Hey all -

I'm trying to replace the bulbs in the overdrive switch in the shifter handle of my 88 V6 with auto trans. The bulbs appear to be a new-wedge type bulb. I've measured the bulbs and they don't seem to match any of the new LED neo-wedge style bulbs (mine are 8.7mm at the base and 14.2mm tall). I'm not interested in paying Toyota $11 per bulb, so I thought I would try to find an aftermarket bulb (I couldn't find) or convert to LED. There are two bulbs, one has an orange cover on it, while the other has a green cover. See pics. Any thoughts?

 

I've never taken one of these apart, but they look like the base is a separate piece, and the bulb has a wire terminal base (like http://www.bulbtown.com/1705_Miniatu...ase_p/1705.htm ) . You may be able to simply un-bend the terminal leads, pull out the old bulb, push in a new, and bend the leads back into place.

The bulb in the link is 5.84mm max outer diameter; you might want to measure the diameter of the glass envelope on yours.

For that matter, if the bulb diameter is nominally 5mm, that's a standard T 1 3/4 led. Which are considerably less expensive than dirt. http://www.futurlec.com/LEDGen.shtml Don't forget that you'd need to find one with the internal dropping resistor so you can run it directly from 12v http://www.allelectronics.com/catego...dc-leds/1.html , and remember that LEDs are polarized so which lead goes where makes a difference.

 

Yeah, I thought about that. I'll measure the bulb glass today. It's in there pretty tight, so I wonder if I can remove it without breaking it.

 

Use a hair dryer. (Not on your head, dummy!)

 

Are you suggesting I use heat to warm up the glass before trying to remove it?

 

Heating the glass won't make any difference, but heating the plastic will make it a little more flexible. If the bulb is held in with any adhesive, heating it will make it easier to let go. You don't really care about breaking the glass; your goal is remove the bulb without damaging the plastic holder.

This is a "common" trick for working with "rubber" hoses. By the time your rig reaches 29 years, everything is stiffer (yeah, even the driver). When you pull hard on one of those stiff hoses, you can crack it. Warming it will make the hose just enough more flexible to cooperate.

You definitely don't want to melt the plastic, but I doubt you could do that with a hair dryer. You could, though, with a hot air gun. When I use a hot air gun for this purpose, I put my (rubber-gloved) hand on the part; if it's too hot for my hand I back off.