EM Automatic Transmission Light

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Bard Beach
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Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 11:39 pm

EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by Bard Beach »

I’m replacing some instrument panel bulbs with LEDs from superbrightled.
It’s my first time getting up behind the instrument panel so a bit of a learning experience. There were no problems replacing the two main instrument panel bulbs, but the (socket) for the bulb behind the automatic transmission gear indicator is completely different.
It doesn’t seem to be a socket.. I’m confused about what it is or why it’s different than the other sockets. They all call for the same bulb and have the same single grey wire, but the socket doesn’t make any sense to me.
Maybe I’m overlooking something obvious, but this seems to be too basic of a thing to be covered in any of the manuals or books I have, or PDFs I’ve found online.
Anyone have any idea what I’m missing here?

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Bard Beach
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Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 11:39 pm

Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by Bard Beach »

*The automatic transmission gear indicator light has never worked as long as I’ve had the car so not finding a bulb there at all isn’t too surprising, but not even a socket to put a bulb in is confusing.


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terribleted
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Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by terribleted »

The long socket you show is the bulb socket. It pulls apart at the back of the tube to expose the bulb.
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
https://www.facebook.com/tedsautorestoration/

Located in Snellville, Georgia
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bbodie52
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Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by bbodie52 »

The arrow in the partial schematic diagram below points to the gear selector lamp. The blue area highlights the lamp wiring, showing the grounded socket and the 20gauge gray (20GY) power wire. The gear selector lamp wire is connected to a junction point that is common to all of the instrument panel illumination lamps. If you trace the 16GY power lead back from the junction point to the fuse block, you will see that the power source ultimately comes from the main light switch, via a 16gauge Violet (16V) wire between the light switch and the fuse block. If the other instrument panel illumination lights function, then you should also find voltage available between the center conductor and ground at the gear selector light socket. All of the lights in the circuit are controlled and dimmed by the main light switch. Since there is a dimmer in the circuit that controls the brightness of standard bulbs, I'm not sure if an LED substitute will function properly as the dimmer is adjusted to reduce the voltage to those lights. The voltage range specification for the LED substitute is 5-28VDC, so the bulb should function regardless of the light switch dimmer setting, but the illumination level will probably not change.

Circuit Fuse Specifications...
Instrument Panel Lamp
Radio Panel Lamp
Heater Control Panel Lamp-3 AG/AGC-3 AMP


Left-click the schematic below to enlarge for better viewing…
1963 Corvair Shift Lever Light.jpg
According to the attached 1961 Corvair Shop Manual Specifications section (CHASSIS ELECTRICAL BULB SPECIFICATIONS) that are found on page 12-12, the correct bulb for the instrument lamps is a GE 1816.
Image

Complete wiring diagrams can be viewed by clicking on the link below (located in Board index >> Technical Section >> DIY - Explanations and Demonstrations)…
CORVAIR COMBINED WIRING SCHEMATIC DIAGRAMS
:link: viewtopic.php?f=225&t=12968

Lamp# 1816 LED Equivalent Miniature Light Bulb
Image
:link: https://www.soslightbulbs.com/product/l ... ight-bulb/
Specifications
This is a direct LED replacement for Minature Bayonet Based miniature incandescent lamps. These LEDs are ideal for mission critical applications such as power plant displays, industrial equipment, and elevator controls. Long-life, low power consumption, shock resistance, and extreme thermal tolerance make LEDs ideal for harsh industrial environments.

Dome Version: A molded diffuser lens increases the viewing angle making this LED more suited for use behind larger displays, switches or lens covers.

Features and Benefits:
- Up to 90% Energy Savings Over Incandescent Lamps
- Long Life, 100,000 hours, Almost 10 years
- Reduces Relamping Labor Cost
- Shock and Vibration Proof
- Lower Operating Temperature
- Increased Safety, No glass that can shatter
LED Equivalent Specifications:

Lamp Shape: T3 1/4
Base Style: Miniature Bayonet (BA9S)
Length MOL: 1.10"
Diameter MOD: 0.40"
Electrical Data: 5-28V AC/DC (Bi-Polar), 20ma

:chevy:
Attachments
1961 Chevrolet Corvair Shop Manual - Section 12 - Specifications.pdf
1961 Chevrolet Corvair Shop Manual - Section 12 - Specifications
(346.54 KiB) Downloaded 27 times
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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Bard Beach
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 11:39 pm

Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by Bard Beach »

terribleted wrote:The long socket you show is the bulb socket. It pulls apart at the back of the tube to expose the bulb.
I’ll try to see if I can pull it apart, didn’t seem like a thing that looked like it should be, but it must be something like that I guess!


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Bard Beach
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Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by Bard Beach »

bbodie52 wrote:The arrow in the partial schematic diagram below points to the gear selector lamp. The blue area highlights the lamp wiring, showing the grounded socket and the 20gauge gray (20GY) power wire. The gear selector lamp wire is connected to a junction point that is common to all of the instrument panel illumination lamps. If you trace the 16GY power lead back from the junction point to the fuse block, you will see that the power source ultimately comes from the main light switch, via a 16gauge Violet (16V) wire between the light switch and the fuse block. If the other instrument panel illumination lights function, then you should also find voltage available between the center conductor and ground at the gear selector light socket. All of the lights in the circuit are controlled and dimmed by the main light switch. Since there is a dimmer in the circuit that controls the brightness of standard bulbs, I'm not sure if an LED substitute will function properly as the dimmer is adjusted to reduce the voltage to those lights. The voltage range specification for the LED substitute is 5-28VDC, so the bulb should function regardless of the light switch dimmer setting, but the illumination level will probably not change.

