removing and soldering in a replacement bulb has become pretty standard procedure with GM's for some time now. My '01 Pontiac required this for the radio backlighting and all sorts of other bulbs. I'm sure someone on this site will send you some ideas on where to get the bulbs. Radio Shack used to be the go-to for these bulbs, but they closed in most places. Get a soldering iron and watch a you tube video on this and you'll take care of the problem for a couple of bucks.

 

Does disassembling the switch to change the bulbs out have any ill effects like it does by taking the door switch apart ?? , after i took apart the drivers door switch , being very careful , because the bulbs would not come out without removing the cover for some reason , and after reassembly the drivers windows and all door locks failed to work , i tried over 9 times to get it to work with the same results every time , the 2 switches would not work but both worked prior to taking it apart , all other switches on the assembly worked fine before and after disassembly (see my post in this section about the Door Switch lights) , i ended up having to replace the entire switch , since my switch works fine otherwise including the buttons light up when pushed , i would hate to take a chance at it not working and being forced to buy a switch just to get a backlight at night , especially at over $100 for the switch assembly , which is why i asked if there was a replacement switch that was not expensive

I have no issue with soldering , etc , but if the switch is prone to failure if you mess with it like the door switches , not sure i want to ruin a functioning switch if its a known issue , since my door switch worked perfectly till it was disassembled , and i could not see any obvious reason why it would not work afterwards

If bulbs (not LED's but incandescent replacement bulbs) , are readily available at a cheap price i am willing to change them if someone has a tutorial on doing the job correctly , any posts i found were several years old and none of the pictures showed up

Thanks .... Jim...

 

So my question remains , Are there any CHEAP replacement switches available anywhere ?? , all the one's i find are well over $100 (closer to $200) , which is ridiculous when other model chevy switches are $35

And since i can't find any "recent" write-ups on bulb replacement with pictures , including where to actually buy the bulbs (incandescent bulbs not LED as i want all my lights to match) , then it would be simpler to just replace the entire switch (even though it works fine with the exception of the night time backlights) , but as mentioned , all the one's i have found are crazy expensive


Anyone have sources to get a cheap replacement switch ?? .... Thanks .... Jim

 

I think YOU are the one that needs to "Chill Out" , i never once said anything derogatory or DEMANDED anything , maybe you should actually read what i typed instead of acting like i did something to disrespect you or anyone else , i simply RE-Asked a question that was not answered , and asked for info on where to find either the parts or a CHEAP SWITCH , if you don't have a answer , then DON'T REPLY ! , simple as that .... , Nothing More , if your reading more into it than that , maybe next time , Don't hit Reply ....Geesh

The search does suck and the ONLY posts i found when typing "4wd Switch" or "4wd switch light bulbs" ,(sorry i did not get YOUR approval on what to type for a search query) were Old posts and all the picture links were gone (Photobucket) , and the links did not go to the parts or were dead links , so instead of copping a attitude towards someone who did absolutely nothing wrong , maybe a simple , "here is a link to what you're looking for , would have been sufficient ...... , OR , no reply at all would have been a better choice , I recently had a heart attack

I don't need this stress from some Internet Nazi telling me how i did not search good enough to appease YOUR standards ... , if this is the type of people that hang out here , maybe i wasted time signing up , i certainly do not want to hang out with a bunch of Keyboard Warriors that think they own the internet , i have as much right to ask ANY and as many questions as much the thousands of others here have , about a truck i recently bought and know nothing about , concerning the mods ,tips tricks , or issues or contacts to find parts or guides hidden amongst thousands of pages of posts that may or may not have relevance to my questions , especially when there are no CURRENT posts that have all this info or relevance to my query , that IS what this place is for , ...Who died and put you in charge of deciding what is acceptable or what words someone uses to search...... :th_crazy:

I don't need this crap from you or anyone else , I did NOTHING WRONG !!!

 

https://www.355nation.net/forum/lim...ndors/47612-custom-leds-clusters-4x4-modules-hvac-headlight-control-airbag.html

@captainrab

 

How about everyone just chill out.

As a new guy to the forum, let's try to help him out and not turn this into the Facebook mentality.

From what I saw, both sides over reacted a little bit and rather quickly.

Silver10Can provided a link to one possible solution.

Have you tried maybe a junk yard for a used switch? Yes brand new ones will be in the $100+ range so if that happens to be too much, then how about used?

