Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

[Boyesy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Boyesy]

Does anyone have a fix for making the indicating on lights for the air conditioner, closed circulation and the rear demister better? I have great difficulty in seeing whether they are lit up when driving during the daytime. In fact they are dangerous as you have to take your eyes off the road and really peer at the swithes to see if they are on.

Boyesy :roll:

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

Eat more carrots? :shock:

[Boyesy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Boyesy]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

Hey I am really serious here. While eating more carrots may improve my eye sight it won't improve the poor illumination on the stated switches

Boyesy

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

In fact they are dangerous as you have to take your eyes off the road and really peer at the swithes to see if they are on.

Can't you tell by the position of the switch?... they are either in or out.

Mick

[Boyesy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Boyesy]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

No you cannot tell whether they are in or out! Or at least I can't. Maybe I'm missing something here.

Boyesy

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

What have you got, climate control or pre climate control?


Mick

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

What make/model Prado do you have?

The switches you refer to are easily visible, day or night. The light above the switch is pretty noticeable on our car when operating (the following photo shows the switches, but not the lights):

[mersenne Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mersenne]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

Boyesy,
maybe you have a poor grounding on the illumination cct, or by chance, you don't have your headlights wired to turn on during the day i.e. whenever the car is turned started?

[Boyesy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Boyesy]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

Thanks for replies. I have a 2007 120 series Prado with just airconditioning, no climate contol. The location of my switches are different to those shown in your photo, ntpryce.

Boyesy

[Boyesy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Boyesy]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

I forgot the model - it is a GX

Boyesy

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

I have a 2007 120 series Prado with just airconditioning

In which case you the AC and Recirc buttons will be "in" a couple of mm when on and out all the way when off. The demist button is the only one of the three that is momentary.

Assuming there is nothing wrong (you could compare yours with someone else's) and you think the issue is big enough for you to warrant a fix, then here's a couple of ideas that spring to mind....

A) Remove the switch and see if it's feasible to replace the LED's with brighter ones.

B) Take a power feed off each switch and run to some brighter, panel mount LED's that you could mount elsewhere in the dash.

Mick

[Boyesy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Boyesy]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

Thanks Mick for those suggestions. Will look into replacing with brighter LEDs.

Boyesy

[Chuck Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chuck]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

Eat more carrots? :shock:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Classic...... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

Re: Indicator lights on air conditioning etc switches

Yeah I'd certainly look into the LED replacement option. I've recently ordered a swag of LED's to replace the cab lights in mine plus the reverse lights which are god awful dim in my opinion. Haven't looked into any dash lights as yet but I'd be willing to bet they'd be a standard globe, maybe a T5 wedge or the like.

Other members have pointed me Brightlights. Seems a good website...

http://www.brightlightautoparts.com/...entGlobes.html


Another good Australian shop is LEDshoponline. I pulled out my reverse light globes and measured them, plus noted down all the writing on the globe. Emailed these guys the info and they came back with a LED globe for me to get from their range. Still in transit at this point though.

http://www.ledshoponline.com/index.html


I found the following website excellent for info about the LED globe types and measurements etc. Superbright LED's. Though they are American, but will send overseas.... for a price.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/mini-wedge.html


But yeah, the only other way we can tell is if the button is slightly pushed in, which isn't immediately obvious I have to admit. I have the same dash as you and know what you're talking about. You have the manual dials and the 3 buttons right? If the button is in you get a dim and very small green light. My digital camera had a CCD failure (which Canon is fixing for free) otherwise I'd take a shot of it. I'm a huge fan of the manual dials by the way. Hate those push button only arrangements with a passion. Anyhow... We'd certainly need to pull the centre section of the dash out to see what globes go in there. There's info in the forum about how that is done.... but I haven't yet done it myself. But I understand it's not too bad to do.