AU Falcon futura illumination power window switch

[aufutura_bloke]

got a 2001 ford falcon futura classic and the back light illumination bulb has blown that u can see the direction of window to wind up when u press buttun. have spoken to ford and the bulbs are not replaceable had to buy a complete new switch. how stupid is that.

[BOON250]

If you pop the switch apart the bulb certainly looks replaceable. Square rubber base with two pins that poke through the rubber, I had the same looking bulbs on some switches in my old R32 Skyline. Im going to ask around auto electrical places to find some for mine. Ford want a criminal amount of money for new switches....

[InfernoSR]

Convert to LED... i know i am... just waiting for the parts... and its alot chearer!

There is a tutorial here if you think you are up to a little electronics play

[aufutura_bloke]

does anyone know where these bulbs can be purchased from?

[InfernoSR]

If you want to simply swap them for original ones, then you should be able to get them from Ford.

If you do a conversion to LED, then electronic suppliers like Jaycar or Dick Smith Electronics...

[Tech Trainer]

Yeah you can buy small 12v bulbs from Tandy, Dick Smith, etc. They have fairly long wires on them and they are brighter than the standard ones, so buy four for the right hand front door if that is where you concern is otherwise just buy one. It is simple to do. Just pop the top toggle secction of the switch out then remove the rubber bulb holder. The old bulb's wires are threaded through the rubber holder. Just pull them out. Then insert the new bulbs wires the same way as the old ones with a pair of tweezers. Reassemble and refit.

Any probs PM me.

[aufutura_bloke]

kewl mate yeah its for the passenger side rear door. ford does not sell these bulbs seperately u have to buy a new switch which is $38.50

[aufutura_bloke]

for the passenger side rear door power window switch this bulb is for. pity i live in the country hard to get bulbs out ere

[inventiv]

Has anyone had success finding these bulbs anywhere?

I'm reluctant to go to leds as I don't know a thing about electronics..

I took my switches apart for a clean recently - this is what the bulbs look like:

[prn31]

What you want is a "Grain of Wheat" bulb -seriously that is what they are called.

I tried Jaycar, but the only bulb they had had an insulated wire which won't work - I've tried.

I've purchased 3mm clear 14V grain of wheat bulbs with non-insulated wires off ebay out of China. 30 bulbs for A$10. (That means if you break one it doesn't matter...) I won't put the link in, but it isn't hard to find on ebay.

I could have gone with 12V but my auto electrician said 14V would be better. If you go with LEDs then you have to put in resisters, which I don't want to do.

I haven't received these bulbs yet, but hopefully I will be able to bend them into the little brown bulb carrier.

[inventiv]

Originally Posted by prn31

I could have gone with 12V but my auto electrician said 14V would be better.

Damn, I should have checket that..

I found the same bulbs on eBay but I ordered the 12V ones. Any reason why the electrician said the 14V are better?

[mik]

Originally Posted by inventiv

Damn, I should have checket that..

I found the same bulbs on eBay but I ordered the 12V ones. Any reason why the electrician said the 14V are better?

i`m guessing the 14 volt globes will last longer.

[inventiv]

Oh ok, no worries.

I'm planning installing them this weekend (if they arrive by then) and posting a picture up with the results for those who are interested to know if they will work.

[prn31]

I received my "grain of wheat" bulbs from China on Wednesday.

I replaced the lights yesterday as well as cleaning the window switch contacts.

Whilst I had a few issues at the beginning (doing this job at night is not recommended) I soon got the hang of it.

Result - all the switches light up and my windows work better!

Time taken - probably 2 to 3 hours. But the last switch I did took about 15 minutes.

Total cost - A$10 (for thirty globes including delivery to Sydney).

No need to buy new switches and it makes such a difference when driving at night...

[inventiv]

What prn31 says! I received mine from China today. I went with the 12V ones, they work fine as well:


A couple of notes for anyone looking at doing this:

- The bulbs I got were slightly larger than factory, but they work fine, and fit snug, you just need to squeeze them onto the brown rubber boots:


- When you try and place the blue sock back on the new bulbs, they don't cover the entire bulb:


- I installed the new bulbs both ways to begin with, to see which light would be better (with, or without blue socks):


The result of which was that the side with the socks on, gave a whiter light, whereas the side with no blue socks gave a warmer yellow light:


I personally liked the whiter light, so I put the blue socks on all of the bulbs.

So there you have it, these work for sure and you do get a whole bunch in the pack so if any of them go out you have spares! And they were 10bucks, and a mornings work. Beats going to the stealer and being told you need new window switches if you want your lights to work again...

[rayban76]

So there you have it, these work for sure and you do get a whole bunch in the pack so if any of them go out you have spares! And they were 10bucks, and a mornings work. Beats going to the stealer and being told you need new window switches if you want your lights to work again...[/QUOTE]

Looks good. well done

[Icepak]

I would like to thank everyone for their thread and add a few pictures as its often easier to see pictures. The job is quiet easy to do, just takes a bit of time and a pair of glasses to see better. I bought the Grain of wheat bulbs on ebay, 100 for $14. Please make sure they are non insulated. The wiring is wrapped around the rubber casing which is easily removed with a very fine flat head screw driver. Then just unfold it and reverse the procedure when putting on the new bulb. Works 100% and saves a lot of money. No need to buy a new switch just for a faulty bulb.
I also managed to change the lights switches which sit between the airvents and the radio which are LPG,Door locks, Wheel Traction etc. With this all you need is a small flat screw driver and pop this section out and the switches comes straight out. The lights come out by inserting the screwdriver and turning it anti clockwise then just unwind those lights and put the new ones. Gotta love Ford !!! The original lights on this is slightly smaller/Shorter (not as long as the original) but it fits and it works.

The link from ebay is this one:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/100-pcs-3...item3a7b5ac148

[Mr Hardware]

Nice writeup Icepak!