Jeff928S4

No lights showing around the fan ****/slider area on my 89" S4.

Searches revealed it has to be a bulb (as the clock is on the same fuse I believe). I think this is the bulb that has the fiber optic lines that run from it to light the sliders.

How do I get at that bulb? I looked at the control area and don't see any ways of pulling the face off to get at the bulb? Does the fan **** just pull off? It seems this would have to come off to pull the face out to get at the bulb.

dcrasta

You have to remove the climate control from the car, then disassemble the unit to get to the bulb. Make sure its not the connector on the back of the unit first. But ya its not too tough. Gives you a chance to de-oxit or magic erase the electrical contacts on the sliders also. There should be a write up in the FAQ or in Gregs faqs.

Jeff928S4

Going to look now....

Still have some De-oxit and Stabalant left over from the fuse panel re-fresh.

Jeff928S4

Just read the Nichols site.

I missed that there is a trim piece. Will pull that trim piece and remove the screws and see what's in there.

Jeff928S4

Oh...is this a special bulb or anything?

dcrasta

I believe it is the same bulb that illuminates the Defrost and Fog lamp lights (really small rice shaped bulb..)
there is only 1 and some black/fiber optic light conduits to get the light to the front switches.
Yes Nichols site is where I saw the write up.

Jeff928S4

Ahhh - could it be the same bulb as in the digital display? I have a whack of those for when I get around to pulling the pod to fix one bulb that is out.

Ed Scherer

When you get into the climate control head, you'll see this:



Yank/twist on the brown/red wires that are connected to a lamp socket; it's just friction-fit into a hole and will pull out, revealing something like this (ignore the fact that I had disconnected the brown wire in this photo):



Bulb, I think, is a #74 wedge-base. It directly back-lights the main part of the slider area, and also illuminates some fiber optic filaments to back-light the sliders themselves and the fan speed indicators.

When inserted, you can see how it lights both the chamber behind the slider area as well as those brass head-ends for the fiber optic filaments. In this photo, I've already converted to an LED bulb (with two side-firing SMD LEDs on each side and one top-firing SMD LED) and also chrome-spray-painted the chamber:



If you're interested in starting to make the conversion to LEDs for all your instrumentation, I could get you started on that, but I think I'll wait for you to ask.

Hope this helps.

Jeff928S4

Well, I took it all apart (thanks for the pics ). It was the bulb. Replaced it all was lit up again. I forgot to take pics, but I will when I go back in, because.....

It seems that smaller black cog on mine was broken in half - THAT is why I was getting hot air through the vents all the time - it was stuck on "hot".

I'll have to find a cog to replace it - special cog or could I find it at an electronics place?

Right now, I hand-turned the metal post that broken cog sits on all the way to where it would be if it were on "cold" and, voila!, no more hot air through the vents (took a wee bit to blow all the hot air out first).

Now, I see where you painted inside - I take it you removed the slider ***** somehow to get the face off, yes?

Also, upon re-installation - I see no light behind the fan **** - all the fiber optic cables work, and the one going to the **** looks ok, but no light?

One more thing.....when I pulled the climate control out, I saw a diaphragm/actuator thing behind it. The flap behind my dash bangs when I put the slider on "feet" - is it this diaphragm/actuator that controls that flap? Please say yes, because I have that part but never put it in because I thought the whole lower portion of the center piece had to come out.

Oilystair

this is ridiculous. I have spent 5 minutes removing unit. 20 minutes replacing sliders and gluing fiber optics back in... nice, an hour cleaning connections, all good so far. New bulb, cost nothing, what could go wrong ??? Getting it back in, that’s what. So far,‘I have attacked it in 2 hour stunts over a period of 3 days. It took me less time to do my engine mounts. There must be a knack to threading the bulb holder back into the hole that would appear to be exactly the same size ?!?!? Whilst having it hidden from view by components that don’t come off... this feels to me like trying to thread your lovely 928 S4 through a gap between two rock walls whilst blind folded.
this has irritated me to point where I’m just about to buy a new unit for the sake of the bulb. There must be an easier way ??!!! Please help as I am losing the will to live because of a $2 bulb holder !!!!!

cheers.

Al

Ed Scherer

Al, I don't remember it being all that difficult, but bear in mind this was 8+ years ago for me!

It's possible that I left one of the spade connectors disconnected and then that gives a nice metal tab to use as a handle. Then use needle-nose pliers to hold that metal tab and guide the bulb holder into place. Then attach (probably using the needle-nose pliers) the spade connector to the bulb base.

I might have still had the front part of the unit (face plate, sliders, etc.) off, too, which would obviously make it easier to see what you're doing from the front, and perhaps even guide it in a little from the front side.

Good luck!

Oilystair

whoosh.... it was just a case of keep doing it until it goes in, what a mssion.!!!. I cant believe it was so difficult !. Anyway, I replaced the sliders whist in there, checked the fibre optics were all going even to the sliders, all ilumated lovely with a torch, now its all back together, the sliders don't illumate and the fibre optics are still in there. Darn it....im not going in there again unless I have to. Its cimate contrl by 'feel' from here on in :-)

Cheers. AL

Paul Lakner

Wow oliystar, I feel your pain having spent the past 3 hours trying to put the bulb holder back in place! Eventually, I beveled the edges with a dremel to enable it to slide in, and then pushed hard. Done!

Oilystair

I must admit I never thought of using a Dremel and just skimming the very leading edge off to make it easier. That would have helped. Whilst everything was off I tested the fiber optics using a torch to shine from the unit end and it illuminated the sliders beautifully. Now that I managed to get everything back together the sliders don’t illuminate, and the thought of taking it all apart again is about as attractive as the thought as doing my water pump just for a laugh. Any thoughts on this one ??? Also, kind of off-topic but also kind of not. Neither my S2 or my S4 have an illuminated auto selector next to the shift selector, I never remember either working because it’s always on the dash .... is it meant to be illuminated ??? If it is meant to be illuminated I fear another awkward little bulb is waiting for me.