Glovebox

[Vicinity]

Ok, so the battery drain might actually be coming from the glove box sagging. It closes, but yea there's a light on in there unless I hold it closed.

First things first, how do I remove the light safely. Then, are theres any ideas for getting the glovebox a stiffer seal?

 

[Rodeo Joe]

Pull the bulb. You might be able to loosen and adjust the hinge underneath.

Joe

 

[Vicinity]

I cant get fit two fingers to yank it but I macgyvered the switch to remain off with a rubber band until the crap weather subsides

 

[Rodeo Joe]

I remember it being a bitch when I tried to pull the bulb in mine when I swapped in the LED.

Joe

 

[XR7-4.6]

It’s actually easier to unplug the connector than it is to pull the bulb.

The latch can be adjusted, the mounting hole is slotted

 

[Grog6]

Tape a piece of something so it hits the switch. iirc, both the hinge and latch are adjustable.
People slam them shut, and the latch loosens up.

 

[Grog6]

I had a buddy in the 70's who's job was fixing factory fitment issues. He showed me how damn near everything on a car is adjustable; fenders, doors, dash, glove box, everything not welded in place. Some people need all those lines perfect.

 

[NEURO]

Ok, so the battery drain might actually be coming from the glove box sagging. It closes, but yea there's a light on in there unless I hold it closed.

First things first, how do I remove the light safely. Then, are theres any ideas for getting the glovebox a stiffer seal?

In case you're still struggling to remove that glovebox bulb (standard 194 bulb), I can tell you how to easily remove it.
I just removed mine, because I'm replacing the bulb.
I had to do everything by feel, because it's too tight a spot to see what you're doing:

1. You need a 1/4" ratchet, 10mm socket, and small worklight.
2. With your left hand, feel your way from the bulb to about the middle of the black bulb assembly, then follow it towards the front of the car. Do this slowly, since we're only talking about feeling our way around millimeters & centimeters of area.
3. As you feel your way through there, you'll feel about a half-inch of exposed screw and the retaining nut holding the assembly together.
4. Now that you know where the nut is, feel your way to attaching the 10mm socket, then slowly ratchet the nut completely off...and the assembly will fall out a bit, still being held on by the electrical connection.
5. Now that you can see the gray connector, very carefully use a small flathead screwdriver to unhook the connector to separate it from the assembly...then it'll be free to remove from the car.
6. To remove the bulb, use the same flathead screwdriver end to very carefully pop the bulb out of the socket.
7. Replace bulb (standard 194 bulb) and reverse the instructions to put everything back together.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that re-installing the black assembly holding the bulb is a bit of a PITA of trial & error. Although it's just one nut you're dealing with, you'll have to play around with the alignment & depth of the black bulb assembly to get it in the right position, so that the glovebox door closes properly and flush with the trim panels.

Attached photos show the black assembly that holds the bulb and the diagram from the Ford Service Manual.

 

[NEURO]

I remember it being a bitch when I tried to pull the bulb in mine when I swapped in the LED.

Joe

What LED did you use for the glovebox light?
I just pulled mine apart and am on Amazon now trying to decide what LED to use.
Thanks

 

[Rodeo Joe]

194 I believe.

Joe

 

[Kenz]

What LED did you use for the glovebox light?
I just pulled mine apart and am on Amazon now trying to decide what LED to use.
Thanks

I haven't bought any in years, but I previously used ones that look like this...
I have had a few fail and they seem very delicate/cheap.





IMO if it's in a hard to get to location look for a name brand like Sylvania or Phillips

 

[XR7-4.6]

I haven't bought any in years, but I previously used ones that look like this...
I have had a few fail and they seem very delicate/cheap.

View attachment 15676



IMO if it's in a hard to get to location look for a name brand like Sylvania or Phillips

I have the same ones and agree, I’ve had a few fail or flicker to a dimmer light. I went back to incandescent 194s inside in all but the cluster, I hate harsh cool white light LEDs give off in interiors

 

[NEURO]

I have the same ones and agree, I’ve had a few fail or flicker to a dimmer light. I went back to incandescent 194s inside in all but the cluster, I hate harsh cool white light LEDs give off in interiors

Funny you mention that. I've seen the same feeling in other threads about changing the bulbs to LEDs.
And I spent the last couple days going over different LEDs to upgrade my car's interior lighting...brighter/whiter lighting or different colors, etc...only to abort the whole idea this morning.