Circuit Fuse Specifications...
Instrument Panel Lamp
Radio Panel Lamp
Heater Control Panel Lamp-3 AG/AGC-3 AMP


Left-click the schematic below to enlarge for better viewing…
1963 Corvair Shift Lever Light.jpg
According to the attached 1961 Corvair Shop Manual Specifications section (CHASSIS ELECTRICAL BULB SPECIFICATIONS) that are found on page 12-12, the correct bulb for the instrument lamps is a GE 1816.
Image

Complete wiring diagrams can be viewed by clicking on the link below (located in Board index >> Technical Section >> DIY - Explanations and Demonstrations)…
CORVAIR COMBINED WIRING SCHEMATIC DIAGRAMS
:link: viewtopic.php?f=225&t=12968

Lamp# 1816 LED Equivalent Miniature Light Bulb
Image
:link: https://www.soslightbulbs.com/product/l ... ight-bulb/
Specifications
This is a direct LED replacement for Minature Bayonet Based miniature incandescent lamps. These LEDs are ideal for mission critical applications such as power plant displays, industrial equipment, and elevator controls. Long-life, low power consumption, shock resistance, and extreme thermal tolerance make LEDs ideal for harsh industrial environments.

Dome Version: A molded diffuser lens increases the viewing angle making this LED more suited for use behind larger displays, switches or lens covers.

Features and Benefits:
- Up to 90% Energy Savings Over Incandescent Lamps
- Long Life, 100,000 hours, Almost 10 years
- Reduces Relamping Labor Cost
- Shock and Vibration Proof
- Lower Operating Temperature
- Increased Safety, No glass that can shatter
LED Equivalent Specifications:

Lamp Shape: T3 1/4
Base Style: Miniature Bayonet (BA9S)
Length MOL: 1.10"
Diameter MOD: 0.40"
Electrical Data: 5-28V AC/DC (Bi-Polar), 20ma

:chevy:



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Bard Beach
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Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by Bard Beach »

Meant to say thanks instead of re-posting all of that!


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bbodie52
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Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by bbodie52 »

I suppose you could abandon the standard Powerglide dash shifter and install the floor-mounted unit shown below. Then you would not need the illuminating light! ::-):
ImageImage
Powerglide Floor Mounted Shift Kit.jpg
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Or you could build a custom center console like Jeff Lilly Restorations in San Antonio, Texas did for this 1965 Monza...

Image

Image

:link: http://www.jefflilly.com/gallery/classi ... vair-kool/
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
User avatar
Bard Beach
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2017 11:39 pm

Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by Bard Beach »



Or you could build a custom center console like Jeff Lilly Restorations in San Antonio, Texas did for this 1965 Monza...

Wow that looks great!!



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Bard Beach
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Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by Bard Beach »

terribleted wrote:The long socket you show is the bulb socket. It pulls apart at the back of the tube to expose the bulb.
Got it apart, thanks!
Looks like there was a bulb in there that was working still but some kind of plastic color filter had melted blocking the view of the bulb and all light.

All sorted out, thanks again!
66vairguy
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Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by 66vairguy »

I've used the Super Bright LED instrument cluster lamps. Compared to some of the early junk on the internet the Super Bright bulbs work well.
The "warm white" LED's give the best color representation with the LM Corsa gauges with the orange needles.

You mentioned the "lens" had melted. I'm not sure what color it was, but you can get the Superbrite lamps in green (and other colors) for the shift indicator. The green LED works great in the LM instrument panel turn signal indicators.
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terribleted
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Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by terribleted »

Bard Beach wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 7:52 pm
terribleted wrote:The long socket you show is the bulb socket. It pulls apart at the back of the tube to expose the bulb.
Got it apart, thanks!
Looks like there was a bulb in there that was working still but some kind of plastic color filter had melted blocking the view of the bulb and all light.

All sorted out, thanks again!
That was a green lense:)
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
https://www.facebook.com/tedsautorestoration/

Located in Snellville, Georgia
PaulR
Posts: 133
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2015 7:56 pm
Location: Appleton, WI

Re: EM Automatic Transmission Light

Post by PaulR »

66vairguy wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 8:29 pm I've used the Super Bright LED instrument cluster lamps. Compared to some of the early junk on the internet the Super Bright bulbs work well.
The "warm white" LED's give the best color representation with the LM Corsa gauges with the orange needles.

You mentioned the "lens" had melted. I'm not sure what color it was, but you can get the Superbrite lamps in green (and other colors) for the shift indicator. The green LED works great in the LM instrument panel turn signal indicators.
I put the Chinese made LED bulbs behind my 1964's dash, hoping to improve the pathetic light output from the factory ones. Well, they did not work, other than they are a cooler looking green, the illumination of the gauges has really not improved. The light shed in the power glide selector window was OK, same thing on the radio back light. But the fuel remaining in the tank when viewing the gauge on a dark night, pretty much remains a mystery. Yeah, they were cheap and made in Red China, so I guess that I am out of six bucks. So, all you people out in Corvairland, be advised. Boo hoo.
1964 Monza convertible 110/PG
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