Thread: How To: B14: Installing AC Control LED's

This is a step by step tutorial of how to install LED's into your AC controls. This is for B14 cars, b13 cars could be similar, but I don't have a B13 to test on.

If you would like to install LED's into your Cluster Dash, please follow the instructions that are found here.

Please do at your own risk, I'm not responsible for any damage that you might cause to your self or your car.

• Two 74 Wedge LED Bulbs.
  Now you can get these from superbrightleds.com, the ones in the picture below, but they are a bit dim. I contacted Superbrightleds.com and they said they will be releasing some brighter ones around 09/28/07. So if you want, you can hold off for a bit, but I don't know if the brighter one will be white only or other colors too.
  You can find the not so bright ones on this page
  
  
  EDIT: It looks like the bulb is out, but it looks like they only come in white . To find it search for " 74-WHP Wedge Base LED Bulb" on this page
  
  
• Flat head screwdriver/knife
• Phillips Screwdriver
  

1. You will be working with electronic equipment, if you want you can disconnect the battery, just to be safe. You will not be cutting any wires, so you don't have to disconnect the battery, just keep the lights off and the key out of the ignition.


2. Between the Hazards button and the Rear Window Defroster, there should be a little plastic cap. Take your screw driver/knife and from underneath pop the plastic cap off.

Unscrew the single screw that is holding the cover.





3. After you have unscrewed the single screw, open your ash tray. You cannot take off the cover without opening the ash tray.

Now take your knife and start sticking it into similar spots like shown in the pictures. This will release the little plastic latches on the inside.

Then take off the cover








4. Unplug the Hazard and the Defroster buttons. They should have some easy releases on them, be careful not to break anything.




5. At first I tried to work with the bulbs without taking out the Stereo and the AC controls. But i found it very hard to squeeze in, and almost lost one of the bulbs. I suggest you take off the Stereo, and take out the AC controls panel.

There should be 4 screws holding the AC controls panel and the stereo, simply unscrew them, and take out the stereo.

You will need to carefully work with the AC controls panel. There are some cables connected to it, and you don't want to break anything. You will need to push in the AC controls panel, then push it down and then turn it sideways for it to come out.



6. On the top of the AC controls panel you should see a blue cable plugging into two locations. This is were your original light bulbs are at. You will need to turn the light bulb holder and pull it out.



Stock light bulbs:


Led to Stock Bulb comparison:



7. Once you take the stock bulbs out of the sockets, you will see this:



Now for me, the LED's were a little bit thicker then the socket, so they had a hard time going in and staying on.

So I had to widen the sockets a bit:




8. Now put the LED into the widened bulb socket



IMPORTANT! You want to test the light bulbs before assembling everything.
The light bulbs are polorized, so if it doesn't turn on one way, just take out the bulb and twist it.

After you have done that, turn your lights on and see if they turn on, if they do you are ready to put everything back




9. Put the AC Controls back in place, then put the stereo back in place and screw in the screws.





10. Put the cover back on, screw in the screw and put the plastic cap back on.



Now you can test them out, they will be much more visible at night, but still a little too dim.



Good luck and post any suggestions or comments :biggthump

Vadim, am... 1 question, the buttons for the ac and the recirculation uses the same leds that the cluster?

Not sure, I haven't taken mine apart yet, but it would be nice if they did

No, they don't use the same leds. You have to use 3mm leds, resistors and diodes to get it to work....along with patience when soldering. Trust me on this.

That sucks because my room recirculation light is dead

If i have to weld, im screwed,
i suk welding.




mine's too, so this is the way to fix it?

^^ dunno probably not fixable then

ill try to get the leds for the console and see if there are for the a/c and recirculation buttons.

if i dont find it, maybe i can find the bulbs, ill post how it went

I thought the A/C & Recirculation buttons used the same tiny NEO bulbs as the Emergency & Defrost buttons..
Ive tried the 3mm NEOx LED Instrument bulb replacements (from Super Brights.com) on my B13 but the light output is very dim.

Interesting I did mine without taking the ac thing out just pulled the plastic cover off and then a plastic paper like thing and put light in.