I thought the idea of a brighter & whiter interior lighting would be a nice change.
Then I played with the idea of LEDs for an Ice Blue or soft white interior lighting.
Then early this morning, I was visualizing my interior lighting in those whites or a light blue...and realized what an ugly styling faux pas that would be. These are beautifully styled cars with well-done interiors. We're not kids and shouldn't be trying to make our cars look as silly as possible with goofy lighting.

I really like the soft & warm incandescent glow of the #578 dome light and #168 foot well lights (the only #194 bulb is the glovebox).
It's especially fitting for a Lt. Prairie Tan interior that's a warm color by nature.
All these goofy LEDs would do is ruin the warm look of the interior...so I aborted the whole idea.

Except for...the map light bulbs and trunk bulb.
When I need to read something in the car at night, the 578 map bulbs just aren't enough, so they're being upgraded to 578 LEDs (My dome/map lights are an oddity...all three bulbs are 578's). But the dome 578 bulb will remain, so that the interior has that warm light.
And the #912 trunk bulb has been a joke since day one, so it's getting an LED upgrade.

Seriously...how could any LED make this interior look any better than the factory bulbs.

 

[Irv]

If you want a warmer light, then get LEDs at the 3000K color temperature instead of 5000-6000K.

The incandescent bulbs are too dim. Maybe that's fine to one's liking for the accent lighting, but the dome, map, and visor lights all need a brightness upgrade even if you prefer warm yellow lighting. Incandescents can't get any brighter without burning something.

Everything else is just opinionated soapboxing and far from a universal sentiment. Lighting preferences fall on a spectrum like the color temperature scale. It isn't about kids vs. adults or any other forced dichotomy of good vs. bad. Warmer light is a better fit for the prairie tan interior though. That goes without saying.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Everything else is just opinionated soapboxing and far from a universal sentiment. Lighting preferences fall on a spectrum like the color temperature scale. It isn't about kids vs. adults or any other forced dichotomy of good vs. bad. Warmer light is a better fit for the prairie tan interior though. That goes without saying.

I agree, however I tend to grade it on “how did the car come originally” which favors the more yellow light, and I question the LED manufacturer’s grading scale if they don’t advertise the numerical temperature. The ones I have were advertised as “warm white” 7-8 years ago which they definitely aren’t.

 

[Irv]

The thing is, especially if you buy from Amazon, you're often at the mercy of whatever the Chinese reseller is advertising, and we know how reliable that is even when there is a color temperature listed. If a color temperature isn't listed, then I'm not buying it because "warm white" is the most arbitrary description of a yellower shade of white. In the residential lighting universe, that covers anything from 2400-3300K. For automotive lighting, that's pretty much anything below 4000K.

Even then, my personal experience with buying LED bulbs on Amazon is at least a 33% return rate and probably closer to 50%, partly to try out several similar bulbs at once and return everything I don't like, and partly because even when I do get something specific, it wasn't as advertised.

The problem with automotive LEDs in these small form factors for interior illumination is that the term "white" generically became standardized to 6000K. "Warm white" just means yellower than that. If you're shopping by price, that's what you get.

If you reliably want something more specific than that, then you're going to pay more at specialty lighting stores where you can do some more serious bulb shopping like at VLEDS or Super Bright LEDs. I'd recommend Super Bright LEDs for a wider range of color temperatures, especially the warmer whites. VLEDS products seem to bottom out at 4000K and several are only available in 5000K and above.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/vehicle-lights/car-boat-light-bulbs?base=178406

 

[Green T]

Does this count as a mod? If so it is one of the few I have done beside the "24 windshield wiper. Back in 2020 I bought a 10 pack of the 921 LEDs and replaced all the interior lights (not in gauges) and have been very happy with them. I have only had to replace just one. I still have the leftover bulbs it the package in the glovebox. I think they were Phillips. Much less heat on those old light fixtures with the new led bulbs and less power consumption, not that I think the last one matters that much but it is less wattage draw. I actually like the light output and think it is brighter.

 

[1997ThunderbirdLXV6]

I disagree with the preference for incandescent/warm light, specifically in the Light Prairie Tan interior. The interior color itself has warmth; the light doesn't need it. Especially in the foot space, white light really brightens it up. It may not be period appropriate for a 90s car, but so what?

I use Sylvania LEDs. This is an old photo; the shift knob hadn't been shortened yet, and there are the old headrests with belt guides...

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Always LOVED the 94-97 interior. It's one of the things that drew me to buy this car. The 1994 redesign was the chefs' kiss for me!

