Stoodo

iTrader: (4)

Due to a sickness I have, once I heard the welcome lamps were not LEDs, I decided I must change them.

I also had extra LED 194 bulbs lying around.

Here's another crappy basic tutorial.

Push mirror forward to get at it easier


Use a cloth (or in my case a napkin) underneath your non-marring pry tool to pop off the mirror. It has latched at the bottom and hinged at the top.


Remove the 4 screws at the four corners of the assembly. I let the mirror dangle on the wires. You may wish to remove it if you are paranoid. There is a double connector and two additional wires (depending on your options)


Carefully separate the back cover


Here is the socket in the reflector assembly


Here is the reflector assembly removed.


Reflector assembly


Another shot


Replace the 168/194 bulb with led and reinstall reflector


Putting the front trim / back trim / reflector housing back together is a little tricky. Just take your time. It might be easier with another set of hands. Replace the four screws.


Here is the back of the mirror. Install the pivots in the top portion of the mirror and snap in place.

TheAirman

Great write-up, and you beat me to it !!!!!

Was it as hard as I thought it might be? Or just a jigsaw puzzle of snap together parts?

About that bulb. It looks like one of those "omni-directional" types. ?? How does it work as compared to one of those forward firing bulbs I had envisioned using?? Like this:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/morei...-base-dac/213/

Stoodo

iTrader: (4)

It took me less than a half hour to do both sides. It wasn't too bad. Getting the three main plastic pieces back together was the hardest part.

The led you linked to would probably be better but I tested mine in a darkened garage and it seemed bright enough.

skywise

We need before and after lighting pics!

Stoodo

iTrader: (4)

I can do an after.

Sorry for the blurriness.

TonyHS

I think all HS owners already know what before looks like. Is that the biggest bulb you can put in or did it look like it had much room left? Was there any refelector in there so a 360 dregree to do any good? To use the airman's bulb, would you need to take the lens off the light and put in the bulb from that side?

Thanks for the details, I cant wait to do mine.

Stoodo

iTrader: (4)

There might be a little more clearance lengthwise. Not sure though. I am also not sure if there is any kind of reflector there. Mine ended up being bright enough for me.

TheAirman

That's just what I was worried about. The clearance for the bulb I linked to to fit in the hole.

From the looks of it from his pictures, it looks like it will fit. From the specifications on the link to the bulb, it says it's .900 inch wide. From the pictures it looks like it will fit.

The only bulb that I am sure of, that is made just for those mirror lights, is from Japan. And it takes weeks to get those and it costs a lot more. That's why I've been holding off. I guess I'll just order those I linked to.

kitlz

Looks great and what a difference it makes. A few of us in the 3RX forum changed out the bulbs to VLEDs with excellent results. It's been 2 1/2 years since I did mine and they're still going strong. BTW, I thought the hardest part was listening to the noise the inside cover makes when it's removed. Not for the faint of heart.

TheAirman

I actually tried this mod last light with no success. The directional 4 SMD LED bulb I had was way too long and it would not fit into the reflector.

The clearance or length is very limited in this light. It's really not much more than the original 194 peanut bulb that goes in there. I think it's length is around 27mm. The LED I used was around 35 mm. So that give you some idea how tight it is in there.

With what I learned, I ordered different bulbs off Amazon and will try those when they come in.

This is a picture of what I tried: