help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on dash

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daughertyryan
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help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on dash

Post by daughertyryan »

One of the bulbs that lights up in back of my vent/ac knobs (the three round dials beneath the radio) has gone out. How do I change these bulbs? Tell me it's somehow easier than it looks....
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joatmon
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on dash (daughertyryan)

Post by joatmon »

I don't know how easy it will be. It looks like you have to remove that piece of the console to get access to it. Removing that part is not that difficult, and ragingfish wrote up a good "how to", at http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5940You wouldn't need to remove the entire center console, just the trim panel that covers up the part that the heater controls are mounted on.You may not need to disconnect the 115V outlet wires to be able to access the bulbs back there. I had mine off once, but can't remember what the backside of it looked like or how accessible the bulbs were. I took a quick look at my vibe and don't see any way to access the bulbs without pulling that trim panel.If you are successful pulling the trim panel and replacing the bulb, let us know what worked and what bulb you needed.I don't know if bulbs are covered by warranty, but it's probably easier and quicker to change it out yourself than to try to get warrantyservice on it.
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joatmon
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on dash (joatmon)

Post by joatmon »

Well, I was WRONG when I said :quote:it's probably easier and quicker to change it out yourselfTurns out that once you remove the center knob, take out the one screw, pop off the radio trim, pop off the AC control and shifter trim, you are left looking at a white plastic piece that the HVAC controls are mounted on. You can see two light bulbs, but they are installed from the back of the white plastic piece. You can almost free up the white plastic piece by pressing down (towards the floor) the two white tabs (one on each side) but the control cable for the air direction control keeps the white plastic panel from coming out enough to access the light bulbs. The service manual says to remove all that trim, and then remove the radio, reach in there somehow and disconnect the control cables. Then the white plastic piece can be removed and the light bulbs changed out.The light bulbs look like they install with a 1/4 turn, and if one of mine was already burned out, I'd try turning it from the front so see if I could get it to come out without all that disassembly, but since both of mine are working, I didn't want to risk breaking one, because it sure looks like a pain to change them.So, maybe the easiest thing to do would be to get a dealer to replace it if under warranty.Are light bulbs covered under the warranty?daughertyryan, any update on your bulb status?
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nate66
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on dash (joatmon)

Post by nate66 »

I think bulbs are coverd in the first 12 months or 12,000 miles.
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joatmon
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on dash (daughertyryan)

Post by joatmon »

Ryan, did you ever replace it or get it replaced?
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champcaracing
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on dash (nate66)

Post by champcaracing »

i know toyota covers those for 3/36
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Man up guys

Post by BabyDriver »

I cant believe I am reading a post where more than one person recommends going to a dealer to change your dash light bulb. Covered under warranty??? Come on guys!! Man up and change the little bulb!! I know it means you have to go through alot of aggravation and play with all that plastic ( I just did it ) but.... are we all old ladies on this forum? I just joined cause I just got a vibe. I hope there are some people out there capable of changing a light bulb.Do you guys call a repair man when your light bulb goes out in your kitchen too?
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Post by Wolfman213 »

lol, yes there are. There are ppl that change plenty more than just a bulb, like doing complete LED overhauls, such as the gauge cluster and all other interior bulbs..... Some ppl aren't comfortable with it. Some ppl like to experiment. I like to try things and experiment. But my skills are nowhere near close to someone like joatman. Although he does incredible write up, somethings I probably wouldn't be willing to try. I think I done a pretty decent write up on the gauge cluster LEDs, but that doesn't mean everyone with feel comfortable or confident in doing it. Everyone has their own skillset and comfort level. GVC is not the place to belittle anyone bc their comfort, or lack thereof, in regards to DIY projects regardless of how big or small it may seem to someone else.
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Re: Man up guys (BabyDriver)

Post by joatmon »

Quote, originally posted by BabyDriver »I cant believe I am reading a post where more than one person recommends going to a dealer to change your dash light bulb. Covered under warranty??? Come on guys!! Man up and change the little bulb!! I know it means you have to go through alot of aggravation and play with all that plastic ( I just did it ) but.... are we all old ladies on this forum? Do you guys call a repair man when your light bulb goes out in your kitchen too? You have to rememebr, this thread was from November 2003. Vibes were first sold January 2002, came with a three year waranty. If the bulbs were covered by the warranty, then almost every vibe out there was still under warranty. I dug into mine to see if I could see how to change the bulbs, hit a step that wasn't obvious, and put it back together, not becasue I need to change a bulb, but to see if I could figure it for the original poster. Once I found it wasn't striaghtforward, I thought it might be a better option for some folks to get the dealer to do it if it was free.Subsequently, there was a mechanically able member here who broke his HVAC controls trying to change a bulb, so I still think for some folks having some else change it might be a better option.You said you just went through and changed a bulb in your Vibe. Where are your pictures of the process? Where is your step by step walkthrough?Man up yourself, join in and help out the next person who has to do it.
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ou.grizzly
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Re: Man up guys (BabyDriver)

