ULTIMATE 89~94 240sx Climate HVAC LED Conversion [18 large pictures] - Zilvia.net Forums | Nissan 240SX (Silvia) and Z (Fairlady) Car Forum

djdryon · 10-07-2009, 08:31 PM

(I POSTED THIS ON 240SX FORUMS A FEW DAYS AGO AND THOUGHT YOU GUYS AT ZILVIA MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A LOOK)

I saw the other Climate LED conversion from NICO and started it. Due to the POOR light output, I decided to engineer a better LED conversion. it takes more work, time, and effort, but it is completely reversible, and doesn't require soldering (but CAN be soldered if you want). The way I did it allows complete customization in case you want to things like color fades or whatever else fits your fancy. For my car I used all red LEDs except the 7th one, which is UV (to match the bulbs in my cluster)

First, Disassemble your Climate Control Unit (directions: FAQ/Write-up: S13 HVAC/climate control and dash switch light bulb replacement.: 240SX Forum / 180SX Forum / Silvia Forum: Nissan Forums / Infiniti Forums - NICOclub)

Tools required:

7 12v LEDs w/ decently long wires (if you buy frosted tip LEDs you can skip the sandpaper)
Wire Strippers (or Scissors ^_^)
X-ACTO Knife or razor blade
Sandpaper (any grit is ok, but I used 100)
Electrical Tape
and most importantly, your HVAC/Climate Control Unit

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: if you are starting this project from scratch, skip to step 4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. If you followed the other LED conversion ( Another HVAC LED thread with pics for those interested: 240SX Convertible Forum: Nissan Forums / Infiniti Forums - NICOclub ) you should have something similar to this:

2. if you notice, I did not solder the bulbs, but instead opted to use the existing holders (mainly because I was too lazy to go to my parents to get my iron) it was pretty easy and looked similar to stock:

3. the first thing i did was disassemble the bulb. afterwards i had this:

I was keeping the bulb, but if you soldered the bulb the leads might be too short.

4. Cut your LED wires in 3 different lengths (you'll find out why later)

5. Thread the longest wire through the bulb hole as shown, and if you are using the bulb-holder method, cut it down until you have something like below. (if soldering, skip to step 8):

6. Stick the leads through the holes at the base of the bulb holders, then wrap the leads around the head of the bulb holder like this:

7: Twist the bulb holder back into place making sure the power is on the right side (the power sides face eachother, and the grounds face towards the front and rear of the unit respectively) I wrapped the wires in tape at the head of the bulb holder just to make sure they stayed in there securely.

you can see that from the top, it looks almost completely stock:

8. Use the X-ACTO or razor to cut a section of insulation off of the wires so that you can splice into them for the other two you will be using:

afterwards, you should have something like this:

9. splice the wires in and wrap them with electrical tape, then put the bulbs into place, after which, you should have something that looks like this:

10. Now, plug the Climate Control unit into your car to make sure the lights work and you like where they are located. (and that when you push the buttons they wont fall out)

another picture showing the brightness compared to my head unit (which is pretty freaking bright, even with the dimmer on)

11. Now, follow steps 4-10 with the other bulb hole (to balance the load) the 7th wire you want to keep full length, so you can put it in the lower space to illuminate the slider display.

12. Put everything back together and you are almost finished! yaay!!! If you did the bulb method your unit should look like this:

13. Now its time to put the Climate Control back in the car and enjoy your BRIGHT LED unit. it is bright enough to not be drowned out by my deck.

you can see from the following picture that they are bright enough to be seen with the interior lights on:

feel free to post questions, comments, and YOUR CUSTOM CREATIONS!!!!!!!!

Oh, and I'm thinking of making an easy-install kit available in any color(s) let me know if any of you might be interested.

S-Nation S13 · 10-07-2009, 08:50 PM

looks good man i like the led light setup!!!

BTW im interested in the easy kit in amber but whats the cost gonna be like ???

