Stryker Trailwood
11-16-2007, 11:17 AM
Replace the tC automatic shifter light
I am not responsible for anything that might happen to go wrong, do this at your own risk. there will/may be scary noises while doing something in here, that doesnt outright mean you broke anything.
OK, heres what you start off with.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/01Asembled.jpg
use your key to remove the shifter release cover.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/02shifterrelease.jpg
if you want to, take out the sig lighter. i do so it wont get in the way somehow
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/03takeoutlighter.jpg
push the shifter release button down and at the same time shift into neutral. Make sure your parking brake is engaged!
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/04shifttoneutral.jpg
now, pull up on the silver trim, its easiest to pull off the top and then slide out the bottom, pull towards the back of the car not directly up.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/05pullonsilvertrim.jpg
remove the center panel
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/06removecenterpanel.jpg
center panel removed, you can just leave it sorta hanging off to the driver side or unplug the sig lighter wires there and take the panel out completely.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/07centerpanelremoved1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/08centerpanelremoved2.jpg
now remove the cup holder section, pull up on it like so. the lip for you to grab on the outside isnt the biggest but it can be done without too much difficulty, if you keep a lot of loose junk in the little pocket thing take that stuff out first.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/13cupholdersection.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/14popoffcupholdersection.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/15removecupholdersection.jpg
you should have no problem taking the cup holder section out even with the parking brake engaged. if your like me then you'll have wires keeping the section from going too far unless you have a way of easily unplugging and plugging these wires back together so you can get it completely out of the way (which i do have since my cup holder lighting is worked off of the stock interior light upgrade)
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/161cupholdersectionremoved.jpg
now to remove remove the gear cover thingy. first unscrew your shift knob.
then use a flat head screw driver and pry up in between the gray plastic and the black plastic
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/162popoffgearselectcovertop.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/163popoffgearselectcoverbottom.jpg
this isnt particularly the easiest thing to do and scares the hell out of everyone who has had me do this for them. it makes some pretty scary noises.
but you have to do this to give you access to the light that is used to illuminate the automatic shifter gears.
*all the pics of the inside of the shifter cover arent mine
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/mblg1c.jpg
^see that black cover thing still on the shifter, try not to mess with that, if you do then when you've replaced the light you have to put the cover back on and check to make sure it shifts to all the gears right, if not you gotta take it back off and re-align it and recheck till it does.
now heres the underside of that cover, you have to push the tab and the clear plastic peice can be removed and you twist out the little bulb. replace the bulb and twist it back in. some LED replacement bulbs you use are too long and you have to sand the plastic tip down a little so it will fit back into the clear plastic diffuser thing. or you can custom mount an LED in there yourself.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/mblgdt.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/mbjyo2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/mblhzd.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/mbliix.jpg
! with the bulb replaced or your custom lighting up in there, check that it lights up properly.
with the bulb holder twisted back into the clear diffuser thing or your LED custom mounted, it should clip back into the cover plate with no problems.
then you just slip the plate back over and snap it back in. the hard part here is to make sure that black thing is aligned right and you can shift into all the gears without it getting stuck. i dont know exactly how to describe or picture the way it is supposed to be other then trial and error. maybe someone does and can shed the light on it. the first time i did it on my car i just kept adjusting it till it was good, the other times i've done it since i've been real good about not disturbing it.
go ahead and check again that the light is working properly (i do cause I'm obsessive like that.)
snap the cup holders back in
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/17snapcupholdersbackon.jpg
now replace the center panel, snap the top of it in first and then the bottom. your gonna have to give an extra push to the top where the silver trim goes around the shifter cover like where my thumb is on the pic.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/19replacecenterpanel.jpg
screw the shift knob back on.
Shift back into park.
replace the little cover for the gear release
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/20replacegearreleasecover.jpg
replace the lighter
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/21replacelighter.jpg
check that everything you've messed with works again.
If its all good then enjoy!
i believe that is all. good luck and don't break anything. remember, I am not responsible for anything that might happen to go wrong, do this at your own risk.
any suggestions or help to make this better is welcomed.
