How-To: LED Power Window Switch Mod 99-02 GMT800.

[ScottyBoy]

I did this mod on my 2001 Suburban, but all 99-02 Sierras, Silverados, Yukons, and Tahoes have the same type of switches, so this write up should apply to all those models. 03 on up have different switches, it may or may not be similar, I'm not sure.

I hate the way the stock indicator bulbs look on the GMT-800's , so I decided to convert the indicators in my truck to blue LED's. I've done the AC control so far, and now the window and door lock switches on the doors. I'll be doing all the other switches as well, such as the headlight switch, the rear windshield wiper switch, along with the two overhead AC panels for the rear air.

 

I started off by purchasing some 5mm blue LED's along with the resistors needed for them from www.oznium.com

 

 

Then I removed the drivers side switch from the truck. To open up the switch, you have to remove all the buttons. I used a small screwdriver to pop them off. Be careful, they are only held on by two lil plastic tabs on each switch. Its one lil tab on each side, so pry under the side right where the switch pivots.

 

Now with all of them removed...

 

You can now pry the switch open. Just work your way around the switch, undoing the tabs.

 

Now you have the switch open to work on it.

 

You'll see some clear plastic light diffusers surrounding the stock bulbs, these will have to be removed. (these will not be reused) If you leave these in place and just swap an LED in place of the stock bulb, it will look like crap. For even light coverage on every switch, I hot glued an led into each switch.

 

Now you will need to find the hot and ground for the lights, which I've already done for you. The ground is the far left outer row, the hot is the far right outer row.

 

This is where you will solder your positive and negative leads for your LED's

 

 

For each led, you will need to solder a hot and a ground wire to it, and solder a resistor into the hot wire. (unless you chosse to skip this step and pay the extra $$ for prewired LED's)

 

Heres all the LED's wired up and ready to go, with heat shrink tubing over all the solder joints.

[ScottyBoy]

Now you can glue each LED in place as close to the center of each switch as you can. For the lock switch button, I used two LED's to get better light coverage on the switch. Also used two for the WindowLock button. I cut the two clear "legs" off the window lock button and hot glued an LED on each side firing light up into the switch.

Also, I dont have a picture of this step, but I removed the stock bulbs by just cutting them off with a small pair of side cutters. Be careful to not leave any little piece of wire or solder touching the two terminals together where the bulb was.

 

And heres the window switches with the LED's glued on place ....

When gluing the LED's in place, be sure to leave enough slack on the wire so the switch can pivot freely without binding up.

 

Now once you get all the LED's glued in place, test each one before you solder tham all together. Then once you are sure they are all working, solder all your hots and ground together and cover them with heat shrink tubing.

 

Now tuck all the loose wires out of the way and glue them down if you have to. Make sure you have enough slack at the top of each wire where it connects to the LED so the switch can pivot freely.

 

 

Put everything back together in reverse steps from how you took it all apart. Heres some shots of the end result.

 

And with the switch mounted back on the door.

The camera actually picks up way more glare than there actually is. It doesnt glare up onto the door panel that bad like in the pics, but still very bright though!

 

And heres the passenger side switch in action...

 

This mod looks GREAT at night, and even during the day.

[AJE]

That looks really good. I just noticed my volume switch on my steering wheel's light is out... I wondered what fixing it would consist of. Have you tried doing anything on the steering wheel?

[ScottyBoy]

That looks really good. I just noticed my volume switch on my steering wheel's light is out... I wondered what fixing it would consist of. Have you tried doing anything on the steering wheel?

 

No, I dont have Steering wheel audio controls in mine.

[jerseymike68]

thats looking great

[txab]

Are they as bright as they appear in your pics?

[ScottyBoy]

Are they as bright as they appear in your pics?

Not quite as bright as the pics look, but they are pretty bright. The pics have a lot of glare for some reason. And they do shine up onto the door panel a little bit cuz they are so bright, but in the pics it looks like they are lighting up the whole upper door panel.

[rscottk90]

ive got green all around as far as all the audio deck and all go. i guess im doing this next thanx

[KMGZ400]

wow thanks for the great instructions!! that is my next mod

[ColeTrains03]

Curious now what it'd take to do it on an '03

[hd01chevy]

i just did this on my 01 ccsb. i did the front switches as well as the back two and the ac control but was two leds short for completion. was wonderin though.. can the real little lights that come on when, lets say you turn on the ac and that amber light come on. wondering if anyone has changed them. thinkin about changing mine to red or lime green not sure .

[ScottyBoy]

Not sure, I had no desire to change those.

[Black02Silverado]

Cool mod, my instrument cluster lights are already blue. When I installed the new Denali cluster that I got off Ebay it already had blue lights in it. I like the way it looks. I might have to do this to the rest to match now.

 

Thanks for posting.

[ScottyBoy]

Cool mod, my instrument cluster lights are already blue. When I installed the new Denali cluster that I got off Ebay it already had blue lights in it. I like the way it looks. I might have to do this to the rest to match now.

 

Thanks for posting.

Got any pics of that Denali cluster? I was thinkin about gettin one for mine, since I want a trans temp guage and a hgher range speedo, but I dont really like the look of the escalade clusters.

[Nytemare]

Damn nice post man

I would like to do this to all the lights to match my stereo

 

Does anyone know if you can do this to the headlight switch. I have seen HVAC, Cluster and now the door panel.