Anyone ever change the bulb in a Volvo radio c/d unit.
My radio started smoking, now I don't see the knobs at night.
Is this difficult? 1998 S70 GLT
Thanks

THESE ARE THE TIPS:

1. http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=25809&postid=214997


2. Go to Radio Shack and buy the micro lamp type 7219 (SN 272-1092C), 2 bulbs per package at about $1.50.

There were 6 lights in my SC-816 (3 lights are shared between the 1-6 radio buttons) To access the bulbs:

1. Pull the radio partially out of the dash (unhook the wiring). Take inside to a well lit area. Remove the screws just behind the face plate on both sides of the radio chassis (4 screws total).
2. Remove the equalizer, fade buttons and tuning/volume buttons, they should pull right off. (don't loose these, as the tend to "pop" off and land in hard to reach places)
3. Pry the plastic retainers just behind the face plate of the radio on the top and bottom of the radio chassis and then remove the face plate.
At this point, you will see a printed circiut board which houses the 6 lights we're trying to get at.
4. Remove the 3 screws the retain the circuit board, these should be at the lower center and upper corners of the board.
5. Carefully remove the circuit board from the radio chassis and pull straight forward. The circuit board is modular and slides into a couple of multi-pin connections, so be sure not to damage. If you have difficulty removing this, try prying gently with a small putty knife.
6. With the circuit board removed, access the lights from the backside by turning the lights 1/4 turn CCW. (you can used a small screwdriver, but you should be able to turn with your fingers)
7.After removing the bulbs from your radio, remove the old bulb elements from the plastic housing and insert the new bulb in it's place. This is tedious. Try to find the end of the wire and pull up on it. Or chip away the "glue" holding to wire leads in place and wrap the new wire leads in similar fashion. However, I was able to do this with just an exacto knife (be very careful PLEASE).
In a hour or so I had replaced all of my bulbs and should be good for another 50K miles. Please note that many owners (including myself) leave their headlights on all of the time, which probably causes the bulbs to burn-out sooner. I now keep the dash lighting at 1/2 brightness.

To reassemble your radio, follow these steps in reverse, noting that the circuit board must line-up with the multi-pin connections and a couple of guide pins. As for replacing

I did this repair just this afternoon and have a couple of observations. My SC 816 unit did not have screws in the board, instead there were little tabs to straighten with a needlenose. It would be great, too, if you could get the lapms with the little bases already on them. The units are very samll and hard to handle if you have fat fingers. I'd also suggest that as you reassemble and putt the face plate back on, you screw in the metal plate at the top right of the unit first -- I think this is a spring mechanism for the CD ejector. All of these differences are a product of evolutions in the radios, I'm sure. Anyway it was cheaper than the $300 my dealer quoted for a reman's unit. thanks.

I can't recall who posted this, but credit where credit is due!

Ask for Volvo PN 9148908 about $5-6 each. These are the replacement bulbs including base for the SC816 and most likely SC815 units.

The replacement bulbs do not come with the blue/green rubber bulb covers that give the radio face the right color and they can not be ordered! Pull the covers off the old bulbs using only your fingers so you don't rip them and put them on the new ones.

Again, credit to the original author.

BB

THANKS CN

Glad someone dug that up...my left side went out about two years ago...replaced it...now the right side went.

Back to Radio Shack.

:-)
--
1998 S70 T5M, Nordic Blue, iPD ECU/Strut Tower Brace/Anti-Sway bars, SuperSprint SS exhaust, Magnecore plug wires, K&N Filter Charger, Blackout Grill, European Side Marker Lamps, Two-Tone interior, 225/40 Series tires

Just replaced all of mine (5).

Took 30 mins.

assuming the radio/cd/tape unit still works, goto www.Volvospeed.com, bay 13
and browse thru. Actually there are 5 lamps involed, all incadescent, you can get bulbs at radio shack. Radio smoked????

Yes it smoked before the light blew, all works well

assuming the radio/cd/tape unit still works, goto www.Volvospeed.com, bay 13
and browse thru. Actually there are 5 lamps involed, all incadescent, you can get bulbs at radio shack. Radio smoked????