Climate control lights and changing the colour of dash bulbs

Hi everyone. My climate control back light isn't working. I've tried replacing the bulbs but still no joy. Any ideas on if/how this could be fixed? Also is it possible to change to colour of the cluster back lights? Many thanks. Matt

Not sure about the climate control unit, two of the button lights in mine recently died and I've yet to investigate.

As for the main binnacle that's an easy one once you're in there.
The lights for the speedo and rev counter are just T5 bulbs and there are no filters so you can replace them easily with LED's of your choosing. Just make sure you leave the indicator ones white or green so they flash correctly still.

One thing I will note. I replaced the indicator ones with some white LED's and found they were far too bright after. Dug out some green ones I had for another car and they worked fine but after a while the left hand one kept seeming to fail. Reverted back to bulbs for those and not had any problems. Could just be the LED's I used as they were about 20 for a few quid on eBay.

Here's what mine looks like. The odometer is just a normal bulb as the LED's I have didn't want to fit in there properly. I might go back through it one day with some better quality LED's and redo the fog light switches as well.

Hi MedicalFlyer thanks for such a comprehensive answer. So its the bulbs themselves that give the colour then? Did you change the radio and climate bulbs as well then?

Indeed
Many cars of this email used coloured filters or caps on the bulbs themselves. The only ones on these that seem to are the odometer and indicator tell-tales.

Different colour/shape/style LED's will illuminate the cluster differently. For these something with a fairly wide spread seem ideal.

I've not had the stereo or climate unit out yet so not sure if they've even got replaceable bulbs.

The ones in the fog/cruise/hazard/beam leveller switches are T3 but seem to have slightly modified holders with a deeper clip piece.

The other interior, boot and map lights are all easily done too.

Thanks again for all the top information! I've had the climate unit apart before and the bulbs are easy to change. I imagine the radio ones are similar to be honest. So have you not managed to change the odometer lights then? I do love how your dials look and I hope it's as easy for me to do! What bulbs do you need for the other interior lights map etc?

I might take a look at the climate and radio one day then. I could do with fitting up my Grom Audio unit direct to the head unit instead of running a cable back to the boot.

I first changed mine when the odometer bulb failed a while back. The LED's I bought were a SMD (surface mount) type that were a bit fiddly to get through some of the holes, especially the odometer one. But to be honest I'm happy with the odometer being a bulb still as an LED may be too bright in there. It's very clear at night and not too dazzling which is what you want.

I might have a play with the T3's I've got and see if I can swap the LED's in to the original Honda holder's so they fit better. They're currently taped in place but come loose every so often which is annoying.

If you're not in a hurry buy through eBay from China or Hong Kong and get yourself a few varieties to play with. The old Corolla I used to have took about 6 attempts before I found ones I was happy with.

Had a look back through my eBay history for some links for you.
These are the cool/day white T5's I used. You'll see the LED is square so sits proud of the holder a bit. They do fit but might need a little wiggling to get them in place:
http://r.ebay.com/eCBrlK

The front interior lights are normal festoon types. I had some trouble finding replacements that fit nicely, most come out too small. The ones I bought are no longer on sale from the same seller but these look similar:
http://r.ebay.com/LDxU0Y
I'd recommend warm white as they're less harsh on your eyes and if you slightly angle the outer two a bit they illuminate the whole front of the car.

The rear interior light is again a festoon the same as above. Or you can go for a panel light if you want something brighter
Something like the 48 SMD one from here:
http://r.ebay.com/6231qM
Again I would recommend warm white. Measure to see what will fit but I'm sure I used a 48 one. Not sure if it's the same seller I used but I've bought a fair few of these for various cars. They come with various adapters and are super easy to install.

The boot light is a T5 bulb in a little plastic cage. Doesn't do an awful lot. So for mine I had another large cool/day white panel laying around. Installed the right adapter, closed the cage and fed the wire through, then just stuck the panel to the roof of the boot. There's a nice big flat area in next to the cage. Lights up like a charm. Brilliant for finding things at night.

Last but not least is the glove box light. This is a bit of a pain to get to as you need to remove the glove box (might as well do the pollen filter while you're in there). It's a T5 bulb and I used one of the LED's I used for the dash. Still doesn't do a lot because of where it's placed but it works.

My car lights up like a miniature sun when unlocked at night now :-D

Boot


Switches:


Just some of the 'spares' I've amassed

Absolutely fantasia post there mate! You're a star I'll be getting myself some of these. The switches have blue lights as well? Or is that just one bulb? Looks fantastic I have to say. I realised today just how many orange lights there are. Window switches, radio etc! I think I'll do it in stages thanks for all the help and the pics. Have you done your headlights as well?

The fog, cruise and hazard switched have two bulbs each.
The fogs and cruise have one white for illumination and one green (might be filtered) that comes on when you turn them on.
The hazard switch has two whites I think it was.
Headlamp leveller is just one white.
Most of these bulbs had white/yellow caps on them that probably didn't do much.
I used some eBay sourced 1210 SMD T3's for these but the holders are different and don't stay in place too well.

I personally prefer the stock look for the climate unit and radio but might have a play around if and when I go in there

If you're feeling really adventurous there are plenty of minor bulbs in the main cluster for the warning lights and shift indicator if you have an auto. But probably best left alone if they're working.

If you mean the main bulbs for the headlights I stuck in some Philips X-Treme Vision halogen bulbs. Very nice bulbs that don't dazzle other drivers as they are still in the yellow temperature range. Excellent for unlit roads. I have the same fitted to the full beams and front fogs as well for good measure but rarely find I have to use them when driving. If you wait for Euro's to have one of their sales/discount codes you can pick them up pretty cheap too.

I think I'll leave the minor bulbs alone to be honest, as well as the radio. I'll try the dash and interior lights first and see how I get on I think. I've a headlight restorer kit coming this week as the plastic has yellowed and looks terrible. Thanks for all the tips and links again. I'll post up some pics once sorted.

No problemo.
Happy Honda'ing

I'm glad to know I'm not the only person who actually loves these old accords! It's a great old thing.

Bit of a bump for this thread after seeing a new similar post.

I did go back and fiddle with the fog, cruise and hazard switches. It was quite easy swapping the LED's I had from the cheapo T3 holders they came in to the Honda originals, just a little patience needed. Unfortunately It seems I've lost a couple of the originals along the way but if you're doing a straight swap just take the time to do them as you go if needed.

The hazard switch is just one white bulb.

I might over the next few days take a gander at the climate unit and see about ordering some suitable LED's for it. I've got a bit of time off work so might as well fiddle with the car