ac control bulb

[thejman3]

hey guys does the ac panel supposed to light up at night? i'm thinking yes, if so i have a bad bulb. i have a 96 tsport. also for those with audio controls on the steering wheel do the small buttons supposed to light up to?
thanks guys.

[Jrs3800]

So you bought that 96 TransSport... Cool

Yes the steering wheel controls should light up as well as the HVAC buttons..

I had to remove the HVAC button pod on my van and replace 3 of the bulbs... I would have done all 4 but the shack only had 3...Grrrrrrr

I have also replaced the bulbs on the steering wheel controls..

Not a great pic but you get the idea... That was right after I fixed them..

[thejman3]

thanks for the reply jrs, looks like i have more work to do lol. yeah i bought it, got her for $900 she was a one owner all her life, driven buy a older guy who had every receipt of oil changes, tranny flushes, plugs ,wires, and already rebuild the tranny once and intake gaskets...other than needing a good cleaning and a few other small things here and there she runs like new.

i had the hvac pod out today and didn't see any bulb sockets, so i guess they are inside? and how do i change out the bulbs on the steering wheel? i guess its a solder job? it will have to be fixed i cannot stand a light to be out lol.

[thejman3]

also what size was the bulbs?
thanks

[thejman3]

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...howFullReviews

i think i found them, people say they fit the audio controls and hvac pod, also my radio at night does not show the stations or time so i guess it needs these bulbs to?

man, the solder gun will be busy today....

[Jrs3800]

I believe that is what I used...

The HVAC control head will have to be take apart, you will have to keep the buttons in order tho... You will see the bulbs once you get it apart.. Its a bit of a PITA to replace the bulbs but it can be done..lol

Is this the head unit you have? Notice the HVAC Pod is Dim.. Thats what it looked like with one bulb functioning... Looks much better now..lol

[thejman3]

the radio i'm not to worried about as i will go aftermarket, just have to get that adapter so i wont lose the audio controls on the steering wheel. but i have to get the lights in the HVAC pod and wheels controls to work again.

i already bought the bulbs from radio shack and also a small pencil tip for my solder gun, this will be my first time using solder remover so we will see how it goes lol.

[Jrs3800]

I intend to do the Aftermarket Stereo as well.. At one point i had one in the van and had the Steering wheel control adaptor hooked up... Had some issues with it and decided to put the Head Unit into my 95 Bonneville.. The sound quality from the head unit in the van was quite good as it was very customizable... I had a JVC with Circle Surround, HD radio.. On and on.. Loved the sound quality.. I install that into my 95 Bonneville and am going to use a 4 channel ( 60w per channel @ 4 Ohms ) 240w amp to get a little more out of the system..

The funny part about the vans is that the rear hatch actually has the openings for 6x9's and the 6" speakers at the upper part of the hatch..

I have cut out the plastic trim cover and installed 6x9's in mine.. The low notes at times a a little too low.. I have thought about using components for the 6" speakers and just getting rid of the 6x9's..

If you get the aftermarket head unit get something that allows you to seriously customize the varying sound fields..

[thejman3]

i didn't know about the 6x9 cutouts back there. i have a brand new set of sony 6x9's in the garage just collecting dust might as well throw those in there, the factory speakers have to be beat to death anyway. i always do the aftermarket receivers in all my vehicles as GM radios have a habit of falling apart anyway. i looked a little today i would like to have one that would light up red to match everything else. but that hard to find, now everything is blue. a few older sony and jvc models light up red. might just find one of those cheap. plus newer receivers have the usb port that you can put a couple hundred songs on a small flash drive and do away with cd's.

i took the HVAC pod out today,and installed a 10''roof mount flip down dvd player for the kids. im real happy with how it turned out i mounted it right behind the factory overhead console on the plastic trim and it looks like a factory unit. and it keeps the boys quiet lol. i also have a single 12'' kicker sub and a audiobahn amp for the days of driving alone ..now just have to fix those bulbs...

by the way jrs how do you get the audio controls on the steering wheel out?

[Jrs3800]

Yeah I have the 6x9's back there and I have a set of JVC 6.5" speakers back there too..

They still make JVC's that have the red lit buttons, I am thinking about getting one... There is also a unit that has the red Backlit display.. And I like the idea of a USB port as well as an MP3 CD with a ton of songs on it...lol

But I really liked that Circle Surround, sounds bad in the back but great to the driver( can easily be turned off )... Can't seem to find them with Circle Surround anymore.. And I love the HD Tuner as I have HD stations here Near Orlando..


The Steering Wheel controls are simply pried out of the steering wheel.. They will be a PITA to plug back in tho... Once plugged in they are simply pushed back into the steering wheel..

[thejman3]

so just a small one way screwdriver and take my time pulling it out of the wheel? good i was praying that i didn't have to take the whole wheel off.

[Jrs3800]

Yeah just get the flat screwdriver in the side of the controls between the wheel and the body of the switch pod... Pry gently... The pod should come out, you will then see a small connector on the back of the Pod.... The Pod will be a tad better than 1" Deep iirc..

[thejman3]

got everything out will start the bulb swap tomorrow.

[thejman3]

got everything done and put back. works and looks great. thanks jrs for your help.

also i noticed something last night when driving, when i would get behind another vehicle and hit the brake pedal my headlight's would flicker or dim just for a split second and my battery guage would drop? could be the battery or alternator, or just a loose or dirty battery ground? just wondering if anyone has had to deal with this before.
thanks

[Jrs3800]

Clean both cables first.... Its ok to have a momentary drop, as long as it comes back up right away...

Cables first, if you still have an issue check the output of the alternator..