I recently replaced bulbs that had burned out in some switches and jotten down these notes as I did the job for anybody considering doing the same thing. In general, any rocker switch that has a little window above it indicating the function should be lit. The orange LED should still work, but the illumination of the switch function typically burns out. In this case the switches are from my ’93 850. Remember to keep the brightness below 80% or so and you may never have to replace a bulb.

The switches are pressed into cutouts in the dash or console and they are removed by prying out. Using a small flat-bladed screwdriver, pry the switch housing out of the dash trying not to slip and scratch the plastic. Mine were fairly tight and I needed to pull up on the rocker switch itself as I pried the top edge. The connector on the back can be removed by prying up one of the release latches of the connector and wiggling the connector enough that the latch is no longer locked to the switch. Then pry the other one as you pull on the connector to free it. Never pull on the wires, just the plastic housing.

The switch has 4 latches holding it together, one on each side. Using 2 small flat-bladed screwdrivers, start with the 2 latches closest to each other on the bottom and left sides of the connector. Hold the left side of the shell above the latch as you lift and pry the bottom latch away enough that the left and bottom are no longer locked. Next, lift and pry the right side until its no longer locked and then the top latch. When you slide it apart, pieces will begin to fall out but reassembly is intuitive and easy.

The pieces you will have are as follows: the top shell with rocker attached, the little window of the switch function, 2 metal retaining clips, the middle section of the switch which has the contacts and bulb, a metal contact plate, and the bottom shell. Slide the middle section out and get ready to solder.

The bulb is sitting in a socket with leads heading down each side. Following the leads down from the bulb, cut them just before they enter a little channel and pull the bulb out. In my case, I had 12V 60mA T-1 bulbs on hand and this is what I used to replace the larger bulb that originally came with the switch. The bulbs are Radio Shack micro lamps 272-1092C. Slide the lamp into the socket being sure the leads are separated and the filament is at about the same height as the old bulb was. This means that it will not sit in the bottom of the socket. Maybe it won’t matter, but I wanted the illumination to match perfectly. Wrap the leads through the channel and if everything is positioned OK, solder the two leads together on both sides, then trim the excess.

Reassembly is not hard. Start with the bottom shell and slide in the middle section, place the 2 metal clips in their slots, place the metal plate on the contacts so the little posts fit into the little sockets on each side of the centerline, place the function window over the bulb, and snap the top housing down over everything. I held the rocker switch in the ON position as I snapped it together so it wouldn’t bump the metal plate off the contacts before it was snapped together. Listen for a little metal jingle as you are about to snap it together that might indicate the plate was knocked out of position. After the 4 latches are locked together, if the switch snaps on and off like it used to then you’re ready to reinstall. The connector simply presses on the switch and the switch presses into the dash opening.

Hope this helps.

Mike H. II '93 850GLT '98 V70