MountaineerTom
LJ Enthusiast, Retired USAF Weapons Loader
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Replacing the interior lights of your Jeep Wrangler TJ with LEDs
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
Not_Invented_Here_
TJ Addict
I took pictures to try and show you the difference but it's not really noticeable...They can be very slightly dimmed but I would compare it to one or two "clicks" of the adjuster - as in, turning allll the way down to the lowest setting is similar to dimming to stock instrument panel lights one or two clicks, at most. Hope that makes sense. You don't lose it but it's definitely not going to be the same as before.
Sounds like I will have to dissasemble everything again and give it one more try.
Not_Invented_Here_
TJ Addict
Sounds like I will have to dissasemble everything again and give it one more try.
Fingers crossed for ya. Good luck
Did you guys use "Cool White", "Natural" or "Warm" LED's? I bought Cool white. And am concerned they will be to bright. When I bought they didn't have the selection they have now. I don't recall a Natural option. Which looking on the site now - I would have preferred. (I bought mine several months back. Maybe a year ago now. And am planning on doing some of them tomorrow.)
Anyone else use Cool White? Are they to bright? I'd like it to be a clear upgrade. But am concerned about light in my eyes at night.
Anyone else use Cool White? Are they to bright? I'd like it to be a clear upgrade. But am concerned about light in my eyes at night.
I used cool white as well. They are certainly brighter but not too bright at night. They are still dimmable, to a degree, if you find them to be overwhelming. I doubt you’ll feel that way though.
Glad to hear it. I didn't want to have to exchange them. And not sure I could after this much time.
Airjunky
TJ Enthusiast
Two questions:
1) Where is the footwell light on a 97-02? Is it under some trim pieces or something? In my passenger footwell all there is is a bunch of plastic housings for I assume the HVAC system? Or covers for something. Anyone got a pic? (I do have AC.)
2) How do you remove the soundbar bulb cover without breaking it? I tried using a small thin screwdriver but it felt like I was going to rip the entire light out of the soundbar.
There is a small slot on the edge of the cover. That looks like you take it apart from there. I pulled it at least a half inch from the soundbar padding. But it wouldn't budge. Anymore force and I was sure it was going to rip the cover and the light out altogether.
1) Where is the footwell light on a 97-02? Is it under some trim pieces or something? In my passenger footwell all there is is a bunch of plastic housings for I assume the HVAC system? Or covers for something. Anyone got a pic? (I do have AC.)
2) How do you remove the soundbar bulb cover without breaking it? I tried using a small thin screwdriver but it felt like I was going to rip the entire light out of the soundbar.
There is a small slot on the edge of the cover. That looks like you take it apart from there. I pulled it at least a half inch from the soundbar padding. But it wouldn't budge. Anymore force and I was sure it was going to rip the cover and the light out altogether.
Airjunky
TJ Enthusiast
No pics unfortunately. But if your looking back by the HVAC, your way too far under there. The lights are just under the edge of the dash. Closer to the seat. Kind of in the middle in relation to the seat.
Sounds like your cover is stuck on there pretty good. Mine just popped off with a flat blade screwdriver. I did break the bulb pulling it out..... seemed to be rusted in there a bit.
Here are some pictures of the footwell lights in my 98 Sahara. They are at the bottom edge of the dash where the dash panels end. Mine took a number 67 bulb, I bought cool white. I didn’t put the yellowed out covers back on over the led bulbs. The way the bulbs are made you don’t really need the covers in my opinion. In the dash I used warm white. My sound bar light cover came off with a small screwdriver, it was tight and creaked and popped some!
I wish I'd have bought green now. Everything ties into the digital odometer. Which I think is part of why it looks so good. Plus if you set your stereo to that same color it really ties it in.
Thanks guys. And thanks for the pics.
I couldn't get the shifter light to come on except for one led of the five. And then I broke the shifter plastic underneath:
So I thought I'd just do a couple LED upgrades tonight on my '99. I got the light cover on the soundbar off. POP! It went flying. lol. But I got it all together. Not sure the incandescent bulb was any less bright(?!). I used 194's as outlined in this thread. Then I did the footwells. And then I should have stopped.
