620 Dash Turn Signal mini Bayonet Bulb Removal: Need help

[Cardinal Grammeter]

Yes I'm trying to do it under the dash.

 

Got the socket out of the cluster pretty easy - what could be simpler?

 

Well, I'm holding the socket in pliers and even trying to use fuel hose to really push the bulb in for all i'm worth and I'm not getting it done - I'm not pushing it in enough to rotate the bayonet out.  Or I am pushing it in enough, but that force is so great, can't rotate the bulb.

 

It looks like there is no spring in the socket and that the plastic is supposed to stretch when you push to rotate the bayonet out.

 

To make matters worse, the ground clip-ee thing fell out!  I don't think I broke anything and am hoping that it just "clips in there" somehow.

 

I really don't want to take the cluster out just to change a bulb.

 

Any tricks?  I was thinking of soaking the bulb/socket with spray silicone, or teflon dry lube?

 

 

 

EDIT:  Yeah, I see what's wrong.  There is a spring and a contact button, but some A$$hat got the button cocked so that it isn't going down in the spring hole and they just bulled the bulb in. 

 

Solutions are

• brute force (I was getting ready to get a drop of silicone on the bayonet when I saw this.)  Or somehow
• shove the button over so it falls into the spring hole or
• break the bulb and grab the base with strong needle nose pliers
• or ???

This really sucks balls.  I still have to figure out why the backup and license plate lights aren't working.  I thought I had all this circuit tested and now that the battery is in, nothing wants to work properly.  Took me over an hour to get the headlights to work and frankly, I don't know what I did.  Wiggled the fuses is about the only think I could think off.  So I removed the fuse block and ultrasonic cleaned it with a little vinegar.  Nice shiny copper now.  (But I swore I did this before after reading about corrosion problems, but when I removed it, it was all grimy.  I'm losing my mind...)

[sebpv]

i cant speak for your case but i believe the traditional way is push and turn right?

[Cardinal Grammeter]

Yeah, push and turn provided the contact button will move down the spring bore!  It was cocked about 45* and stuck on the lip of the bore.  So it wouldn't go down.

 

Anyhow, there are cutouts in the bore that allow the button to be seen,  I pushed on it with a screwdriver trying to move it over the bore,  and wiggling, got the bulb out.

 

THE BULB WAS GOOD!

 

So I was going to try and insert the clip-ee in the bore, but I fumbled the pill and lost it. 

 

So now all I could do was cut the "Suck"-it off the wire, then carefully inspected it and concluded that the clip-ee was broken to begin with and was probably why the bulb did not light.

 

So I bent up a piece of .010" copper, slid it down in the bulb bore, wrapped it around the outside of the socket and secured it with a small plastic zip tie.

 

Soldered a nice long lead on the stub of wire from the button, checked the circuit to see if it was indeed functioning and it was, and proceeded to crimp couple the repair socket to the wire from the instrument cluster.

 

And it works, and I knocked off just before MidNight.  (Oh darn, I forgot I wanted to go to Wal*Mart late Halloween for some entertainment....  oh well)

 

But there was a BONUS!!!!!

 

I ultrasonic cleaned the fuse panel with a little vinegar, got all nice shiny copper and found that my backup lights were now working nice and bright!  Yep, those fuse panels can be PITA problematic!  Highly recommend the acid clean.

 

The fan and wipers work.  All I have to do is figure out why the license plate light isn't.  I checked the bulb when I put it in but will have to troubleshoot.  Too bad that whole area is hit pretty good with the Chevron Marine Rusproof Compound L (amber w/lanolin) which means messy, messy, messy.... (get it?  Happy, Happy, Happy!  Joy, Joy, Joy!)

 

Can only hope the BCDD and EGR crap-o-la is electrically functional.

 

Oh, did you see someone had the OEM dash mount EGR light indicator on eBay?  Leave it to those Japanese wanting to see if their EGR is engaged.  OCD with the indicator lights, huh?

[datsunaholic]

 

Oh, did you see someone had the OEM dash mount EGR light indicator on eBay?  Leave it to those Japanese wanting to see if their EGR is engaged.  OCD with the indicator lights, huh?

 

That's not what the EGR light was for.  It turned on based on number of miles telling you the EGR needed to be serviced.  It was apparently some sort of requirement in mid 70s cars because my dad's Dodge van had that light.  That's what the weird electric odometer under the hood of almost all 1975-77 Datsuns was for.

[Cardinal Grammeter]

Wow, so it was kind of an "add-on Idiot light!"  - you can sure tell I'm no EGR expert (other than trying to hook mine up on my 1974 for OCD reasons.)

 

THANKS for the enlightenment.

 

I dream of the day they quit emissions testing cars.  Frankly, the new ones are so techno it's a moot point.