Hey Guys - My shift indicator light is out again. Not the light that lights up PRNDL, but the little red dot next to the gears. I've pulled the top part of the console, and I don't see any bulbs to change? I tested out the connector and, because the power wire was previously cut (previous moron owner) and later reconnected (by me), the splice I made, and 12V is getting past the splice. Any help??

Thanks

I messed with the lights not to long ago. This is all based on a 95 ssei but should be close if not the same for yours. I am assuming you have a floor shifter. I don't think they even made column shifters in these years.

There are optical wires comming down from the red dots to a centeral location inside the housing. At the bottom of the wires is a bulb. As you shift the shifter it changes the placement of the wires over it to light up the appropraite gear. Chances are the bulb is just burned out. Takes a little time to get to it because it is in an akward spot. Not sure of the bulb type but I am assuming it would be the same as the other smaller interior lights.

Now when you said "Not the light that lights up PRNDL", does your gear lettering actually light up? I found that the light for the ashtray also seems to have a spot where it would light up the gear letters too through a plastic strip. My light is working but no letters light up. So do you have light up gear letters or did I just misunderstand something?

The gear letters in the plastic thingy actually light up. And yes, you're right that is from the ashtray light. The red dots are my problem, they aren't lighting. How do I get to the bulb? Do I have to pull the whole lower console out? Or do I actually have to remove the shifter? Other?

No, you don't need to remove the entire console. There is a bar that is holding the front most side trim in place. Remove this bar. The sides then can be spread apart a bit. You will need to pull out the screws under the ashtray as well. I believe that is enought to pull the cousole up to get inside it. The light is on the drivers side of the console at the very bottom. You won't need to remove the shifter but it helps to put the car in a middle gear like D so the console will pull up father.I never actually took the bulb out so I don't know how hard it is to pull out but that is how to get to it.

I got no idea why my gear lettering doesn't light up though. The lights on, opening pointing towards the plastic light strip that runs underneth them, but nothing lights!?! No cracks in the plastic or nothin. It boggles the mind...

Let me know if you got more questions, glad to help out.

I don't know why your PRNDL won't light. It will only light with the parking/head lamps on, and it controlled by the dimmer on your dash. I would check those first. Mine doesn't burn very bright at all, but its just enough to see where to go at night.

I know how to take the top part of the console off, I was in there last night and it wasn't obvious how to get to the bulb, I actually never saw the bulb. The shop manual also doesn't explain enough but this light, at least not that I've found yet.

Thanks

If I remember right, the bulb is inside a small funky looking casing. So if you look for a bulb you won't see it. Just look for where all the optical wires come together and it should be within an inch or so from that point below it (off-center towards the front if I remember correctly). I believe it is in a small black closed case to maximize upward light to the optics.

Ok, Its Fixed. For those of you wondering how to do it here it is.

1) Remove the upper console bezel pieces/switchpods (if u have them) including the ashtray and the two screws underneath of it. If helps to have the tranny in 1/L - it gets the handle out of the way
2) Pull the shifter handle by taking a flat head screwdriver to the staple on the pole towards the front of the car then it off.
3) Now the plastic piece around the shifter and what not should lift up (not out, it pivots on locking tabs underneath the release latch for the bin door). If helps to have someone hold it out of your way.
4) Underneath this piece you'll see two 10mm screws/bolts driven on an angle toward the front on the same metal bracket as the ashtray was. Remove these, as well as the two that are right behind the shifter.

5) -Optional but it makes it kinda easirer -- Pull the plastic piece in the bottom of the bin that reveals the ductwork to the back air ducts and you should see two bolts with nuts. You'll need a deep 10mm socket on a long *** extension, but pull those too. The console should come right out with some gentle caressing.

6) Now you should have an unobstructed view of the shifter mechanism and the optics box underneath of it. If you skipped step 5, you can carefully pull the sides of the console away to see everything. Put the tranny in PARK, revealing a 7mm screw in the gap towards the front of the shifter piece. What is the bulb is contained in the bulb shaped black and gray piece which is held on to the shifter by this 7mm screw. Do what you have to to convince the bulb "housing" out of there. Twist open to reveal the bulb. This is a 558 bulb, which, according to one of my mechanics, was renumbered to 194. Put a new bulb in, twist together.

Reverse the instructions to put it all together. It took me a little while to figure it all out, hope it helps someone else out.

bandgeek-
Your mechanic isnt exactly correct on the bulb. The 558 is a fiber-optic light bulb, looking VERY similar to a 194, but it is also very different. If you take the 558, and look at it from the side, you can't tell it apart from a 194, however if you look directly down on top of both of them, the 558 has an embedded magnifine glass in the top of the bulb, while the 194 is just normally clear like the sides. A 194 would probably work, but the 558 does a much better job of magnifying the beam of light into the fiber strands that flow up to the dots.

I actually did mine when I had the entire interior out of it fixing my heat doors. There are a bunch of close up pics on my site Http://bonneville.flconveyors.com under "July 2002 Heat Fix Problem - Fixed!", or better yet here is a close up I took back then of exactly what you and SSEi95 are talking about in case anyone else was wondering: http://bonneville.flconveyors.com/in...ixed/big/4.jpg

As far as the light goes bandgeek, no auto parts store will have it, believe me. I got mine from the dealer for $2, but if you've already got a 194 in there and its working, its probably not worth messing around with unless you want the dot to be brighter. Mine is actually "very" bright. Excellent description of how to replace it though, couldnt of said it better myself!

my local auto parts store somehow cross referenced the 558 to a Stanley 3652. The 3652 doesn't look like it'* got the embedded magnifier, I haven't had much luck finding specs on the 558 or 3652 to compare them. Haven't put new bulb in to compare performance yet.