Someone with all dash lights working.

[MarkSubi]

If someone could please take a pic of there entire dash of there BD legacy at night with the lights on to show everying that lights up at night it would be greatly appreciated. I mean Hvac and all. I want to see what all lights up to know what i need to get a new bulb for and speaking of that Id like to know the kind of light bulbs I need to get to.

[Wiscon_Mark]

HVAC:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/09/HVACNightred-1.jpg

It should be noted that there aren't bulbs for each individual button. There's a bulb that lights up all of the airflow selections, one that does the fan speed, one that lights up the hot/cold selector, and one is encased inside the A/C button (that one isn't replaceable). Oh, and lights for the selection of airflow (green ones below the buttons) are also not replaceable.

Old photo of my cluster:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/GuageClusterNightred3-1.jpg

I don't have any photos of the buttons below the cluster (rear defrost, cruise, fogs, etc) but those have two bulbs in each button, one for the picture, one for the light indicating whether the function is on or off.

This link may also be helpful if you're replacing bulbs: viewtopic.php?f=39&t=1123 (http://www.sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=1123)

[Dead91silvia]

Cool! I knew mine lit up at one time! HAHA!!!

[MarkSubi]

Badass so thefull Hvac does light up!! Now I can't wait to get paid Thursday so I can buy the bulbs and have everything light up again. my cruise control button also doesn't light up and I need to replace the green bulb that lights up the ash tray to.

Btw has anybody ever made a DYI on how to open or take apart the Hvach, I've never messed with that part of the dash so idk and I don't want to wing it and mess up or break anything.

[Regardie]

Not only does the full HVAC light up, the A/C button bulb can also be replaced.

There is a DIY maybe on Ultimate Subaru that uses Radio Shack replacement bulbs. I believe those bulbs are a little dimmer than the originals, but they are cheap and easily obtained.

I used LEDs from SuperbrightLEDS.

To get the HVAC out, you need to remove the center console, cupholder, trim ring and then release the HVAC cable from the heater core under the passenger dash. The Diy has you remove c-clips, don't do it, much easier at
the other end.

Once out of the car, you need to remove the fan speed control knob and the temp control knob. Fan one is a bitch
but it does come off. On the back of the unit there are 2 small screws that hold a plastic cover, remove them and the cover. The diy shows a circuit board that he can't get to move very far and makes it difficult to change one of
the bulbs. Not a problem, take a small flat bladed screwdriver under a plastic piece on each side and release to catches in holes in the circuit board and pull it out of the way.

At this point, you can remove the bulbs, they are neo3 wedges bulbs and re-wrap the RS bulbs. You will find that
they are clear bulbs with little green booties on them.

Me, I pulled the whole unit apart at that point, maybe a couple more screws on the circuit board and the whole thing comes apart. You will see that the bulbs actually light up a lexan piece that carries the light to the front. There is a little release on the side of the A/C button that allows it to come out. You will find another little neo3 bulb there. Once you get it all apart you can clean all the coffee and soda off of everything.

Assemble in reverse order, pay attention to the bulbs, one of them has a longer base, under the fan control.

While you have that section apart, you might as well do your hazard switch. Under a piece of aluminium tape, you will find 2 more neo3 bulbs, 1 for illumination, 1 for on.

This done from memory, it really isn't that hard but it took me a while to figure out so that's why I am sharing.

-- Sent from my TouchPad using Communities

[MarkSubi]

I'm about to read that all Regardie but before I do I just want to say thanks to all because I really been wanting to know all of this and wanting to replace all that is out. I want my car to look badass at night with everything lit up :] Saturday I was in a friends 2012 M3 and damn those things are sexy but what was funny was the transition to being in his car and going back to mine was huge, Due to a lot of the lights being out I felt like I was in a Junkyard car but until i started to take off in my legacy it started to come back to being what i love when i felt the stiffness and handling doing its thing on the highway.

Badass Regardie I really appreciate it I just read it all and I can't wait to do this now. Also is there other places I can get the bulbs from besides a radio shack. Just wondering.

[MarkSubi]

Can anybody show a pick of the radio shack bulb that will work?

[Dead91silvia]

Badass so thefull Hvac does light up!! Now I can't wait to get paid Thursday so I can buy the bulbs and have everything light up again. my cruise control button also doesn't light up and I need to replace the green bulb that lights up the ash tray to.

Btw has anybody ever made a DYI on how to open or take apart the Hvach, I've never messed with that part of the dash so idk and I don't want to wing it and mess up or break anything.

The lights for the Cruise are a PITA to change, but I did mine. You can get the bulbs from the J/Y or I think you can get them from the dealer.

My advise is to go to a Pick and Pull and practice on one of there cars and see how hard it is. Thats how I thought myslef 50% of what I know how to do, just trying to figure it out at the yard or ripping apart parts cars.... :smt023

[MarkSubi]

I'm doing it right now. Put a new bulb in for the hazard button. Now going to try the Hvach now.

[Regardie]

My old thread in interior mods.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=21166

Let's hope this works.