 

Oh shit the cops are here! :lmao:

:wavey: Matt

 

woo woo

 

This guy can fix the switch you have @captainrab
He can set them up original. You don't have to do custom colors
and all that if you don't want it.
https://www.355nation.net/forum/limited-site-vendors/47612-custom-leds-clusters-4x4-modules-hvac-headlight-control-airbag.html

This guy has lots of used parts and can probably set you up
for another switch @Scottymac18
https://www.355nation.net/forum/members/93033-scottymac18.html

Also over in the how too's Lighting Electrical there are several write-ups that still seem to be intact on changing out bulbs on everything from doors to Gauge Cluster but I didn't see anything on the 4WD switch.

Have a great day Jim

 

^^^This^^^

JD...by the time you rig for LED work & fine tune your skills, you'll spend much more time/material/money than buying a spare 4x4 control from Scott & sending to Clint for retrofit. I just did this very process & now have spare unit, in case it ever fails again in the future. JMO - cheers!

 

Thank you to those that gave "helpful" and "constructive" replies , i was not trying to start a war with anyone , i simply asked a honest question (or questions) that i was unable to find specific answers for , and was verbally assaulted for what i perceived to be no valid reason .... with that said

Iarado , thank you for the links , though as mentioned , i can't remove my switch and send it to anyone , as i need to use it (the switch physically works , just does not have lights at night except the orange lights that indicate the selection the pushed button has) , as its winter here , so removal without immediate replacement is not a option , i will look and see what he has (and at what cost to see if it suits my needs) of used ones (if the lights work which is my only need for a "replacement" switch

Blue15ColoradoLT , i was not "trying" to argue or escalate anything , i was simply lashing back in which what i thought was a controlled and less aggressive reply than i was given ... sorry if i offended anyone or caused a ruckus , that was not my intention with my original question , nor was it anything more than what i felt was defending myself from a outrageous response from someone who looked to be here not much longer than I have been , yet lashed out like i offended him and his family for posting my inquiry

Also (Blue15ColoradoLT) , i did see the link Silver10Can posted , but it seemed to be sending in my switch , which is not a option , as for a "Wrecking Yard" switch , the issue with that would be i would be unable to test the switch to see if in fact the lights and all other functions work , or will continue to work once purchased with no warranty , which would be wasted money , which is why i had thought it safer to buy "new" , but as i mentioned , i simply can't justify buying a $100+ switch just to have the backlight , which was the entire reason for my post , which was finding a hopefully new switch at what i feel is a reasonable cost , at least equal cost to all the other GM model switches that are all at or under $50 , which to me seems to be a reasonable cost , since otherwise my switch functions as it should

And as mentioned , all the links i have found in "Search" were older (the ones i found using what i thought would be pertinent words to search for) and all pictures and other items of importance were missing , which was why again , i posted my question , as i understand the issue with people asking questions without actually looking for solutions , but i did look , and did not find what i was searching for , it seems the Colorado's are plagued with electrical gremlins , as i am finding out , but as mentioned , this is all new to me , i drove a Toyota for 21 years , i never had any issues like these , nor was the truck unserviceable when it came to electrical issues , of which it had minimal , as long as the circuit board is not frail like the drivers door switch board is , i have no issue soldering a bulb in , but i have no clue as to where to find the bulbs (not LED's as i don't feel they would match the other OEM light bulb color/brightness) , as i did not see any incandescent bulb purchase source nor any pictures to the procedure of installing so as not to damage anything surrounding the bulb when installing , i did not find any of that info in the searches i made , ....

Yea i am new here , so i don't know the "cool people" to inquire with , i don't know where the "good" links are , as my searches did not find any that were useful in my query , or what i thought were precise Key Words to the Search , such as Backlight for 4wd Switch , or 4wd switch , etc , none of which found anything that was current , or currently having usable info such as pictures or links that went somewhere besides leading me to LED's or sending my switch to someone across the country during winter when i need it , i did not feel my inquiry was redundant or stupid or deserving of being lashed out upon , i was simply trying to find answers to questions i had that i could not find in MY searches here or just using Google , which usually brought me back here , but with dead links/pictures , or the same posts over and over that did not answer my specific questions

Sorry for the uproar , i did not come here to argue , nor get yelled at for reasonable inquiries , i was simply searching for a solution to my actual specific questions ... had i known this was going to be the outcome , i would have gone elsewhere and not posted and most likely would remain with this issue as there is not much usable info on it , if i search eBay for "4WD Switch 2005 Chevy Colorado" , or any variation of the search , i come up with switches for every model EXCEPT the Colorado (not even used ones) , except maybe 2 (with or without airbag buttons *mine does not have one*) and they are anywhere from $130 to $195 , and i am unwilling to pay that much for a couple of burnt out $50 cent light bulbs that i can't seem to locate anywhere ....

