Thread: Replace DIC bulbs??

I have recently had all switches out of my car for burned bulbs. Based off of this and other late model GM radios I have worked on, the bulbs are only replaceable if you can unsolder and solder in the new bulbs. They are not socketed bulbs like years ago.

There could also be LEDs like in the radio, or HVAC controls which would also need to be unsoldered and the new soldered in.

You must also take everything apart to get down to the bulbs.

RadioShack sells new 12 volt bulbs, for $1.69 each.

If the digital display is out or half out, it could be cracked solder joints like on my Vibes radio. I hit each joint with my soldering iron and fixed that, I also took the time to replace all the bulbs in the radio since two were out, with the RadioShack bulbs.

Take the dash part and take the DIC out, I can help you from there if you want. The DIC was the only thing I did not remove on my car last weekend when I did my lock switch, heated seat switch, steering wheel control and and HVAC control bulbs.

Originally Posted by toolguy

I have recently had all switches out of my car for burned bulbs. Based off of this and other late model GM radios I have worked on, the bulbs are only replaceable if you can unsolder and solder in the new bulbs. They are not socketed bulbs like years ago.

There could also be LEDs like in the radio, or HVAC controls which would also need to be unsoldered and the new soldered in.

You must also take everything apart to get down to the bulbs.

RadioShack sells new 12 volt bulbs, for $1.69 each.

If the digital display is out or half out, it could be cracked solder joints like on my Vibes radio. I hit each joint with my soldering iron and fixed that, I also took the time to replace all the bulbs in the radio since two were out, with the RadioShack bulbs.

Take the dash part and take the DIC out, I can help you from there if you want. The DIC was the only thing I did not remove on my car last weekend when I did my lock switch, heated seat switch, steering wheel control and and HVAC control bulbs.

You dont have to solder anything. They are twist out bulbs and can be replaced very easily.

Here is a pic. They are 194 bulbs. Twist and pull to remove them from the dic and the bulbs simply pull out from the holders.

OK cool, like the cluster...

Everything else is desolder and solder, probably for lack of room.

Originally Posted by SuperSport

Heres the step by step write up.

ClubGP Message Forum troubleshooting

That link does not seem to work for me. Has the link changed or been updated? I have been messing with this forever. I have changed all my bulbs and now some work and some don't and some are brighter than others. Any ideas, or am I doing something wrong??? I think the new bulbs just aren't making good contact with the metal retainer/clip that sits in the blue socket. They were soldered to the original bulbs so I broke them off, pressed them back into the sockets, then pressed the new bulbs in. Everyone makes this sound so easy, but it is kicking my a$$. Anyone have any ideas???

For anyone still messing with their DIC, I went Napa and they sell the correct bulb WITH the socket. Just twist out your blue socket and twist in the new one and you are good to go. This was nearly as cheap as messing with the bulbs, but I didn't have to worry about the new bulbs making connection and whatever. Just put it in and I was done. I would highly recommend this route for anyone with blown bulbs.

Originally Posted by jmdc692

everything works except for my DIC

I hear that happens as you get older (you or the car)...

Look at it in the sunlight or with a flashlight and if you can see the info in the display working you likely just need new bulbs to get it working right again.

Originally Posted by SDGTP99

-BTW, it's easier to get yourself to a salvage yard and buy a used DIC than to waste time replacing bulbs. Used DIC's are cheap.

That sounds good in theory, but I am not so sure. I did that route too, and while the unit might be cheap, so are the bulbs (I think I paid about the same or slightly more for the used DIC than for all the replacement bulbs for both units).

The other issues I see are that most of them from a yard have the same problem and you end up doing bulbs anyway (and if you are worried about time you would be crazy to put an unknown unit back in the car not knowing how good it is and how long the bulbs in it would last), you know the history of yours and not the junkyard unit, the parts store is probably closer than the junkyard (and the bulbs probably have a warranty), and the time to change the bulbs is not an issue--it takes much more time to pull the unit from the car than to change the bulbs out of the unit once removed from the car (which must happen anyway).

From my perspective the way to save time is do it right the first time. This can be done with a junkyard unit or your own (assuming both are working properly), but I personally wouldn't put either back in the car without new bulbs (they are probably 10+ years old for hell sakes). Same line of thinking why you replace a water pump when you do a timing belt (not on our cars obviously, but the majority of FWD cars)--the time is not in changing the pump itself, it is in the labor to get to it.

Originally Posted by jmdc692

So on my 2000 GTP all the lights work around the D.I.C. unit EXCEPT for my D.I.C. display. I replaced all 5 bulbs and still everything worked except for the 3 bulbs that light up the D.I.C. should I just buy a new one?

Can you see the info working in the display and it is just the bulbs not working? Did you replace the bulbs only (not the sockets)? If so, make sure you have the bulbs seated correctly in the socket. It is a pain and a little off and they will not work. It is also easy to break the little wires off the end of the bulbs, and if that happens the bulb is no good. I think I also cleaned up the contact points on the back of the DIC with a scrotchbrite pad to make a better connection.

Originally Posted by jmdc692

I replaced the sockets and bulbs. I swapped the bulbs around and still nothing on the DIC. the buttons on the left and right work (tcs). I cant see the DIC display working at all.

If the unit itself is not working you can check the wiring behind it to make sure it is getting signal, otherwise it sounds like you need a new one.