[MarkSubi]

Is there any trick to getting the fan nob off. It being a bitch to get off is an understatement. I'm about to just put the Hvac back into the dash and just roll with no trim or vents tomorrow until I get home. :banghead:

I couldn't wait to do this but now I fill I should of just waited till the weekend that way I would have time and the cash to get the LEDs but w/e I'm this far in so I'll just go with the radio shack bulbs I bought.

[Regardie]

Getting the fan knob off. What I remember is that the back of the HVAC unit has a couple plastic tabs on the knob control. I think you have to already have the circuit board loose to get to them. Once again, a little flat bladed screwdriver helps to release the knob control. I might have got the knob to come off by trying to loosen the control from the back and then the knob popped off.

Don't pry from the front, you don't want to mark up your HVAC.

[MarkSubi]

I'm going to head to sleep but can someone tell me what is causing this. I put everything back together but then noticed the lights that have been working were dim. I also noticed that I changed the hazard light and it worked but what started to happen was all the other lights I changed weren't on and then something started to burn. I saw a little bit of smoke and and could hear crackling. What the hell did I do to cause this? :shock:

[Regardie]

It sounds like you did not trim a lead in one of the Radio Shack bulbs. When you remove the bulbs, you can cut the old bulb out. Thread the tiny wires from the RS bulb into the socket and wrap it once around the nubbin and cut off the excess. Make sure when you replace them they get the little clockwise turn.

The lighting system works as a subtractive system. Full voltage is always present, the dimmer shunts the path to ground through resistors to cause the dimming.

Dim system would normally indicate a cross of the leads somewhere in the system. The spark and burning would be whichever device that was installed wrong failing. The RS bulbs are inexpensive and I don't think you did any permanent damage.

I replaced the bulbs in a set of seat heater switches (search for a DIY) and it involved soldering LEDs onto brass buss bars. The first time I checked it, none of my dash lights worked. One of the leads was touching the adjacent buss bar and took the whole system out.

[MarkSubi]

Sweet okay thanks for the info. I've never been good with automotive electrical lol but Ill take everything apart again and see whats up. Ill also take pics just to show yawl how I rapped the leads. I going to turn my key and try to see where I see the smoke coming from that way I can tell if its all the ones I installed or just one.

[MarkSubi]

Here's two pics of two of the bulbs, this is the best I can get with the pic being clear.


https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/ekf9c4-1.jpg

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/03/b4szzp-1.jpg

[Regardie]

Well there you go. Make sure the leads come through the center and wrap one time around the nubbin thing and get clipped by the top. The pictures show a lead headed back into the center and that is bad. The bulbs make contact on the bulb side where it wraps around when you turn and lock them in place so anything on the side you're showing is not going to make the bulb light but it might allow things to short out.

Take a look at the bulb in the A/C switch if you haven't changed it yet and you will see what I mean.

[MarkSubi]

Badass I fixed! it all lights up again! :smt020 Man where could I get OEM bulbs at? I might actually do this again this weekend but with oems that way it will be even brighter except when I do that ill do my speedometer to. Oh another thing, are those green bootys buy able? Id like to put some or make the lights in my after market radio head green to match everything else. it looks wierd because it lights up with red and blue but everything else is green with some red and its wayy the hell brighter.

[harrymaneuvers]

Only place to buy the OEM bulbs is the dealer or online subaru parts dealer and they come with the green condom if it originally came with one.

If you want to change colors around:

http://www.autometer.com/cat_accessorie ... spx?pid=26 (http://www.autometer.com/cat_accessorieslist.aspx?pid=26)

[MarkSubi]

Sweet, oh another question. any idea if the aftermarket radio bulbs can be changed the same exact way as what i just did.

Also what about the bulb in the ash trey what part number would fit for that when talking about radio shack bulbs

[Wiscon_Mark]

Most aftermarket stereos make the bulbs pretty inaccessible. Probably not worth the hassle.

The bulb in the ash tray is a 194 type bulb, same as the primary 4 bulbs in the cluster.

[MarkSubi]

Hey I need help with something. I got all the bulbs I wanted to replace except the A/C one witch I regret not doing because I had literally the entire Havc box apart except for the area of the A/C button light but oh well but anyways on my way to a meet I was driving my car everything was good until I started to smell a burning smell I was like huh? until I looked at my hvac and saw some smoke. I was like wtf I know for a fact I did everything right. I get to my destination and luckily I keep a tool bag in my trunk so I did the job in the parking lot got everything out and it turns out the light that lights up the buttons on the hvac for some reason was burning as in not the bulb but the leads I'm guessing were getting way to hot or something because the bulb its self was fine but the bottom of the plastic peace the bulb goes into was all burnt and kind of milted. I also noticed the circuit on the micro ship that the light attaches to had some burn scuffs but what I want to know is what could of caused this because I'm pretty sure I put the bulb leads in right.

[MarkSubi]

Also if someone has an extra of the plastic peace you put the light bulb in id love to have it. lol