Hi,

Just have a quick question about this, I have searched, but came up with contradictory answers, and the main tutorial thing is down (the cardomain one).

What kind of LEDs do I need?
1. 3mm vs 5mm ?
2. 3v vs 5v vs 12v ?
3. Just to confirm - no resistors.

Thanks...i've been itching to do something constructive to my car other than burn gas, since I've finished my red/clears.

 

bump

 

also interested in seeing somethink like this, pics would be helpful please!

 

I just did mine recently. white led.... 3mm work best.. i didn't use any resistors
this is the link that help me a lot
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/479058/3

 

Hey ChubbieBoi, was that the only site you used? And how did it workout for you?

 

theres a lot of contradictions because there's differences between years. here are some guidelines that should answer some questions.

1) 12v
2) size does not really matter in door switches. i use 3mm high brightness.
3) when replacing an led with an led you will not need resistors. when replacing a bulb with an led you do. i mention this because depending on your year you might have bulbs.
4) you should understand ohm's law, at the very least, before you start led'ing things. truly understanding something beats following the steps in a tutorial all day.

 

i would just stick to 3mm! 5mm just too bulky for the space in the switches but will still work!!!

 

Yes this was the only site i used for the window switches. Work out great. wayy better then the green oem light.

 

Awesome, thank you for your help. I have a 96, but i thought that they were all LEDs in the window switches, no matter what year?

I do understand ohms law, lol, there was just a lot information as to what voltage the LEDS inside the switches were.

I'm gonna use 3mm, since they seem to have less fitment issues...and....I already have them

 

it's my understanding that your rears will be bulbs. meaning they will require inline resistors. use this to figure out the value (i usually use 13.6v if i'm not sure the voltage is regulated just to be on the safe side).

 

I just checked...it's an LED in the rear.

However, it looks like the rears are a PITA. According to the link in this thread, you pull on the chip on the back of the board? Is that right? Do you take the chip off and then desolder the LED?

 

Ok, I'm answering my own question because I just completed one of the rears.

For a 96 - It's an LED with only 2 solder points.
All you do is pull up the LED from the plastic bracket so that the leads come up, then heat up the solder on the other side of the board (where the solder points are) and pull up on the LED.

It will come out. Stick your new on in there (paying attention to the Pos and Negative leads on the original) by heating up the solder and pushing one lead through the original solder points at a time. Cut the extra leads off when you are done.

I'm gonna do the rears tonight and finish up with the front either tomorrow or the next day. This isn't as tricky as I thought it'd be.

From what I understand, this is more difficult on 97+ ?

 

yeah... its an smt led on 7+. easy to burn out the resistors trying to solder on the led.

 

One question left. The LED is a little bit bright for my taste.

Would sanding it make a difference? I thought I remember someone mentioning something about sanding to diffuse the light a little.

Or am I off my rocker again?

 

i got 5mm bright reds in my 95's switches. they won't be too bright once you turn the dimmer dial down...

 

Well, the problem is that my Gauge lights are blue also, and not extremely bright.

So has anyone sanded them? how should it be done? should it be sanded to a particular shape?

 

sanding is more for even light dispersion rather than brightness control. give it a shot though.

 

This man did my switches. Here's three pics:

 

ha ha. you forgot to mention the unevenness is a result of the camera. makin me look bad... '

the replacment is on the way, btw.

 

Nicely done man! Are those soldered LEDs in the guages? I've got SMTs in there....what a pain that was to get them fitted correctly. The lights are slightly uneven, but much better than some that I've seen

 

Nope they are SMT's as well I believe (he sent em too me as well).

If yours are loose you need to dip them in clear RTV Silicone like Black did...this keeps them steady. I had to redo one cause I loosened it accidentally and following his advice I also bent the leads out a bit so when I pushed it into the holder it would have a better firm position.

No problems since with lights cutting in and out due to bumps.

lol. Yes, the camera does make the hotspots look worse than they are.

I love these lights.

 

I basically put a bit of solder on the bulb leads to tighten the hold, then bent the leads of the bulb holder up a little as well. Now it works like a charm with no flickering.

Though my color is darker than yours, my window switches are the same color as yours.

Thank God that the window switches aren't that hard....I like this mod a lot. It also helps me get better at soldering for when I really need it

 

Ok, I take back what I said about it being hard. The drivers side was a PITA. And I lost one of those little plastic push-rod things that allow the buttons to work...so now I can't unlock my doors from the inside (not a big deal, but annoying)

 

lol. I have a spare bunch of busted switches. Once I finish mine up I'll send it to ya (doubt I'll need anything cause Black knows his stuff and did an unbelievable solder job - looks factory). It'll only cost me $0.36 or whatever postage is these days. PM me your address.

 

Awesome, thanks man! PMed.


On another note, my switches look great now! It matches my gauge lights. Next up: rear defroster switch, hazards, perhaps the shifter trim.....