Climate panel lights

[josephvman]

I've read a few threads on this but damn if I can figure out how to get these bulbs to stay in the "tubes" at the rear of the panel. I started with shrink wrap on the bulb housings, and they were still too loose. I added another layer of shrink wrap and now too thick. I noticed one of my bulbs had electrical tape on the housing, presumably from a previous owner who had the same issue.

Any tricks to this that I'm missing? The last thing I want to do is pull the panel out. I made the mistake of pulling the rubber housing/bulb holder out of the ashtray assembly, which took my twenty minutes and strings of words that even shocked me!

I had the string of bulbs just pushed back behind the panel, but seeing how hot they get I decided to pull them out of their housings until I have a plan to get this fixed.

[jac1976]

This is a common pain in the ass. I’ve pulled my panel face (which had already broken from both tabs) and am cleaning up the assembly. Try loosening the assembly from the single bolt at the bulkhead and pulling it further into the cabin. My plan is to use Sugru to keep the sockets from backing out of the tubes that, like most, have deformed from heat cycling.

[josephvman]

Were you planning on just putting the Sugru at the base of the bulb assembly and just pressing it around the back of the holder once you push the bulb assembly in? I'm not familiar with Sugru until I googled it. Does it setup pretty quickly? How firm does it set over time, and do you think you can pull the bulb assembly back out if you need to change a burned bulb?

Originally Posted by jac1976

This is a common pain in the ass. I’ve pulled my panel face (which had already broken from both tabs) and am cleaning up the assembly. Try loosening the assembly from the single bolt at the bulkhead and pulling it further into the cabin. My plan is to use Sugru to keep the sockets from backing out of the tubes that, like most, have deformed from heat cycling.

[Mysterytrain]

I replaced mine with LED's. It was awhile back so I really don't remember how I secured them in the holders. What you don't want to do is create a heat issue by sealing up the holders with incandescent bulbs in place.

[josephvman]

Ron, that crossed my mind as well. It's surprising how hot those bulbs get. The main reason I want them back in the holders is so they don't melt anything else under the dash. I think maybe I'll just switch to LED bulbs and just position the lights behind the panel so they illuminate through.

Originally Posted by Mysterytrain

I replaced mine with LED's. It was awhile back so I really don't remember how I secured them in the holders. What you don't want to do is create a heat issue by sealing up the holders with incandescent bulbs in place.

[Tony V]

I had the same issue with my bulb holders. I switched to led bulbs but they were still loose. With the bulb inserted, I put a wide tie-wrap around the socket and used a heat gut to soften the socket while tightening the tie- strap. Did the job. It was a lot easier since I had the unit on my work bench.

[jac1976]

Originally Posted by josephvman

Were you planning on just putting the Sugru at the base of the bulb assembly and just pressing it around the back of the holder once you push the bulb assembly in? I'm not familiar with Sugru until I googled it. Does it setup pretty quickly? How firm does it set over time, and do you think you can pull the bulb assembly back out if you need to change a burned bulb?

I plan to switch to LED for the heat issue and then form the Sugru around the tube where the bulb is inserted.

[josephvman]

Please let me know where you sourced the LED bulbs. I understand some don't have the correct contact points for the holder and will short.

Originally Posted by jac1976

I plan to switch to LED for the heat issue and then form the Sugru around the tube where the bulb is inserted.