94_240sx · 10-07-2009, 09:07 PM

Mine is so dim and looks terrible, but I'll DCC swap pretty soon. That's my winter project.

josephin510 · 10-07-2009, 09:14 PM

these seem pretty cool not for me doe

roplusbee · 10-07-2009, 09:48 PM

A kit sounds interesting. I am willing to entertain the idea. How much?

*burnsauto* · 10-07-2009, 10:09 PM

ooo, and you can get new buttons from the dealership, so the thing would look so fresh and crispy.

fun colors.

I'd get a "kit"

djdryon · 10-17-2009, 01:51 PM

hmm. i'm thinking about 20 for the kit. that's about $6 for the bulbs, $10 for time and testing and $4 for packing materials... you'd have to use your own bulb base though, unless someone knows where I can get hookup for bulk bulb bases. I can cover shipping for the first few as long as its not too expensive to where you are.

as far as buttons are concerned, I dont believe the dealer sells them individually. if i'm wrong, I could do the full installation plus the cost of buttons, minus installation time but you have to mail me your unit and cover shipping

dat411kid · 10-17-2009, 02:37 PM

Hmm cool...I would be down for a kit...

*johngriff* · 10-17-2009, 02:57 PM

What is your heat performance like?

Any flickering?

Why no resistor in your circuit?

djdryon · 10-23-2009, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johngriff

What is your heat performance like?

Any flickering?

Why no resistor in your circuit?

no flickering whatsoever. no visible heat problems. I've used the same LEDs for the rest of my dash lights and so far no problems whatsoever.

the resistors are built-in where the LED posts are soldered to the wires, so 0% current problems.

@dat411kid: email me bjenni02@u.washington.edu with information.

240sxvaj · 10-23-2009, 06:13 PM

this is really nice

Martino · 10-24-2009, 08:38 PM

Just what I've been looking for!

Mine have started acting up in my 180.
They've got PMS and work when they want...

P_856 · 10-31-2009, 03:24 AM

nice im going to try this one day, off topic but did u make that ashtray cupholder or did u buy it?

sidewaysonmy180 · 10-31-2009, 05:05 AM

thats cool. and the colors are dope. have you tryed the led version for your dash?

djdryon · 10-31-2009, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewaysonmy180

thats cool. and the colors are dope. have you tryed the led version for your dash?

yeah. i converted all the dash lights (minus the idiot lights) to LED. all my switches/buttons are red and the gauges are purple with red needles..

Quote:

Originally Posted by P_856

nice im going to try this one day, off topic but did u make that ashtray cupholder or did u buy it?

i bought it on ebay from carbon_os. he makes a lot of unique parts and i figured i'd try him out. quality for him is inconsistent, but if something he makes you breaks or is defective he's totally down to remake it for you free of charge. last thing i thought of getting of his was a carbon fiber arm rest... but i decided i'm just going to go to the garage to make one myself. we have a full shop and plenty of carbon, but i dont want to use up all of the team's resources making random stuff for myself haha.

sidewaysonmy180 · 11-01-2009, 06:11 AM

dude snap some pixs of your dash. i kinda did it. the big lights i just got some pep boys led it looks cool. not really bright kinda just changed the color of the dash to white instead of the yellowy stock bulbs.

*Ceepo* · 11-01-2009, 01:42 PM

thats a bad ass cup holder :P

djdryon · 11-17-2009, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ceepo

thats a bad ass cup holder :P

yes it is. you have one?

here's the pic of my dash. i didnt have all the buttons in when i took this, and i've been too lazy to take another pic. colors are a tad off cause my cell doesnt have the best white balance. i guess i'll get off my lazy butt tonight and try to take a pic with my dSLR

djdryon · 11-18-2009, 12:25 PM

more pictures with all the buttons in.

this is during the day.

and this is during the night.

im extremely pleased with how everything looks.

