Bulbs for Rear Def/Rear Window/Antenna Switches

[85crownHPP]

are they really different??? thats odd... I guess becuase they are a different type of switch. Those bulbs look just like what I pulled out of my defrost switch though. No power antenna on mine...

Only thing I can tell you is to try and find the right donor switch. I tried to fit an LED into mine, but the LED was too big to let the socket go in all the way. I was using 5mm, I bet a 3mm would work better.

[86VickyLX]

Found an Aero Vic in the boneyard, grabbed the antenna switch, and tried it. It didn't light up either, but I got a good picture of the bulbs.
The one on the right has one of those bulb caps on it for some reason, I guess to color the light on the switch. In any case, It ripped when I tried to pull it off.

I wanna say, that if those bulbs don't look burnt out, I'm thinking it may be the wiring or some dumbass fuse. Is there anything else in the car not lighting up?

[91waggin]

I wanna say, that if those bulbs don't look burnt out, I'm thinking it may be the wiring or some dumbass fuse. Is there anything else in the car not lighting up?

No, all my fuses and shit are good. And I believe the last time I was messing around with it I still had 12v at the bulb contacts.

[91waggin]

are they really different??? thats odd... I guess becuase they are a different type of switch. Those bulbs look just like what I pulled out of my defrost switch though. No power antenna on mine...

Only thing I can tell you is to try and find the right donor switch. I tried to fit an LED into mine, but the LED was too big to let the socket go in all the way. I was using 5mm, I bet a 3mm would work better.

There are two little ones on the sides of the antenna switch and a slightly bigger one on the bottom of the defrost switch. They are two different types of switches. There's a big-ass box (possibly a relay) on the back of the defrost switch. That one works on my car, it's just the antenna switch that doesn't. I checked, and the rear window switch doesn't even light up.

So I'm pretty good with electrical theory, and I know how to solder, etc, etc, but I've never really worked with LED's. Can I just go get some little 3mm ones from Radio Shack or something and try putting them on the sockets? 'Cuz it seems like the socket and the bulb are pretty well attached to each other. What kind of LED should I use? Are there special ones for 12v or what's the deal?

Edit: Thanks for your help, btw. I'm sure this is a piddly little detail you really don't care about. But, hey, I figure, if it's there, it oughta work right, right?

[CheeseSteakJim]

Could it be a 194 bulb? I seem to remember the local Ford dealership having trouble finding replacement bulbs for an instrument cluster, but my work had a huge supply of them. If I remember I'll check out our stock of automotive light bulbs for anything similar tomorrow.

[86VickyLX]

they're too small to be 194s

[85crownHPP]

yes, you can just put the LED in the socket and bend the leads around the socket contacts like the original bulb, but you will need to wire in an appropriate resistor in series into the illumination wire for the switch. You have to use the specs of the LED to get the right resistor.
I cant vouch for how well the light spread will be in the switch though... the LEDs are very directional and I havent tried this myself. I wish I had the time to do more fun stuff like this...

[91waggin]

yes, you can just put the LED in the socket and bend the leads around the socket contacts like the original bulb, but you will need to wire in an appropriate resistor in series into the illumination wire for the switch. You have to use the specs of the LED to get the right resistor.
I cant vouch for how well the light spread will be in the switch though... the LEDs are very directional and I havent tried this myself. I wish I had the time to do more fun stuff like this...

It's not like I do lol. I probably won't be able to do a damn thing for a couple weeks yet. Finals are upon us.

[CheeseSteakJim]

I think those are 37's. I looked in our bin of automotive lightbulbs and those are the most common for instrument panel lighting. Pull it out of that little blue socket and see if you can find somewhere on it that says "37" or "T37".

Bad picture I know, but once out of the socket do they look like this: http://www.weisd.com/store2/EIK37.jpg

Your local autoparts store should have them, but if they don't I can send you a few.

[91waggin]

I think those are 37's. I looked in our bin of automotive lightbulbs and those are the most common for instrument panel lighting. Pull it out of that little blue socket and see if you can find somewhere on it that says "37" or "T37".

Bad picture I know, but once out of the socket do they look like this: http://www.weisd.com/store2/EIK37.jpg

Your local autoparts store should have them, but if they don't I can send you a few.

That's part of the problem. I don't think they come out of the sockets, and I don't think they have a wedge base.

[CheeseSteakJim]

Buh? It's gotta come outta that socket somehow... might as well try to pull one out. If you break it it's not gonna make a difference since they're dead anyway. I swear to God my Town Car has these same ones behind the idiot lights, socket and everything... I swear you can take them out of the socket. This is almost perplexing enough for me to rip apart my dash and look for myself.

[91waggin]

I would swear to god that the socket and the bulb are one thing together, but I could be wrong. Won't find out for a couple more weeks until school gets out most likely, but if you really feel so inclined to pull apart your dash just for me, I'd be much obliged.

[86VickyLX]

May I ask why you are putting LEDs in those switches? Sounds like a waste of time and money to put LEDs in those switches.

[86VickyLX]

Buh? It's gotta come outta that socket somehow... might as well try to pull one out. If you break it it's not gonna make a difference since they're dead anyway. I swear to God my Town Car has these same ones behind the idiot lights, socket and everything... I swear you can take them out of the socket. This is almost perplexing enough for me to rip apart my dash and look for myself.

The ones in the instrument panel you can. Those are 194s, they come out of the little black sockets so you can replace the bulbs. they pull right out no problem. If the ones in the defroster switch is 194s, then it would match the one that lights up the glove box.

[91waggin]

May I ask why you are putting LEDs in those switches? Sounds like a waste of time and money to put LEDs in those switches.

It was just one solution offered. All I want is for the damn switch to light up, and the bulbs are unlike anything I've ever seen.




And no, they're not 194s. I dunno if you can tell from the picture, but the bulbs themselves are about the size of a pea. That's why I put the antenna switch in there for comparison. They have nothing to do with the instrument cluster. Or the glove box.