I've got one bulb in the upper right corner, and that's it. Is there no bulb for behind the HVAC on the left side? I put a 168 in it, but it's still super dim.

While we're at it, any electronic HVACs that will fit in the thirdgens?

 

One bulb. A higher intensity bulb will help, but regardless of your effort, dim will be the word.

JamesC

 

I see what you mean about the HVAC control being dim even with a brighter bulb.So I removed the faceplate from my spare(gently pry out at bottom retainer clip first)for curiosity.Do you think masking the slots and top then painting the area behind the faceplate with some type of reflective silver would help?The back of the faceplate has a silver coating.I'm going to try it to see if it helps.May be a few days before i post results.
Just realized the plate behind the faceplate comes out too.Can paint the bulb cavity silver with this plate removed.Maybe modify the slot on the middle plate that allows light thru.

 

imma try to wire in another bulb on the other side

i'll see when i get in there and have a look at some room.

 

I'm trying something similar, but right now I'm stuck at the transmission indicator. HVAC is next. However I'm also trying to change color at the same time, not too easy since everything's stock reflective yellow.

One thing to watch out for is this, some places sell 194 bulbs which one would think are brighter, especially when they claim to be 3 times brighter than regular bulbs. I got two sets, and both were not even near the brightness of the blue/green 194's I got at Walmart.


My next step will be to use chrome tape, tried using silver reflective tape, result was so so, not bright enough.

That and a brighter LED bulb in the LED 194 holder.

 

I wired in a single LED I bought at my local car audio shop (by Varad, I think), colored to match the digital gauges, with an in line resistor. Very bright at night. Yellow letters during daytime, at night, bright aqua. Have one more indicator to do when I figure it out, the lighted rear defogger switch, its still yellow.

 

You didn't have to change colors or anything on the face plate ? What brightness is the LED ya used ? And I assume it's a blue LED ? (i.e. clear LED but lights up blue)

 

Didn't do anything except install the LED with a resistor in line. No visible changes with the lights off (still has yellow lettering). My 194 socket kind of broke, so I pushed the leads of the LED through the socket and glued it in then spliced the leads to the existing wires. I used a Varad alarm LED I bought from my local car audio shop, removed the colored housing and flasher module, and installed a 1K-ohm 1/4 watt resistor in line. It is clear and lights up the color of my gauges.

http://www.varad.com/products/products-index.html

 

Kewl, I'll have to try that tonight.

 

I figured out the defogger switch indicator light. Removed the switch from the dash and disassembled it. I snaps out from the bottom by the connector and exposes a small circuit board with 2 lights on it (DS1 and DS2), sorry, no pictures. I unsoldered DS2 which lights up the defogger symbol on the switch, and replaced it with a colored LED and a 1K-ohm 1/4 watt resistor in line (physically the same size as the light I removed. I used the capacitor on the board (which had + and - labeled) and a multimeter, to find the negative (ground) terminal for the LED. Once LED and resistor were installed, I slid the switch assembly back together and tested in the dash, it's no longer yellow when the lights are on, but a greenish blue (aqua LED behind yellow lens).