Or maybe it wouldn't have mattered. I broke the AT shifter plate that shows you what gear your in.
The problem I had was that only one of the 5 led's were lighting up on the bulb. I tried flipping it and putting it in and out a few times. And then I said the heck with it. I'll just put it back in with the one led bulb. And fix it later. But then the LED bulb wouldn't go into the housing. It's just too big at the led's - not at the plastic base that I could file down. But on the led's themselves. I'm sure I can't file on the leds' themselves. Any ideas?
Then I couldn't get the bulb to come on at all. So I went to put it back together without a bulb in. And the clear piece of plastic got stuck in a fitting. And in trying to get it unstuck the very brittle white plastic near the bulb holder broke off. See first pic below. The white plastic part has obviously been sitting in the heat of the transmission way to long. I barely pushed on it to get it loose. and it split a big hunk off just above the light bulb socket.
How much of this do I have to replace? The white piece or the whole thing? And what is it called officially?
So I thought I'd just do a couple LED upgrades tonight on my '99. I got the light cover on the soundbar off. POP! It went flying. lol. But I got it all together. Not sure the incandescent bulb was any less bright(?!). I used 194's as outlined in this thread. Then I did the footwells. And then I should have stopped.
Or maybe it wouldn't have mattered. I broke the AT shifter plate that shows you what gear your in.
The problem I had was that only one of the 5 led's were lighting up on the bulb. I tried flipping it and putting it in and out a few times. And then I said the heck with it. I'll just put it back in with the one led bulb. And fix it later. But then the LED bulb wouldn't go into the housing. It's just too big at the led's - not at the plastic base that I could file down. But on the led's themselves. I'm sure I can't file on the leds' themselves. Any ideas?
Then I couldn't get the bulb to come on at all. So I went to put it back together without a bulb in. And the clear piece of plastic got stuck in a fitting. And in trying to get it unstuck the very brittle white plastic near the bulb holder broke off. See first pic below. The white plastic part has obviously been sitting in the heat of the transmission way to long. I barely pushed on it to get it loose. and it split a big hunk off just above the light bulb socket.
How much of this do I have to replace? The white piece or the whole thing? And what is it called officially?
I don't have those white caps on my footwell lights. I wonder what they are called? Would like to find a couple.
Hey @Chris - Is it possible to start another thread or use this thread to also cover "external" LED replacement?
I'm about to replace my front and rear lights with LED's. I ordered what I thought I needed a year ago from superbrightleds. But I lost the reverse projector lights and that flasher relay someplace. And I'm a bit unsure as to which bulbs go where. Unless I cross reference the SBL website to what I have bought.
If you run your vehicle ('99 Jeep TJ) thru their search function it comes up with several lights for the rear tail light housing that seem to overlap. I really don't know what I bought. I think I just need to tear into a tail light and see what works.
Anyone have a list of what they used? And any issues you ran into?
I'm about to replace my front and rear lights with LED's. I ordered what I thought I needed a year ago from superbrightleds. But I lost the reverse projector lights and that flasher relay someplace. And I'm a bit unsure as to which bulbs go where. Unless I cross reference the SBL website to what I have bought.
If you run your vehicle ('99 Jeep TJ) thru their search function it comes up with several lights for the rear tail light housing that seem to overlap. I really don't know what I bought. I think I just need to tear into a tail light and see what works.
Anyone have a list of what they used? And any issues you ran into?
OP
If someone wants to start a thread like that and list what they used, I'm all for it. I converted all my exterior lights to LEDs, but I used the Savvy bolt-in LED taillights, LED headlights, and some bulbs for the blinkers.
Personally, you're way better off converting to an entire LED taillight assembly like the Savvy LED taillight units or these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KLPXWHQ/?tag=wranglerorg-20
I've had both, and both work excellent and are FAR superior to just using bulbs like you're talking about doing.
What's the issue with the front exterior lights? Don't you have to use normal bulbs or it will blink fast or something?
If you put led in the turn signal and side marker they will blink at the same time instead of alternating.