So to make a long story longer , sorry if i offended anyone , it was not my intention , and this makes me leary to ask any further questions about my truck here , so i don't have to go thru this again , i help people out in a motorcycle forum (dirt bikes) , i answer whatever questions i have the knowledge to be helpful with , regardless whether they have been asked 100 times before by others , i respond to the individual and their needs , and i am ALWAYS courteous and try to provide useful pictures and/or links in most every post , i take the time to save/copy/paste pictures from Service Manuals , so i can help those that need visualizations , and usually explain in depth to their questions ...I do not work for the site , nor do i gain any benefit from posting there , i am well liked , and i am happy to contribute to a place like that ..... i was hoping this place was the same , as that is what it seemed at first .... i am hoping this was just a one off incident from one individual ...... i hope.... Jim .... and yes my posts in the motorcycle forum are just as anal....

 

Hey Jim, it might be worth a shot to PM captainrab. He may have one on hand that he could send you and then you send yours back to him. Pretty sure he does loaner type deals or even exchanges.

 

:dick:

:gtfo:

I think you pissed the guy off enough already.

 

The lights in the 4wd indicators are in fact leds in the base case. The lit icons are lamps that are soldered to the board. I can led em all day long but don’t have a spare to loan you.

 

Thanks for the info captainrab , i "assumed" they were incandescents not LED's , as mentioned , this lighting stuff is all new to me , i read some of the links and it seems that removing the switch to send it in defaults to 4wd , which would be fine except our weather has been iffy all week , and we have dry roads right now , and may have a day or so this week that might snow , so i need the ability to shift between 2 and 4 , and not sure i want to wire a switch to the fuse panel just to get a backlight at night

Question , is there a place I can buy the bulbs/LED's and do it myself ?? , i am fine with soldering , just don't know the in's and out's of these switches , i already ruined a Drivers crew cab windows switch by removing the bulbs and it made the drivers door window and all door locks cease to function , so i got a new switch at a wrecking yard 60 miles away for $68 and all is well again , i still have no clue as to what went bad in the switch , it looked fine to me , all i did was unscrew/pop off the back cover as the bulbs seemed stuck and the only way i could get at them to grab was to remove the cover , then the same buttons mentioned would not work ,i dis and reassembled several times with the same results , so i am baffled as to what i did wrong , all that just to try to replace the backlights , so i can't afford to have issues like that , especially now during winter when i need this switch to function... , i am also in need of the bulb (i was able to easily remove that one) for the Electric Mirror Switch , not sure where to locate one of those either , it seems to be the same bulbs as the Drivers Window Switch takes

And silver10Can , thank you for the info , and Iarado , yea that is what i found when searching the "How-To's" , nothing on the 4WD switch , and thank you for the links as well ...

I was able to figure out how to block OldGuy so i don't have to read his ........ comments... That was a plus....

 

From my experience. I have had strange stuff at times happen just disconnecting door boards in the base. In all probability you didn’t ruin a board by removing the lamps. In some cases the bcm needs to be reset but simply removing the boards can’t ruin them. These trucks are finicky as all get out.

The 4wd board has very small leds for indication of gears (small indicator lights) I use 3mm leds and sand them flat. The lands they solder on are extremely small so don’t go in there with a gorilla iron or think that your going to melt the solder and force them because that just won’t happen. All solder must be removed first. I use wick wire then gingerly remove the led. The polarity of the led is printed on the board in the shape of a diode. Replace the led paying close attention to polarity and your good to go. One tip is to make dang sure the led is good after sanding in order to minimize angst associated with re resoldering the led. Also sand the led as thin as possible.

Now onto the icon lights. Those are incandescent and extremely small. I replace them with leds so I’ve never actually purchased those.

Send me a pm as a reminder and the next led job I’ll save the incandescent lights contained wiithin the donor provided they are good and send you some albeit this year has been extremely slow or the market had been saturated. . Take care and have a very blessed Christmas.


Hope this helps take care.

 

I'm terribly sorry for my comments on this post. Just as everyone has the right to ask any question they want in any fashion they want, I have the ability to read and respond if I want or to simply ignore a post that I don't like. Taking advantage of this forum to be critical or abusive of someone else is totally unacceptable. Please forgive my bad judgment and I will try to behave more appropriately in the future. I will also attempt to pm JimDirt/05 and apologize. Sorry guys. This is not the place for me to be critical of someone else. Please accept my apology.