10-07-2009, 08:31 PM	#1
djdryon Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mercer Island, WA Age: 24 Posts: 21 Trader Rating: (1)	ULTIMATE 89~94 240sx Climate HVAC LED Conversion [18 large pictures] (I POSTED THIS ON 240SX FORUMS A FEW DAYS AGO AND THOUGHT YOU GUYS AT ZILVIA MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A LOOK) I saw the other Climate LED conversion from NICO and started it. Due to the POOR light output, I decided to engineer a better LED conversion. it takes more work, time, and effort, but it is completely reversible, and doesn't require soldering (but CAN be soldered if you want). The way I did it allows complete customization in case you want to things like color fades or whatever else fits your fancy. For my car I used all red LEDs except the 7th one, which is UV (to match the bulbs in my cluster) First, Disassemble your Climate Control Unit (directions: FAQ/Write-up: S13 HVAC/climate control and dash switch light bulb replacement.: 240SX Forum / 180SX Forum / Silvia Forum: Nissan Forums / Infiniti Forums - NICOclub) Tools required: 7 12v LEDs w/ decently long wires (if you buy frosted tip LEDs you can skip the sandpaper) Wire Strippers (or Scissors ^_^) X-ACTO Knife or razor blade Sandpaper (any grit is ok, but I used 100) Electrical Tape and most importantly, your HVAC/Climate Control Unit ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: if you are starting this project from scratch, skip to step 4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. If you followed the other LED conversion ( Another HVAC LED thread with pics for those interested: 240SX Convertible Forum: Nissan Forums / Infiniti Forums - NICOclub ) you should have something similar to this: 2. if you notice, I did not solder the bulbs, but instead opted to use the existing holders (mainly because I was too lazy to go to my parents to get my iron) it was pretty easy and looked similar to stock: 3. the first thing i did was disassemble the bulb. afterwards i had this: I was keeping the bulb, but if you soldered the bulb the leads might be too short. 4. Cut your LED wires in 3 different lengths (you'll find out why later) 5. Thread the longest wire through the bulb hole as shown, and if you are using the bulb-holder method, cut it down until you have something like below. (if soldering, skip to step 8): 6. Stick the leads through the holes at the base of the bulb holders, then wrap the leads around the head of the bulb holder like this: 7: Twist the bulb holder back into place making sure the power is on the right side (the power sides face eachother, and the grounds face towards the front and rear of the unit respectively) I wrapped the wires in tape at the head of the bulb holder just to make sure they stayed in there securely. you can see that from the top, it looks almost completely stock: 8. Use the X-ACTO or razor to cut a section of insulation off of the wires so that you can splice into them for the other two you will be using: afterwards, you should have something like this: 9. splice the wires in and wrap them with electrical tape, then put the bulbs into place, after which, you should have something that looks like this: 10. Now, plug the Climate Control unit into your car to make sure the lights work and you like where they are located. (and that when you push the buttons they wont fall out) another picture showing the brightness compared to my head unit (which is pretty freaking bright, even with the dimmer on) 11. Now, follow steps 4-10 with the other bulb hole (to balance the load) the 7th wire you want to keep full length, so you can put it in the lower space to illuminate the slider display. 12. Put everything back together and you are almost finished! yaay!!! If you did the bulb method your unit should look like this: 13. Now its time to put the Climate Control back in the car and enjoy your BRIGHT LED unit. it is bright enough to not be drowned out by my deck. you can see from the following picture that they are bright enough to be seen with the interior lights on: feel free to post questions, comments, and YOUR CUSTOM CREATIONS!!!!!!!! Oh, and I'm thinking of making an easy-install kit available in any color(s) let me know if any of you might be interested.

10-07-2009, 08:50 PM	#2
S-Nation S13 Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: 760 Oside representin' Age: 23 Posts: 425 Trader Rating: (2)	looks good man i like the led light setup!!! BTW im interested in the easy kit in amber but whats the cost gonna be like ??? __________________ jspecs13.blogspot.com

10-07-2009, 09:14 PM	#4
josephin510 Zilvia Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: richmond Age: 21 Posts: 168 Trader Rating: (0)	these seem pretty cool not for me doe __________________ Being on zilvia you better have a flame suit and fire extinguisher.

