First, unplug the connector from the switch. Next, it's best to remove the switch from its surrounding bezel by pushing in on the switch's end tabs from behind the dash, rather than taking a chance of marring the bezel by wedging it out from the front of the dash.
Once the switch is out of the dash, separate its front from its back by wedging the rear of the front part's top and bottom respectively up and down. When the front part of the switch is removed from its back part, internal metal electrical contact pieces will fall out. So, remove slowly so you can note their proper positions for reassembly.
Turn the switches back piece so the lamps are pointed up. The switch's clear lamp and white rubber holder for the green night glow removes by simply pulling the white rubber holder up. The switch's orange covered lamp and brown rubber holder for the cruise-on indicator slides out after first wedging up the clear plastic covering sheet and also wedging up both the silver and copper metal electrical conductors that each have a tab that extends down into the brown rubber holder.
Once the lamp and its holder are removed from the back piece of the switch (and for the indicator lamp, its orange cover pulled off the lamp) unthread the lamp's pig-tail leads from its rubber holder. Thread the new lamp's pig-tail leads into the holder exactly the same way the original lamp was threaded in, and continue the reassembly to completion in reverse of disassembly.
I doubt the lamps are available from Mazda parts as a separate item. If they are, I recommend they be obtained and used. A set of lamps that will work are Radio Shack's # 272-1092C. They are about the same size as the original lamp for the green glow. However, they are smaller than the one used for the cruise-on indicator. So, the orange cover will not fit snugly over the Radio Shack lamp; however, it can be stretched over the brown rubber's tubular flange to firmly mount.
| Back to the Garage | 27 February, 2000 |