radio backlight

[Dan54669]

The radio backlight on my 2000 Montana has gone dark on approx. 25% on the dial. Anyone know of a fix for it other then total radio replacement? Thx

[carlosf]

Same model same year same problem anyone with ideas on how to fix this? Thanks in advance

[morpwr8]

Me too! The first 2 - 3 digits of the time are almost impossible to see in the daylight and it's very frustrating. Didn't know how much I looked at the clock until now... :-)

[tmorris1]

I had this happen and had to replace the radio. Luckily it was under warranty.

[MethodMan420]

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=202958
Hope this helps if not feel free to PM or reply on here for further help.

Oh it just hit me that you may not have this radio you have the newer version they call DE100. For this is a more complicated matter which i may be little to no assistance.

[catesja]

Originally Posted by tmorris1

I had this happen and had to replace the radio. Luckily it was under warranty.

Well....corvetteradios.com can sell you replacement bulbs, however, they are not that easy to replace. I tried and blew the circuit and now no matter what I do I get no display. You have to pull the face plate off the radio to do the repair/replacement. First you wantto take the stereo out, but not unplugged. Flip it over and remove the lower plate by sliding it off. Then unplug the wires to the face plate carefully. Then take the face plate off and unbolt the circuit board carefully. Then you can de-solder and re-solder the new bulbs. Be very carefull or you will end up like me and needing a new radio!!

Jeff

[jlkoch]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW


Ebay item #2473882015
I bought this and had my backlight repaired in 20 minutes.

Slick as a whistle.
Justin

[catesja]

Originally Posted by jlkoch

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW


Ebay item #2473882015
I bought this and had my backlight repaired in 20 minutes.

Slick as a whistle.
Justin

As long as you have an older easy bulb replaceable radio. The newer radios all have soldered bulbs rather than simple plug and play bulbs. This was thought to be the case in my radio until futher investigation found that the 2000 and up Montanas have a different radio and a different bulb system. The lowest quote i got was about $150 for the repair. Had it been the other style the cost would have been $45. Be certain that they will repair the newer style before bidding!

[ruiterman]

I also had this happen to my radio in my 2000 Pontiac Montana. At first I had the left 1/3rd of the display go blank and then about a month later, the rest of the display went away.

I just completed the repair myself last night. For the 2000 Montana, there are 3 backlighting bulbs that are soldered in. I also didn't know how to find these bulbs, so I replaced each bulb with 3 white phosphorus LEDs for a total of 9 LEDs. This should make it last forever. I didn't get the brightness as good as the incandesint bulbs, but it does work and I can read the display. It also doesn't dim very well, but again, it works.

The biggest advice I would have to anyone doing this repair is to replace all the bulbs, even it some are not burned out, they will all likely burn out at somewhat the same time and it is much easier to relace them now, rather than wait until later and have to tear the whole radio down again.

[catesja]

Radio Shack has some bulbs. I tore my entire radio apart to trace blown stuff, and did an all out re-solder on a few trails on the board, replaced some wires, and bought these Radio Shack bulbs 272-1141. They have a rather long tail to them, but this is ok as you can cut to size what you want. They also don't position very well as mine seemed to shift to the bottom of the display, but I can now read all of the display. They cost around $1.29ea. You will need 3 as I suggest also replacing all 3 at the sametime to avoid having to tear it all apart again.

If you want the frosted direct replacements you need to contact Al Wilson at corvetteradios.com. Last time I talked to him he was out of stock, but I would take a guess that he could sell you all 3 for under $20 with shipping.

I also don't recommend buying a used radio off ebay or a junkyard. I tried that and got a letter from GM about why they don't work and can't be unlocked. Here is the reply:

Dear Mr. Cates,

Good evening! We had the opportunity to speak to the dealership who advised that they were not able to unlock the radio. The THEFTLOCK is designed to discourage theft of your radio. The feature works automatically by learning a portion of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). If the radio is moved or installed to a different vehicle, it will not operate and LOCKED will be displayed. This also happens with used or refurbished radios that might be purchased from wrecking yards or auctions on the internet. The new RDS (Radio Databus Service) radios can not be unlocked. With THEFTLOCK activated, your radio will not operate if stolen.

The dealership advises that you may need to get a new radio. Please contact the parts department for further details and pricing.

If you should need to contact us in the future, simply reply to this message or call our Pontiac Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-762-2737. Customer Relationship Managers are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Please provide your service request number 1-212423360, in all contacts.

Again, thank you for contacting Pontiac.

Sincerely,


Maria Dacosta
Customer Relationship Manager
Pontiac Customer Assistance Center

For more information regarding the maintenance and care of your vehicle, please visit www.pontiac.com/owners. This free online service offers vehicle and ownership-related information and tools tailored to your specific Pontiac.

[hazeldell]

I own a 98 Montana, and quite frankly what idiot would want to syeal this piece of garbage. The radio is a dud period. Just had to vent.

[chris_eitniear]

Here is a good explanation of how to change those pesky bulbs. The directions in the initial post are quite detailed and very accurate, right down to dropping the buttons all over the floor.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=446329

I did this fix in about 2 hours. However, the bulbs, I wouldn't try to use leds as recommended in the initial post, you can use the incandescent bulbs linked further in the topic; they work fairly well. I will tell you that after I did the fix, I found, of all things, 12 volt christmas tree lights (the small ones) at Walmart for 97 cents for 10 of them. Not too sure if they're small enough to fit in the space you'll need to put them in, but for 97 cents, can you go wrong?

[1999montana]

Originally Posted by chris_eitniear

...I will tell you that after I did the fix, I found, of all things, 12 volt christmas tree lights (the small ones) at Walmart for 97 cents for 10 of them. Not too sure if they're small enough to fit in the space you'll need to put them in, but for 97 cents, can you go wrong?...

You're quite right about the ease of replacement.

And a SMALL 25/40 watt soldering iron is a must as mentioned in the post. Too big, and you fry everything.

I found some grain of wheat lamps (literally!) at a hobby store (8 for 7 dollars) used in HO scale railroading to light street lights and such.

They are rated to maximum 18 volts and work quite well.


"Happy Thanksgiving to all" - Pass the cranberry sauce please!

.

[catesja]

I just re-did my radio display lights, this time I found a different bulb at Radioshack, and I must say it now looks stock and the display is great.

Here is the link and the part number with current price as of 1-10-06 in Oregon.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...tId=2103780&cp

272-1092 CP $1.49
You get 2 in a package, so you will be best off replacing all 3 lights so you need to packages.


I once considered repairing these radios as a hobby and charging $50 for a repair job (included return shipping, parts, and time) But figured most people with a little knowledge in electronics can figure it out and have it done in under 1 hour.

Jeff