10-07-2009, 09:48 PM	#5
roplusbee Leaky Injector Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Iraq Age: 36 Posts: 54 Trader Rating: (0)	A kit sounds interesting. I am willing to entertain the idea. How much? __________________ 1989 240SX - Waiting for me patiently at Zerolift Autolabs.

10-07-2009, 10:09 PM	#6
burnsauto Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NY Age: 23 Posts: 2,698 Trader Rating: (4) Rides Gallery: burnsauto	ooo, and you can get new buttons from the dealership, so the thing would look so fresh and crispy. fun colors. I'd get a "kit" __________________ Support Innovation. WTB: ARC titanium spark plug cover for S13SR!!!!!!!

10-07-2009, 09:07 PM	#3
94_240sx Zilvia Junkie Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: TX Posts: 328 Trader Rating: (5)	Mine is so dim and looks terrible, but I'll DCC swap pretty soon. That's my winter project.

10-17-2009, 01:51 PM	#7
djdryon Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mercer Island, WA Age: 24 Posts: 21 Trader Rating: (1)	hmm. i'm thinking about 20 for the kit. that's about $6 for the bulbs, $10 for time and testing and $4 for packing materials... you'd have to use your own bulb base though, unless someone knows where I can get hookup for bulk bulb bases. I can cover shipping for the first few as long as its not too expensive to where you are. as far as buttons are concerned, I dont believe the dealer sells them individually. if i'm wrong, I could do the full installation plus the cost of buttons, minus installation time but you have to mail me your unit and cover shipping

10-17-2009, 02:37 PM	#8
dat411kid Zilvia Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: NY Age: 23 Posts: 203 Trader Rating: (5)	Hmm cool...I would be down for a kit... __________________ \\

10-17-2009, 02:57 PM	#9
johngriff @RPSport.net! Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 4,042 Trader Rating: (4) Rides Gallery: johngriff	What is your heat performance like? Any flickering? Why no resistor in your circuit? __________________ RPSport 949.891.1710 RPSport's New Products for the S13 and SR20! Join our Haltech Group Buy! John@RPSport.net

10-23-2009, 06:13 PM	#11
240sxvaj Zilvia Addict Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: somewhere Age: 19 Posts: 664 Trader Rating: (1)	this is really nice

10-24-2009, 08:38 PM	#12
Martino Leaky Injector Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 83 Trader Rating: (0)	Just what I've been looking for! Mine have started acting up in my 180. They've got PMS and work when they want... __________________ Shake 'N Bake VisualSugar.com - Media and Design

10-31-2009, 03:24 AM	#13
P_856 Zilvia FREAK! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: South Jersey Posts: 1,140 Trader Rating: (7)	nice im going to try this one day, off topic but did u make that ashtray cupholder or did u buy it?

10-31-2009, 05:05 AM	#14
sidewaysonmy180 Leaky Injector Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: noho Age: 24 Posts: 57 Trader Rating: (0)	thats cool. and the colors are dope. have you tryed the led version for your dash?

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11-01-2009, 06:11 AM	#16
sidewaysonmy180 Leaky Injector Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: noho Age: 24 Posts: 57 Trader Rating: (0)	dude snap some pixs of your dash. i kinda did it. the big lights i just got some pep boys led it looks cool. not really bright kinda just changed the color of the dash to white instead of the yellowy stock bulbs.

11-01-2009, 01:42 PM	#17
Ceepo Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Cedar City, Utah Posts: 1,232 Trader Rating: (6) Rides Gallery: Ceepo	thats a bad ass cup holder :P __________________ 1995 240sx SE (current)

11-18-2009, 12:25 PM	#19
djdryon Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mercer Island, WA Age: 24 Posts: 21 Trader Rating: (1)	more pictures with all the buttons in. this is during the day. and this is during the night. im extremely pleased with how everything looks. __________________ Contributions: ULTIMATE climate HVAC LED conversion.

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