I am not responsible for anything that might happen to go wrong, do this at your own risk. there will/may be scary noises while doing something in here, that doesnt outright mean you broke anything.
OK, heres what you start off with.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/01Asembled.jpg
use your key to remove the shifter release cover.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/02shifterrelease.jpg
if you want to, take out the sig lighter. i do so it wont get in the way somehow
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/03takeoutlighter.jpg
push the shifter release button down and at the same time shift into neutral. Make sure your parking brake is engaged!
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/04shifttoneutral.jpg
now, pull up on the silver trim, its easiest to pull off the top and then slide out the bottom, pull towards the back of the car not directly up.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/05pullonsilvertrim.jpg
remove the center panel
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/06removecenterpanel.jpg
center panel removed, you can just leave it sorta hanging off to the driver side or unplug the sig lighter wires there and take the panel out completely.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/07centerpanelremoved1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/08centerpanelremoved2.jpg
now remove the cup holder section, pull up on it like so. the lip for you to grab on the outside isnt the biggest but it can be done without too much difficulty, if you keep a lot of loose junk in the little pocket thing take that stuff out first.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/13cupholdersection.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/14popoffcupholdersection.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/15removecupholdersection.jpg
you should have no problem taking the cup holder section out even with the parking brake engaged. if your like me then you'll have wires keeping the section from going too far unless you have a way of easily unplugging and plugging these wires back together so you can get it completely out of the way (which i do have since my cup holder lighting is worked off of the stock interior light upgrade)
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/161cupholdersectionremoved.jpg
now to remove remove the gear cover thingy. first unscrew your shift knob.
then use a flat head screw driver and pry up in between the gray plastic and the black plastic
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/162popoffgearselectcovertop.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/163popoffgearselectcoverbottom.jpg
this isnt particularly the easiest thing to do and scares the hell out of everyone who has had me do this for them. it makes some pretty scary noises.
but you have to do this to give you access to the light that is used to illuminate the automatic shifter gears.
*all the pics of the inside of the shifter cover arent mine
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/mblg1c.jpg
^see that black cover thing still on the shifter, try not to mess with that, if you do then when you've replaced the light you have to put the cover back on and check to make sure it shifts to all the gears right, if not you gotta take it back off and re-align it and recheck till it does.
now heres the underside of that cover, you have to push the tab and the clear plastic peice can be removed and you twist out the little bulb. replace the bulb and twist it back in. some LED replacement bulbs you use are too long and you have to sand the plastic tip down a little so it will fit back into the clear plastic diffuser thing. or you can custom mount an LED in there yourself.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/mblgdt.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/mbjyo2.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/mblhzd.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/mbliix.jpg
! with the bulb replaced or your custom lighting up in there, check that it lights up properly.
with the bulb holder twisted back into the clear diffuser thing or your LED custom mounted, it should clip back into the cover plate with no problems.
then you just slip the plate back over and snap it back in. the hard part here is to make sure that black thing is aligned right and you can shift into all the gears without it getting stuck. i dont know exactly how to describe or picture the way it is supposed to be other then trial and error. maybe someone does and can shed the light on it. the first time i did it on my car i just kept adjusting it till it was good, the other times i've done it since i've been real good about not disturbing it.
go ahead and check again that the light is working properly (i do cause I'm obsessive like that.)
snap the cup holders back in
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/17snapcupholdersbackon.jpg
now replace the center panel, snap the top of it in first and then the bottom. your gonna have to give an extra push to the top where the silver trim goes around the shifter cover like where my thumb is on the pic.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/19replacecenterpanel.jpg
screw the shift knob back on.
Shift back into park.
replace the little cover for the gear release
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/20replacegearreleasecover.jpg
replace the lighter
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/gjpjr84/tC%20center%20console%20take%20apart/21replacelighter.jpg
check that everything you've messed with works again.
If its all good then enjoy!
i believe that is all. good luck and don't break anything. remember, I am not responsible for anything that might happen to go wrong, do this at your own risk.
any suggestions or help to make this better is welcomed.