FAQ: Interior Lighting Questions (Dash/Guage Color)

albertj wrote:

About the door actuator well and door handle lights - if you disassemble them carefuly you can install a Grain of Wheat bulb in them and put the blue housing back on.

About the radio lights - I forgot to mention that someone posted a writeup for replacing the radio lights some time ago.

Albertj

Those grain of wheat bulbs from radio shack are the ticket. Replaced one door handle light, and one pull strap light today. Works very nice.

With the 10mm bulbs do they fit right in place of the old bulbs. Or is there sometime of conversion or something else needed to do to get these 10 mm led's to replace the old.

agrimm34 wrote:

I'm wondering how to change the lights in the dash to a red color. I just uprgraded a cd player in there so i've had the dash out of it before but I don't have much knowledge on easy way to do this.

There is no EASY way to do this. Instead of trying to change every bulb in the car, why not choose a different radio.????
Or live with the colors you have.

Rickw wrote:

agrimm34 wrote:

I'm wondering how to change the lights in the dash to a red color. I just uprgraded a cd player in there so i've had the dash out of it before but I don't have much knowledge on easy way to do this.

There is no EASY way to do this. Instead of trying to change every bulb in the car, why not choose a different radio.????
Or live with the colors you have.

A lot of the good aftermarket radios have a choice of lighting like green and red(at the push of a button). At least they used to the last time I looked at aftermarket head units.

ZEP wrote:

Hey everyone, the other day, I was working in my car putting some LED lights into the interior handle areas where the greenish-tinted lights are because one of them suddenly stopped working. I unplugged the normal light from where it plugs into the negative and positive wires in the car. Then, I tested the LED light I bought out by touching its wires with the car's pos. and neg. wires. The light lit up, but after screwing around more, I noticed it wouldn't light up any more.

Then, I tried to turn the instrument panel lights on, but no matter what, won't come on. The radio and odometer lights come on perfectly bright, and the headlights come on fine, but the instrument lights won't at all.

Has anyone had any problems like this before? I don't know if my 12V light would have caused that big of a problem, but it seems like the only culprit here. If anyone's got helpful advie, let me know. In the meantime, I'll take a look at the fuse box.

the same thing happened to me just now as i was installing my leds in the door handle does anyone know what fuse it would be..
1.gauge lights, instrument and cliimate control lights are not working...NEED HELP

problem solved

esquire23 wrote:

problem solved

HOW.??????

bad int lps [interior lamps]...fuse just switched them out...just ordered a new set of leds for the cabin..yeeyah

I used this guy for my control unit. Fast service.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/95-96-97-98-99-BUICK-LESABRE-DIGITAL-CLIMATE-AC-CONTROL_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem41417438ebQQitemZ280271010027QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

moved from: https://rivperformance.editboard.com/care-maintenance-f8/high-mile-club-t769-180.htm

AA wrote:

First lamp of gauge cluster burned out tonight (left side of speedo) at 193,785 miles. Otherwise everything's fine.

Can you replace that bulb or do you need a new cluster?

I will replace the bulb if I can get to it, and if I can locate a correct replacement.

AA wrote:

I will replace the bulb if I can get to it, and if I can locate a correct replacement.

The gauge cluster pulls right out, then there are twist locks on the back with those "jellybean" bulbs in it. The bulbs can be bought everywhere, and the cluster is really pretty easy to pull if you've even been in the dash to do a radio.

Does anyone know the exact size and type of bulb to buy? I want it to match brightness with the others.

If you pull out the one thats under your door sill, its the same bulb. (can;t remember the bulb type offhand)

I switched all my dash lights to LED awhile ago, but wouldn't recommend it unless you go with good quality automotive LEDs. Mine started flickering after 6 months or so.

Karma wrote:

If you pull out the one thats under your door sill, its the same bulb. (can;t remember the bulb type offhand)

Where is this location.???

Those "AG1 Flashbulb style" bulbs are either 168's or 194's...

The closest listing I can find in the manual is the clumsily worded "Instrument Compartment Lamp", specified as being the 194.

If it were me, I might buy a pack of each and return the unused one after I got the dash back together.

PAT906 wrote:

One more thing--lately on my car, the interior displays (radio dial, etc) often stay on night mode (dimmed) even in bright sunlight. For some reason the light sensor isn't working right. When they're in night mode in daylight, they're hard to see. This only happens intermittently, though. Is the sensor for this on the rear-view mirror? (1997 model).

No, I'm almost positive that the "Parade Dimming" feature is controlled by the Twilight Sentinel. I'll bet that the headlights and parking lights are coming on in daylight as well... Check them the next time your dash is dim.

Rickw wrote:

Karma wrote:

If you pull out the one thats under your door sill, its the same bulb. (can;t remember the bulb type offhand)

Where is this location.???

Sorry it wasn't clear, you open your door, on the door, right under the sill where you would rest your arm, is a white rectangle covering. The light that casts light on the ground when you open your door. A flat head screw driver will unlatch the covering. To get at the bulb, you have to stick the screwdriver in beside the whole assembly and push in the tabs, the whole thing drops down and there is the light bulb in its twist lock holder.

Rickw wrote:

Karma wrote:

If you pull out the one thats under your door sill, its the same bulb. (can;t remember the bulb type offhand)

Where is this location.???

Both of the door bulbs are 194's, which matches the listing for the "Instrument Compartment Lamp"...

I was confused with your use of the word "sill".
A sill is something you would step on.
The door sill is what has the Buick or Riviera name on it. (can't remember which at the moment.)

Rickw wrote:

I was confused with your use of the word "sill".
A sill is something you would step on.
The door sill is what has the Buick or Riviera name on it. (can't remember which at the moment.)

Right, what he meant was armrest, beneath which are the white 'gutter light' and the red warning light.

Ok, I know there are write-ups on replacing HVAC lights but my question is do all the HVAC and Radio buttons light up? It doesn't say in the manual and I find it hard to believe that the backlights for the buttons are all out at the same time. It's not a fuse so can someone just let me know. Thanks.

It has been mentioned on here before by other people, that all their lights were out and it wasn't a fuse.
So i guess you could say your not the first.

I know that, but I just want to know if there is supposed to be a backlight for the buttons or no. The lights work when I push in the OFF, AUTO, and the DEFROST, but are there backlights that illuminate the word TEMP or FAN CONT?

There are on mine. It's a 1998.
I don't know if the earlier years were different though.