Here's my dash with LED lights in the floor, dash, dome light and shifter indicators. I pulled the floor mat for this picture. The factory carpet is still in mint condition underneath. I've used Weathertech floor-mats since I bought the car new in 1994. This is with my old Sony head unit. I've since replaced it with a Pioneer. Also, swapped in the 145 MPH SC speedo.

 

[NEURO]

I disagree with the preference for incandescent/warm light, specifically in the Light Prairie Tan interior. The interior color itself has warmth; the light doesn't need it. Especially in the foot space, white light really brightens it up. It may not be period appropriate for a 90s car, but so what?

I use Sylvania LEDs. This is an old photo; the shift knob hadn't been shortened yet, and there are the old headrests with belt guides...

View attachment 15690

Today, I put a 194 'soft white' LED in my driver's foot-well and left the original 168 bulb in the passenger foot-well, so I could take a day to compare, as I ran errands during the evening tonight. It's not as bright as yours...but for me, I don't like the way that my 194 LED is too white and literally washes out the Lt. Praire Tan's color & warmth, like in my photo above that has the original 168's in both foot-wells.

But...I do like the greater amount of light from the LED, like in your car, that makes things easier to see down there.
But again, I miss the warmth that the 168 bulbs impart with the interior's color...so I'm going to stick with the 168's.

It's just a matter of personal taste & preference between the two different lighting options.
I also like the way you've kept up your interior...it looks really clean & nice.

 

[NEURO]

Always LOVED the 94-97 interior. It's one of the things that drew me to buy this car. The 1994 redesign was the chefs' kiss for me!

Here's my dash with LED lights. I pulled the floor mat for this picture. The factory carpet is still in mint condition underneath. I've used Weathertech floor-mats since I bought the car new in 1994. This is with my old Sony head unit. I've since replaced it with a Pioneer. Also swapped in the 145 MPH SC speedo.

Agreed, Trunk...the interior is a chef's kiss. Ford's interior designers knocked it out of the park with the redesign. Mine's a '97 Sport...and the interior is literally perfect...it's beautifully done, all controls are easily within reach, the wrap-around effect of the black from the driver's door through the center console, the cupholders in the right place, and the center console is at the perfect height for comfort while allowing your right hand/arm to naturally fall to the shifter. Just a well done interior in every way.

I do wish there were a few more gauges and frills for the '97's, such as the headlight controls being lit. But Ford did penny pinch here & there, especially in that last year. Hell, we '97 owners don't even have an underhood light or courtesy door lights...but oh well.
At least they finally put the cupholders in the right place.

 

[NEURO]

Does this count as a mod? If so it is one of the few I have done beside the "24 windshield wiper. Back in 2020 I bought a 10 pack of the 921 LEDs and replaced all the interior lights (not in gauges) and have been very happy with them. I have only had to replace just one. I still have the leftover bulbs it the package in the glovebox. I think they were Phillips. Much less heat on those old light fixtures with the new led bulbs and less power consumption, not that I think the last one matters that much but it is less wattage draw. I actually like the light output and think it is brighter.

I would think it's more of a minor upgrade than a mod.
But in the end, call it whatever makes you happy or sounds right to you.

 

[Irv]

It's really interesting seeing three completely different interior lighting approaches to go with the tan interior. Honestly, all of them work if you understand the nuances of what James, Martin, and Ron are each going for.

I started writing a lengthy post last night about color temperature and brightness that I was on the fence about posting, but I'll make a new thread for it later.

 

[NEURO]

It's really interesting seeing three completely different interior lighting approaches to go with the tan interior. Honestly, all of them work if you understand the nuances of what James, Martin, and Ron are each going for.

I started writing a lengthy post last night about color temperature and brightness that I was on the fence about posting, but I'll make a new thread for it later.

I'd like to read it.
If you do post it in a new thread, post a link here so we know about it.

 

[Irv]

I'd like to read it.
If you do post it in a new thread, post a link here so we know about it.

Thread 'Color temperature and brightness in interior lighting'

Dec 16, 2025

I started writing this in the Glovebox thread a couple nights ago, but decided to break it out into a separate thread because it's a broader topic.

One point I'll emphasize about lighting in general that doesn't get talked about enough is that as you increase the brightness of your illumination source, the color temperature should rise with it. If you don't, you'll get this effect of everything looking dingy, like you're living life through a Mexican filter. It's the inverse effect of how dim task lighting looks horrible, like an abandoned hospital in a zombie movie, or "cool...

• Irv
• Replies: 1
• Forum: Interior

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