1973 Oldsmobile 98 Regency 4 door hardtop
September 8th, 2012, 06:54 AM
#1
1973 Oldsmobile 98 Regency 4 door hardtop
Hi there!
I am the owner of the 1973 Oldsmobile 98 Regency and searches for dashboard lights to this.
I think they called dash lights. Bought this september 2010 from Florida and is now running in Norway every summer.
Hope there is someone who knows about these lights is to get in.
Best greetings from Thor Olafsen Norway
I am the owner of the 1973 Oldsmobile 98 Regency and searches for dashboard lights to this.
I think they called dash lights. Bought this september 2010 from Florida and is now running in Norway every summer.
Hope there is someone who knows about these lights is to get in.
Best greetings from Thor Olafsen Norway
September 8th, 2012, 08:37 AM
#2
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 14,168
If you're talking about those four lights (two on each side) up under the dash that illuminate the pods on either side of the steering column, those are not reproduced new. You'll have to find someone selling them from a parts car.
I have a '73 Custom Cruiser which has the exact same lights. In my experience, after so many years, the plastic lenses get brittle and are easily broken if you try to remove those lights to change the bulbs, get behind the dash, or anything like that.
What, exactly, is the problem with yours? If they're missing altogether or are in such bad shape that they need to be replaced, see my comments above.
If, on the other hand, you just need to change the bulbs, get a small, flat-blade screwdriver and grit your teeth. According to the chassis service manual, the procedure to get at the bulbs is to pry out the light with the screwdriver. The lights actually come out forward as there is enough slack in the wires to allow this. You can then replace the bulb and push and snap the light back into place.
But BE CAREFUL. After so many years, the plastic lenses are very brittle, and it is very easy to break them when trying to pry them out.
If the lights simply won't stay up in the top of the dash because the tabs are broken, my suggestion is to use a small piece of clear plastic tape to hold them up by opposite corners. The tape won't be noticeable as the lights are facing downward, and I don't know any other simple way of keeping the lights in place short of getting replacements.
Below is a photo of the right side cluster on my car, and you can see that neither of the lights (on either side of the map light) is properly in place. Neither one will stay in place, either, and I'm holding them in place with small pieces of tape.
I have a '73 Custom Cruiser which has the exact same lights. In my experience, after so many years, the plastic lenses get brittle and are easily broken if you try to remove those lights to change the bulbs, get behind the dash, or anything like that.
What, exactly, is the problem with yours? If they're missing altogether or are in such bad shape that they need to be replaced, see my comments above.
If, on the other hand, you just need to change the bulbs, get a small, flat-blade screwdriver and grit your teeth. According to the chassis service manual, the procedure to get at the bulbs is to pry out the light with the screwdriver. The lights actually come out forward as there is enough slack in the wires to allow this. You can then replace the bulb and push and snap the light back into place.
But BE CAREFUL. After so many years, the plastic lenses are very brittle, and it is very easy to break them when trying to pry them out.
If the lights simply won't stay up in the top of the dash because the tabs are broken, my suggestion is to use a small piece of clear plastic tape to hold them up by opposite corners. The tape won't be noticeable as the lights are facing downward, and I don't know any other simple way of keeping the lights in place short of getting replacements.
Below is a photo of the right side cluster on my car, and you can see that neither of the lights (on either side of the map light) is properly in place. Neither one will stay in place, either, and I'm holding them in place with small pieces of tape.
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