Bulb Reference Chart?
12-24-2010, 09:12 PM
#1
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Whitehall, Michigan
Posts: 2,638
Bulb Reference Chart?
Hey MF.
I'm looking for a bulb reference guide for the mustang. I really only need to know two bulbs though:
Dome light (what type/number? I want to replace it with an LED)
Lights behind HVAC controls - one of my lights burnt out, the one behind the fan speed. And it's driving me crazy. I want to pick up a new bulb before I go nuts taking it apart.
Also, unrelated but has anyone tried the LED replacement bulbs for the rear taillights? How do you like them if so? I've been tossing around the idea of getting some for a long time (LEDs just look so much more clean) but I don't have the $60-80ish to drop on a set if I'm going to hate them and I'm too lazy to build my own.
I'm looking for a bulb reference guide for the mustang. I really only need to know two bulbs though:
Dome light (what type/number? I want to replace it with an LED)
Lights behind HVAC controls - one of my lights burnt out, the one behind the fan speed. And it's driving me crazy. I want to pick up a new bulb before I go nuts taking it apart.
Also, unrelated but has anyone tried the LED replacement bulbs for the rear taillights? How do you like them if so? I've been tossing around the idea of getting some for a long time (LEDs just look so much more clean) but I don't have the $60-80ish to drop on a set if I'm going to hate them and I'm too lazy to build my own.
12-25-2010, 01:33 AM
#2
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Join Date: Aug 2007
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Also, the dome light uses a festoon bulb. The correct LED for it is this "4410-x9, 44 x 10mm festoon, 9 x 3mm LED, 30 degree beam."
FYI, the same bulbs are used in the map lights if you want to replace the maps with LED's as well.
ac controls---------- 194/168 base wedge bulbs
superbrightleds.com has em. replaced all mine with leds a while back. has been great for about a year but my dome light has now turned into a strobe light so i need to replace that one but all the rest are fine.
FYI, the same bulbs are used in the map lights if you want to replace the maps with LED's as well.
ac controls---------- 194/168 base wedge bulbs
superbrightleds.com has em. replaced all mine with leds a while back. has been great for about a year but my dome light has now turned into a strobe light so i need to replace that one but all the rest are fine.
12-25-2010, 01:36 AM
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Whitehall, Michigan
Posts: 2,638
Also, the dome light uses a festoon bulb. The correct LED for it is this "4410-x9, 44 x 10mm festoon, 9 x 3mm LED, 30 degree beam."
FYI, the same bulbs are used in the map lights if you want to replace the maps with LED's as well.
ac controls---------- 194/168 base wedge bulbs
superbrightleds.com has em. replaced all mine with leds a while back. has been great for about a year but my dome light has now turned into a strobe light so i need to replace that one but all the rest are fine.
FYI, the same bulbs are used in the map lights if you want to replace the maps with LED's as well.
ac controls---------- 194/168 base wedge bulbs
superbrightleds.com has em. replaced all mine with leds a while back. has been great for about a year but my dome light has now turned into a strobe light so i need to replace that one but all the rest are fine.
Exactly what I was looking for. I saw a commercial for them on TV actually... that's what made me think of it again. Last time I did some looking was about two years ago and I couldn't find crap.Merry christmas!
12-26-2010, 08:25 AM
#4
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Saint Augustine, FL
Posts: 10,938
03-02-2011, 11:24 AM
#5
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Whitehall, Michigan
Posts: 2,638
Uhh I guess I'll just bump this.
I ordered some bulbs off ebay for real cheap just to see how the look - Not bad! I wish the were a little brighter but one of the styles I got doesn't fit but would have a better light pattern. C'est la vie
Anyway since I put them in, if I hold the brake for ~5 seconds, and have the interior light dimmer at full, with the parking lights OFF, the radio light and odometer light go off. If I let go of the brake, they come back on. If I turn the dimmer down, even though it should have no effect, they will come back on at full brightness. There's no weirdness with the parking lights on either.
So between those two things I'm going to switch back for now, but does anyone know WTF would cause that?
