you can rescue the bulb cap you can push it over the new bulb once it is properly soldered into its place on the board.

Unfortunately I can't offer any advice on taking apart you're pre-00 dash to get at the climate module although i would suspect its probably pretty easy. My 2000 and 2004 dash is really simple to get apart, the hardest part is just making sure the clips don't fall back into the guts of the dash. I also used some adhesive felt that I purchased at michael's craft store to run along the edges of all the plastic panels where they meet to prevent creaks and rattles after re-assembly. Once the panel clips are disassembled they will never be as tight as they were the first time when the car was built, and I found out the hard way that once you have worked on the dash panels you end up with a very noisy dash after that.

What I can tell you for sure is that if you actually get the new bulbs soldered they tend to last as well or better than the originals. I have never been forced to replace the same bulb twice in the life of the car. I also run my dash lamps dimmer now that I know they tend to burn out. I've even successfully replaced them inside the steering wheel control buttons, which proved quite difficult to disassemble as they're never meant to be taken apart.

[pcmos]

FYI the bulbs i typically use as replacements are radio shack part # 272-1154.

I believe the climate bulbs are physically larger but I was able to use the slightly smaller radio shack bulbs anyway, the larger bulb cap fits well over the white plastic base on the replacement radio shack bulb.

Also when I mentioned using the adhesive felt, i should say it comes in standard 8.5 x 11 sheets at michaels, and i opted for black. I just used scissors to cut thin strips to stick around all the edges of the dash panels on reassembly and I've since used the same method to fix a number of creaks and rattles in the dash system.

[GringoPete]

Originally Posted by spinne1

Step one is to tell the year of your car. Step two is to tell the exact kind of AC control unit you have. A picture is preferred. Then, someone can help you.

However, the answer may be that the unit itself needs replacing instead of the lights. Next, the lights are not easily replaceable if they are anything like mine on my 92s. They are permanently soldered and glued in place if I remember correctly. They are tiny little light bulbs with two fragile wires coming out of them.

98 Custom with regular ac/heater controls. No digital climate control or dual climate control. Basic box with leavers on the left and pus buttons on the right.

[GringoPete]

Originally Posted by pcmos

FYI the bulbs i typically use as replacements are radio shack part # 272-1154.

I believe the climate bulbs are physically larger but I was able to use the slightly smaller radio shack bulbs anyway, the larger bulb cap fits well over the white plastic base on the replacement radio shack bulb.

Also when I mentioned using the adhesive felt, i should say it comes in standard 8.5 x 11 sheets at michaels, and i opted for black. I just used scissors to cut thin strips to stick around all the edges of the dash panels on reassembly and I've since used the same method to fix a number of creaks and rattles in the dash system.

Are these the bulbs you are talking about?[/quote]


Are these the bulb you are talking about? http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...54#%20272-1154

[GringoPete]

Originally Posted by GringoPete

Are these the bulbs you are talking about?

Are these the bulb you are talking about? http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...54#%20272-1154[/quote]


P.S. How many bulbs does the button control module require? Is it 1 per button?

[GringoPete]

So does anyone know how to pop the buttons off the control unit to replace the bulbs?

[GringoPete]

Someone please help

[GringoPete]

Ok, I was able to pick up 6 of these bulbs today. Does anyone know how many bulbs in total are behind the buttons? Is it one bulb per button ?

[imidazol97]

Originally Posted by GringoPete

Ok, I was able to pick up 6 of these bulbs today. Does anyone know how many bulbs in total are behind the buttons? Is it one bulb per button ?

I've not had one apart. Guys in the Bonneville groups regularly are replacing the lights in theirs. There was an ebay seller with bulbs for Delco. I don't know if I have it linked or not.

The wood faux plastic trim just pulls out with friction clips. I think you can get to the 4 screws holding the AC controls there. It just comes out.

[GringoPete]

Originally Posted by imidazol97

I've not had one apart. Guys in the Bonneville groups regularly are replacing the lights in theirs. There was an ebay seller with bulbs for Delco. I don't know if I have it linked or not.

The wood faux plastic trim just pulls out with friction clips. I think you can get to the 4 screws holding the AC controls there. It just comes out.

My question is.....How do you get access to the circuit board behind the buttons? Thats where the bulbs are soldered in.

Mayby I'll just bring it to my mechanic and have him put them in.

Thanks for your help.

[spinne1]

Originally Posted by GringoPete

My question is.....How do you get access to the circuit board behind the buttons? Thats where the bulbs are soldered in.

Mayby I'll just bring it to my mechanic and have him put them in.

Thanks for your help.

You take apart the AC control module. As for replacing the bulbs, mechanics would not do that in this case. They would replace the whole unit. Resoldering tiny wires to a circuit board for "non-replaceable" light bulbs would not fall under the normal work load of a mechanic.

[GringoPete]

Originally Posted by spinne1

You take apart the AC control module. As for replacing the bulbs, mechanics would not do that in this case. They would replace the whole unit. Resoldering tiny wires to a circuit board for "non-replaceable" light bulbs would not fall under the normal work load of a mechanic.

I had already asked him last week if he'd do it and he said sure, just bring it in.

I didnt realize that the whole control unit had to be removed from the dash and opened up. I just thought that there was a way to pop the buttons out and replace the bulbs. Boy, GM has really made this difficult

[GringoPete]

Ok, I was able to pull the imitation wood grain trim out from the dash but the screws still are not exposed. Looks like i have to take the entire black plastic facing off the dash

It didnt seem to want to come off very easily and i wa afraid of cracking it. I did notice that there was a screw holding it in (close to the passenger side door) . But that looked like a torque head screw

Now i need to buy a torque driver set.