the bulb should have either two 'detents' at the bottom the barrel end..or one detent at bottom and one further up..make sure you're replacing with the same style or else they really won't go in. otherwise, it's just a push in and quarter turn. come on doug..dig deep down..YOU CAN DO THIS! ;) (rocky soundtrack theme in background blares)
ryan

:D

The bulbs I got have two detents, as you call them. I seem to get an 1/8th of a turn, but not the full quarter. I know this isn't hard, but somehow I'm making it that way.... :rolleyes:

I'm going to look for some bulbs that have the cats-eye shaped detents...those seem to turn in the socket smoother.

...not like I can drive it anyway, now that our weather is back to "normal" for February... :(

You might want to try putting a little dielectric grease on the bulbs' contacts before you install them. It can often help make the installation of the bulbs easier if there is any corrosion or dirt in the socket. It will also help to keep moisture out and prevent future corrosion.

What is dielectric grease? Can that be found at any auto parts store?

Thanks.

FYI my turn signal units are surprisingly clean and the contacts in the sockets look pretty good.

Doug - be careful installing that bulb! One of the pins is near the bottom and one is about halfway up. The bulb can be pushed straight in either way, but it will only rotate into place if the pins are in the right position. If it won't rotate, pull it out and rotate it 180 degrees and try again.

I say "be careful" because you're pushing against the plate with the contacts on it, which is spring-loaded from behind. The spring is held into place by two small crimps in the pot-metal that the housing is made of. If you push too hard you can push the spring out the back and you'll have to pull the reflector out to repair it. Of course everything is very tight in there and the wiring pulls off when you pull the reflector out. It can be a major b!tch to reassemble.

Yes, thanks! I noticed the pin situation and am quite sure I'm putting them in the right way. I will of course verify the next time I try to put them in. Otherwise, the things you mentioned are why I'm having a hard time with this... :(

My daughter noticed a front parking lamp was out over the weekend. I was careful to orient the bulb correctly and still managed to push the spring out the back, hence my knowledge of what's in there. Apparently removal of the entire light assembly requires removal of the bumper first. Fixing the spring would be easy if you could just get in there.

wavey,
light assemblies pull out without bumper removal..you may just have lots of fine gravel, especially if it's in the rear, helping resist removal. it takes a lot of pulling and tugging, but it will come out.
ryan