Post by ou.grizzly »

Quote, originally posted by BabyDriver »I cant believe I am reading a post where more than one person recommends going to a dealer to change your dash light bulb. Covered under warranty??? Come on guys!! Man up and change the little bulb!! I know it means you have to go through alot of aggravation and play with all that plastic ( I just did it ) but.... are we all old ladies on this forum? I just joined cause I just got a vibe. I hope there are some people out there capable of changing a light bulb.Do you guys call a repair man when your light bulb goes out in your kitchen too? Keep up the attitude and it will be lights out for you too... I don't care if you are from MI or not...
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lombard
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on d

Post by lombard »

Just resurrecting this old thread.

My lights have been intermittently working for a while now. Today I decided to remove the bulbs, clean the contacts, and reinstall them. Found out that even though they are installed from the rear, they are very easy to remove from the front (you can push the locking tabs on them to rotate the whole bulb assembly, then reach in and catch/remove them from the rear, assuming you removed the radio as well). Unfortunately, I also found that they are very easy to drop and lose. I'll be visiting the ex-pontiac dealer close to home this week to see about ordering new ones. Strangely, I've gone to several online parts sites that I have used to order OEM parts before and can't seem to find any part numbers for these bulbs.
lombard
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on d

Post by lombard »

Well, I'm finally getting around to updating this thread again. Got a couple of new bulbs (GM Part Number 88970578) for about $20 each. What a ridiculous price!

Anyway, like I said earlier, these bulbs install from the rear and lock in place via a quarter turn. After fumbling around for quite some time (and having realized there's no practical way to remove the HVAC control panel) I came to the conclusion that I was going to have to get creative with my tooling.

I discovered that my 3/16" flat screw driver fit snugly enough in the slot on the back side of the bulb to hold it relatively securely to get it in place and lock it in. Unfortunately, it was too long to maneuver behind the HVAC panel in the dash, so I had to modify it slightly...

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ColonelPanic
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on d

Post by ColonelPanic »

I'll be giving this a shot again soon... Picked up 4 bulbs from Toyota, P/N 90072-02005, a bit less than $13 after tax. I have an intermittent outage on the left bulb, the right still works but both will be replaced while I have it opened up.

Bought the extra two for spares in case of dropping one. The rear defrost light is out, I'm curious to see what type of bulb is in there - if any luck this will work (anybody know for sure?) I think this is the same bulb in the A/C and recirc switch (though it needs the red condom) which has also been problematic for us on occasion.

Last time I attempted this years ago, the biggest problem was getting some sort of screwdriver back there to push in and turn the bulbs into the HVAC control. I picked up a right angle ratcheting screwdriver from Harbor Freight (#92630), will see if this helps matters any. Stay tuned.

Wish me luck, this job SUCKS...
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dannyboy
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on dash

Post by dannyboy »

I realize this is an old thread but I thought I'd post for anyone else who happens to need help with this. After much searching after I "accidently" killed one of these bulbs trying to figure out what kind they were and if they could be replaced with LEDs, I found that they are NEO 4 type bulbs, normally used in old radios and such. Superbrightleds.com sells led versions for a little over $2 each. https://www.superbrightleds.com/search/ ... o%20wedge/
They are a pain-in-the-you-know-what to remove and replace but I found putting some sticky double sided tape on a pair of tweezers helped a lot. Also like lombard said they are very easy to drop and lose so keep your hand or a piece of paper under the HVAC controls.
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Lancer521
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on dash

Post by Lancer521 »

dannyboy wrote:I realize this is an old thread but I thought I'd post for anyone else who happens to need help with this. After much searching after I "accidently" killed one of these bulbs trying to figure out what kind they were and if they could be replaced with LEDs, I found that they are NEO 4 type bulbs, normally used in old radios and such. Superbrightleds.com sells led versions for a little over $2 each. https://www.superbrightleds.com/search/ ... o%20wedge/
They are a pain-in-the-you-know-what to remove and replace but I found putting some sticky double sided tape on a pair of tweezers helped a lot. Also like lombard said they are very easy to drop and lose so keep your hand or a piece of paper under the HVAC controls.

Is any modification required to use the LED bulbs that you posted about? I'm thinking of ordering 2 but I don't want to open it up and realize that I have the wrong bulb or that I'm not prepared to modify anything.
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A Psycho Martyr
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Re: help! how to change light bulb for vent/ac display on dash

Post by A Psycho Martyr »

Not sure if this is relevant here or not,
seems like most here know how to get this far into removal.

Just thought I'd post in the event someone comes here in search of how to

https://youtu.be/ECHAoRYZXJY
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