m477
10-05-2009, 05:34 PM
Last Thursday, I picked up a 2000 Trans Am with an automatic transmission, and I'm poking around inside and out, fixing all the little issues.
The shifter indicator labels (P-R-N-D-3-2-1) weren't lighting up. I opened the console lid, removed the 2 screws under the coin holder and gently wiggled the top part of the console loose so I could see underneath. (I also put on the e-brake and shifted into 3rd to loosen the console.) The bulb was working, but it was just laying down in there; it wasn't plugged into the shifter indicator panel.
The plastic bulb holder has "bayonet" mounts similar to the ones on SLR camera lenses. To plug the bulb/holder into the panel, you rotate it in its socket until the keyed parts line up, and then turn it clockwise so the bayonets hold it in place.
The problem is the holder really doesn't lock in place. It can only turn about 1/4 (90 degrees or less) and I'm afraid it will come loose and fall out again. I don't have a service manual, and I haven't found an adequate diagram of this stuff online, so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. Has anyone else had this problem? Is there a better solution than duct-taping the bulb/holder into the socket?
The shifter indicator labels (P-R-N-D-3-2-1) weren't lighting up. I opened the console lid, removed the 2 screws under the coin holder and gently wiggled the top part of the console loose so I could see underneath. (I also put on the e-brake and shifted into 3rd to loosen the console.) The bulb was working, but it was just laying down in there; it wasn't plugged into the shifter indicator panel.
The plastic bulb holder has "bayonet" mounts similar to the ones on SLR camera lenses. To plug the bulb/holder into the panel, you rotate it in its socket until the keyed parts line up, and then turn it clockwise so the bayonets hold it in place.
The problem is the holder really doesn't lock in place. It can only turn about 1/4 (90 degrees or less) and I'm afraid it will come loose and fall out again. I don't have a service manual, and I haven't found an adequate diagram of this stuff online, so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. Has anyone else had this problem? Is there a better solution than duct-taping the bulb/holder into the socket?