FAQ: Interior Lighting Questions (Dash/Guage Color)

I am wanting to change the color of the lights on the door to red. Im talking about the light that shines on the controls and the lights that shine on handles.

Ben, most if not all of the bulbs used in the interior of the riv are available in different colors at the larger chain stores. Just check in the custom, accessory, or lighting isle. Or you could use magic marker and paint them as BDM suggested in your gauge thread. Just a word of warning tho, using any color other than white will reduce the amount of light somewhat and may make it harder to see.

Derek wrote:

Ben, most if not all of the bulbs used in the interior of the riv are available in different colors at the larger chain stores. Just check in the custom, accessory, or lighting isle. Or you could use magic marker and paint them as BDM suggested in your gauge thread. Just a word of warning tho, using any color other than white will reduce the amount of light somewhat and may make it harder to see.

No insult intended - but neither of those approaches will actually work. However, Derek, your statement that most of the bulbs used in the interior are available in different colors *is* correct. It's just that the ones that shine on the controls in the door (the one in the pull handle) and the one that shines on the handle are white grain of wheats that are swaged onto leads, and fitted inside custom sockets that have little green lenses heatsealed on.

What you'd have to do is remove the blue/green cover from teh bulb (which as likely as not will break it) and install a new bulb or LED & resistor combo on the leads. You can paint the new bulb using a marker intended for coloring glass, available at many craft or hobby stores such as "Michael's."

What I suggest is you take the door panel off (it only takes a few minutes). It is held on by 2 T-30s in the pull handle, a Phillips at top of each of the front ant rear edge; a Phillips holding the escutcheon behind the remote handle (the chrome handle you pull to open the door) and the panel lifts off the door frame, tethered by a bunch of wires. You can then remove one or both of those lights for a closer look and decide what you want to do.

By the way - If the wire is not tied down inside the door panel (it's supposed to be) then you can "cheat" by removing the escutcheon behind the remote, the light is press fit into it and when you pull the escutcheon out you will be able to see a lot of what you're up against.

Albertj

That's good to know albert, I wasn't aware of that. on my other cars they were always little bulbs stuck here and there, and in most cases the buttons didn't light up at all. Of course most of those were older cars... Btw Albert, I like to learn new things so I won't get offended if you need to correct me. Sorry to post the wrong info ben.

And what about the lights that shine on your feet?

That door handle light is interesting. As Albert noted, the green cover is mated to the base that holds the bulb in the door handle. I broke the cover and bulb off. Drilled a hole in the base and spliced an LED from Radio Shack in there. Works like a charm . The real reason why I tried this was that I was worried about the availability of these going forward. Finding factory replacements was almost impossible and this was about 16months ago.

I do not have experience looking at the bulbs that shine on the floor but I assume they are probably larger and easier to replace with a colored bulb of your choosing (if that's the route you want to take).

Derek wrote:

That's good to know albert, I wasn't aware of that. on my other cars they were always little bulbs stuck here and there, and in most cases the buttons didn't light up at all. Of course most of those were older cars... Btw Albert, I like to learn new things so I won't get offended if you need to correct me. Sorry to post the wrong info ben.

...just treating you the way I'd expect to be treated. Remember - you were generally right - Riv's instrument cluster and dash is full of common 168/194 bulbs. You can repair the climate control lighting with a fistful of grain-of-wheats from RadioShack and a paint pen. AutoZone does not have grain-of-wheats. Some NAPA stores do but you have to ask and hope you get an experienced counterperson (you usually do).

I've repaired every one of those (*#&$(#@ door lights at least once on my Riv. There is a certain skill to getting the lens off.

Albertj

Do you think these would work by just cutting the two wires going to the factory lights and then connecting these back into the wiring?

http://www.streetglow.com/ANLEDRD?sc=2&category=5840

How many bulbs are on each door panel?

I am planning on putting those lights in the vents too and by using this switch panel where the cd holder is.

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_546SGSW5/StreetGlow-Switch-Panel.html?tp=13347

nebstewart07 wrote:

Do you think these would work by just cutting the two wires going to the factory lights and then connecting these back into the wiring?

http://www.streetglow.com/ANLEDRD?sc=2&category=5840

not sure the heads will fit in the stock locations...