I ordered some bulbs off ebay for real cheap just to see how the look - Not bad! I wish the were a little brighter but one of the styles I got doesn't fit but would have a better light pattern. C'est la vie
Anyway since I put them in, if I hold the brake for ~5 seconds, and have the interior light dimmer at full, with the parking lights OFF, the radio light and odometer light go off. If I let go of the brake, they come back on. If I turn the dimmer down, even though it should have no effect, they will come back on at full brightness. There's no weirdness with the parking lights on either.
So between those two things I'm going to switch back for now, but does anyone know WTF would cause that?
02-15-2012, 06:38 PM
#6
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: WA
Posts: 16
Ahh...the joys of modern Mustang electronics! I cannot say for certain what the problem with the brake/dash lamps are...but I have a pretty good idea as I've experienced MANY similar problems in my 07. First off, LED bulbs draw less current. This is a good thing in terms lessen the load on your electrical system...which can make alternators and other electronic devices like fuses and relays last longer. It also requires less power from the motor to turn the alternator (not that you'd really notice).
PROBLEM: Modern Mustangs have a Smart Junction Box (or something similar) and other computer controlled/calibrated sensors and they are VERY fussy! I replaced my reverse lamps with LED's...and they work great...but at night, if you look, the bulbs stay lit (ever so dimmly). Want to change the wattage of a headlight or instrument bulb? Well, there's a code for that too. I put a higher watt bulb in and it shut off completely on one side and required reprogramming of the smart junction box. I installed LED corner lights (194's) and domes and since then have had issues with my dash lights randomly dimming in particular areas for no real reason as they come back on at will.
Moral of the story(?)...you change one bulb and it changes the entire "layout" of the distribution of power to your various accessories. Also, the headlight/dimmer switches in both 04 Mustangs and S197 Mustangs are basically trash (as have been many of the light switches in previous model years). Check your wiring diagrams carefully, use load resistors where necessary, change relays where necessary, and contact your dealership or Ford before making any electrical modifications. It'll save you time and money and will prevent things like you mentioned...or worse! Imagine driving down the highway and having one headlight shut off, your dome lights switch on, and your dash lights flicker on and off....not safe.
PROBLEM: Modern Mustangs have a Smart Junction Box (or something similar) and other computer controlled/calibrated sensors and they are VERY fussy! I replaced my reverse lamps with LED's...and they work great...but at night, if you look, the bulbs stay lit (ever so dimmly). Want to change the wattage of a headlight or instrument bulb? Well, there's a code for that too. I put a higher watt bulb in and it shut off completely on one side and required reprogramming of the smart junction box. I installed LED corner lights (194's) and domes and since then have had issues with my dash lights randomly dimming in particular areas for no real reason as they come back on at will.
Moral of the story(?)...you change one bulb and it changes the entire "layout" of the distribution of power to your various accessories. Also, the headlight/dimmer switches in both 04 Mustangs and S197 Mustangs are basically trash (as have been many of the light switches in previous model years). Check your wiring diagrams carefully, use load resistors where necessary, change relays where necessary, and contact your dealership or Ford before making any electrical modifications. It'll save you time and money and will prevent things like you mentioned...or worse! Imagine driving down the highway and having one headlight shut off, your dome lights switch on, and your dash lights flicker on and off....not safe.
02-17-2012, 09:17 AM
#7
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Saint Augustine, FL
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It is caused by a number of monitoring and "convenience" systems that use normal and "bleed" current through various lamps as their input. These systems expect that the lamps will be plain ol' resistive devices of certain characteristics--LEDs are not, with their most offending property being that they have differing and dynamic "resistances" depending on which direction the current is flowing.
An incandescent filament lamp has the same resistance regardless of the polarity of the signal being passed through it--this is what confuses the electronic controls. There are undoubtedly workarounds for this however each lighting circuit would have to be analyzed to determine its controls and behaviour, and its interaction with other circuits.
Well beyond the point of diminishing returns fr me...
An incandescent filament lamp has the same resistance regardless of the polarity of the signal being passed through it--this is what confuses the electronic controls. There are undoubtedly workarounds for this however each lighting circuit would have to be analyzed to determine its controls and behaviour, and its interaction with other circuits.
Well beyond the point of diminishing returns fr me...
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