 

Thanks for the info capainrab , i appreciate it , unfortunately i already threw away the old window switch , i took it apart several times trying to see what was causing the 2 switches not to work , but every time i reassembled , it did the same , so not sure what it was , but it did not "fix" itself in opening/re-assembling , so who knows what it was...

Are there specific LED's for the 4wd switch that have the same color as OEM ? , or is it like the door bulbs that have the blue boot on them , if so can the boot be reused ?? (i was unable to cut/pull the blue boot off the drivers door switch bulb without destroying the boot , i cut along the base and tried to pull it up but it just tore , it was like it was glued to it)

what is the best/cheapest source for buying the correct color LED's ?? to match 05 OEM color , and what should i use a 15 watt soldering iron ?? , i have a 30 watt , 40 watt and a 60 watt (60 watt is gun) and just Rosin Core solder or Silver ?? , and i am assuming i would need a solder sucker as well ?? , and would you have any pictures of how/where to sand , etc , so i don't mess things up.... any info would be appreciated .... Thanks .... Jim

 

These are delicate as all get out. I run a temp controlled soldering iron with a small tip at about 700 degrees. The oem color good luck matching. The oem leds are flat and like I said I use 3mm leds to replace them. I use radio shack solder and wick wire. Not a solder sucker because the work is so small. Leds do not have booties. The incandescent lamps do have booties but They are much small than the rest of the lamps.

 

Thank you for the explanation , maybe i should just keep looking for a bargain somewhere and buy a new switch , rather than taking a chance on ruining this one , since it still functions , and i need the ability to switch from 2wd to 4wd as conditions warrant

Its supposed to snow tonight and for the next few days , and i live 10 miles from any town , on a crappy road , i ended up in farmer fields last year twice with my Toyota because the 10 mile road to the highway is unmaintained and sketchy at best

In looking at the pictures you have , the LED to me (at least how the pictures show it), is waaaay too bright compared to the OEM lights , i don't really like brighter inside light , its too distracting for me , i found a couple switches in a google search last night that are around $70-$80 , but not sure if they are the correct switch , so i will have to contact the vendors and see what the exact fitment is , they look the same , but its hard to tell because its a parts fiche drawing , not a actual photo , and there are several different part numbers .........

Anyway thanks for the info , i will either see if i can find a switch at a wrecking yard that is fully functional including lights (doubtful) , or see about a new one ...... or ...... contact you about doing a "repair" to mine (maybe someone wants LED's and their switch LED's work and you could save them and swap them out for me , if that is possible ?? , but that would have to wait till spring when i don't need to use the switch)

Again , thanks for the info , i am learning a lot about this stuff , i just wish GM would make these newer vehicles more "user friendly" as far as maintenance..... , i guess they want to make the same amount of money they made on selling the car , in the parts that are needed to keep it running......

 

There is a dimmer on the truck that controls the brightness of the lights. Don’t be hating on my leds lol. Merry Christmas!

 

Oh , i did not know that controlled those , i thought it was just the dash lights , so your saying that "your" LED's would not be any brighter than my OEM lights , just a slightly different shade of blue ??

 

A light is burnt out on the 4H button on my 05 Canyon as well. I found this part Part #FWA120 on Advance Auto Parts for $93. Their site says that it is an exact fit for my truck. If you log into their site in incognito mode they will almost always offer you a 20% discount on your order. Now for the caveat: The picture on their site shows the 3 push buttons in a vertical configuration and it looks like it would mount on the left side of the dash near the light switch. The buttons on my truck are horizontal and mounted under the vents on the center console. I queried them as to whether the picture was wrong but haven't gotten a reply yet.

 

Yea , most of the ones i find are that configuration as well , i believe its a S-10 setup , where ours are horizontal and longer , the ones that don't fit are always the cheaper ones it seems

EDIT: I just looked and i can't get the picture of the part to show up when i went there , but it did show a S-10 type switch below for similar parts , but no pictures for that part number that i could see...

 

I can pretty much do any color other than the dingy oem stuff and yes the dimmer controls all cab lights.

 

I know this is kinda necro but I did wanna add to this and say Ebay will sometimes have some good used stuff. I just picked one up for about $61CAD because I have the same problem.

And I totally understand not wanting to be out of a switch. Especially because this truck throws an error on the dash and defaults to 4WD when you try driving without this switch connected (and you don't wanna be running 4WD all the time or your drivetrain is gonna hate you).

It's still a little expensive and no guarantee they're not already burned out. What I'm gonna do is replace it with this used one and try LED swapping the burnt one. That way it's a win-win!