I think radio shack sells LEDs that have resistors enabling them to work on 12v. see

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062569

They are $2.- each. They have green, red and other colors. You need to figure if these would fir the stock locations better.

Well i am going to order those from streetglow. see if they work and then go from there. Those do work on 12v systems. I shouldnt have to wire them with anything right just cut the two wires from the original light and the wire them back with the new ones if they fit right?

nebstewart07 wrote:

Well i am going to order those from streetglow. see if they work and then go from there. Those do work on 12v systems. I shouldnt have to wire them with anything right just cut the two wires from the original light and the wire them back with the new ones if they fit right?

Whether those or the RS ones you will have to check for polarity before soldering them onto the wires, other wise they will not work at all.

How do I check polarity?

nebstewart07 wrote:

How do I check polarity?

You can look on the wiring diagram in the factory service manual to see which door wire is "ground" and match it to the ground wire of the LED, and if the LED is not marked as to polarity you can check it using a diode tester or multimeter, as it only conducts power one way.

If you do not have a manual or a meter you can connect it to the wires (where you cut the old light off) while power is on and see if it lights. If not, reverse the LED wires and it should light - but if you short (connect together) the wires you'll blow at least one fuse. Sometimes what happens is the power will be on and the wires brush on the car somewhere and you don't notice, blowing the fuse, then the LED does not work at all and you wonder why 'cause you do not think you shorted the wires or whatever.

Because of the electronics in the car it is usually a bad idea to work on the wiring with the battery connected, let alone with the circuit on, due to the remote possibility that you'll damage electronics (in this case for the l ighting) or fire the airbag (I have heard of that but have not seen that happen).

What I would do: check the polarity of the door wires either by reading the diagram or with a multimeter, confirm the polarity of the LED with a meter or a lantern battery (6V or so should get it to light albeit dimly), then wire it accordingly, crimp or solder the connections. I might "cheat' and use bullet connectors the same way on both lines so I could reverse them right on the door, and when done wiring it up wrap that with a small piece of foam cut off one of those cheapie plastic kitchen sponges from a grocery or dollar store, covered in electrical tape, so it did not rattle in the door.

Albertj

Most LED's have a long post and a short post. The longer post is the Anode (+), and the short post is the Cathode (-). Also, the Cathode side may have a flat spot on the post instead of being totally round to help you identify polarity.



Apparently I didn't bother to read all about the StreetGlow and checking polarity.......eh.

i used the covers so all of my autometer gauges are blue-greenish like the dash

Alright guys the ones from radio shack fit good. Havent tried them for working but they fit in the door handle and the o shit bar. When putting them in the o shit bar you have to remove the washer and little bolt with a 9mm socket on the light. Then put it in the hole provided. As for the light behind the door handle you put it in backwards meaning that you shove the wires through the whole then the light will go with it. You will have to wrap the light with electrical tape(I went around it about two times with electrical tape to make it fit good)

i will provide a full write up once I make sure everything works including which wires are positive and which are negativa nad how to remove the bulbs without breaking them in the first place(pretty easy) But there is a partial write up incase someone cant wait and has to do it now! lol

I will also try to show pics in my write up as well. i will be including how to do the vent light too once I figure out an easy way to do it.

CAN I REPLACE THIS LIGHT & IF SO WHERE CAN I GET THEM FROM CAN I USE ANOTHER VERY LOW WATT LIGHT

Yes you can replace that light, but its a GM part..I think you can look it up on GM parts direct. If not there then you can always call a dealer and check with them.

ALOT OF PARTS ARE DISCONTINUED CAN I REPLACE IT WIT A LED LIGHT & STILL USE THE BLACK COVER TO DIM IT

What I did was to remove the blue lens cap, and dig the old bulb out, and replace it with one of these

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103780

You will have to solder the new leads, but it is cheap and it works

THANX LARRY70GS I THINK ILL TRY THAT

Fair warning i tried to replace mine with a 12 volt grain of rice bulb, probably the exact one larry linked too (i bought it at ratshack) and i somehow managed to short out all of my dash lights... so just be careful with it.