Replacing 5EAT shifter light dead?

hey guys recently i noticed that the lightbulb that illuminates what gear im in has died out. which means although i can see on the tachomater if im in reverse or drive or 1 through 5, down where the actual shifter is, the lights have died.

so now P R N D the + and - are all dead now, so when you turn the light switch is turned to the headlight on position you cant see what gear you are in, except for in the instrument cluster.

 

 

does anybody know what the actual steps are to replacing the bulbs? as well as what the item number ofthe light bulb is?

 

if im confusing anybody, im referring to this, the stuff in the very right of the pic.:

 

http://image.automobilemag.com/f/reviews/wagons/6682378/0407_02+2005_Subaru_Legacy_Outback+Interior_View_Steering_Wheel.jpg

have you removed the bezel around the shifter? just pull up on the chrome ring, gently and evenly. the shifter bezel can be popped out now.....

well i know how to get to the actal piece that encases the light bulb in there, but what is the light bulb that i need for that.

after you pop the bezel off, you'll see 4 tabs that hold the shifter gate down. use a flat blade to release the and pop it up against the bottom of your shift knob. if you don't have enuff room, unscrew the knob. when you have the shifter gate up, you can find 2 thin blue wires on the side of the gate, twist it a 1/4 turn and pull. there's your bulb, which should be a wagner bulb #37....

hey guys recently i noticed that the lightbulb that illuminates what gear im in has died out. which means although i can see on the tachomater if im in reverse or drive or 1 through 5, down where the actual shifter is, the lights have died.

so now P R N D the + and - are all dead now, so when you turn the light switch is turned to the headlight on position you cant see what gear you are in, except for in the instrument cluster.

 

 

does anybody know what the actual steps are to replacing the bulbs? as well as what the item number ofthe light bulb is?

 

if im confusing anybody, im referring to this, the stuff in the very right of the pic.:

 

http://image.automobilemag.com/f/reviews/wagons/6682378/0407_02+2005_Subaru_Legacy_Outback+Interior_View_Steering_Wheel.jpg

 

wow. didn't even know there was a light. will check my 07 to see if they put one in.

 

i usually go by feel. you know...the movement and knocks that it takes to go from p to r and to d etc.

This video on radio installation helped me a lot to understand how to get to the bulb:

I always wondered if there was supposed to be lights in the shifter surround...

I've had my wagon for 2 years now, hahahaha!

I'll address that today.

The above video helps ( the guy was very rough though) I bought a #37 bulb when I replaced mine about 2 months ago, it didn't quite fit tight enough for some reason, I used a very small bit of electrical tape to hold it in place. My wife's MDX just had the same problem and I tried the replacement bulb but it was too big, bought the OEM bulb from the dealer and it worked perfect. Just a thought when it comes to buying the bulb should be $3-4. GL

So I tried to replace this bulb on my 07 2.5i and gave up. Was I close? I opened up the console cover but could barely move it because the wires feeding the charger are so tight. And it's not clear to me how to then lift the shifter plate, but it seems the bulb assembly feeds into it from underneath. I'm tempted to just have the dealer do it.

So I tried to replace this bulb on my 07 2.5i and gave up. Was I close? I opened up the console cover but could barely move it because the wires feeding the charger are so tight. And it's not clear to me how to then lift the shifter plate, but it seems the bulb assembly feeds into it from underneath. I'm tempted to just have the dealer do it.

 

Yes, you were close. Have you watched the video mentioned in the thread a few posts above? The shifter plate is a little bit tricky especially putting it back in but certainly doable. I've done it several times. I've actually had to disassemble the whole thing for a different problem, so I know it pretty well.

 

If I remember correctly you need to unscrew the knob from the shifter to be able to remove the console cover and certainly to be able to remove the shifter plate. Also, IIRC, there's a connector connecting the wires to the charger, which you need to unplug or maybe the cover will just hung on the side after you unscrew the knob and lift it over the shifter....

Correct unscrew the knob, when I did mine I was replacing my head-unit, so it was a bit easier, much more room to kind of see whats going on, I would by the OEM bulb for correct fit too.

So the #37 bulb I bought won't quite fit properly? Grrr, come on Subaru. I'm leaning toward just having the dealer do it.

Success! Got it on attempt #2. The #37 bulb seemed to fit well enough, fortunately.

Congrats!!

I always wondered if there was supposed to be lights in the shifter surround...

I've had my wagon for 2 years now, hahahaha!

I'll address that today.

 

Still haven't, lol!

Beware, the shifter plate isn't one solid piece like I expected. It feels like the whole assembly wants to fall apart when you lift it. But thanks for the tips - it made it a lot easier!

I ended up doing this instead

 

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/12/10/9316be4295359b90ab8a74ce6373ecb9.jpg

Sorry for bumping a very old thread, just wanted to post this here as this is the information i was searching for and couldn't find anywhere.

 

Just replaced the Shift Gate light on my friends 2001 Subaru legacy L sedan with the 2.5l engine. The bulb size is 2723. I had tried a 37 as that's what kept coming up in certain places but the 37 is a little bigger and the base is slightly wider. The 2723 was a perfect fit.

 

Getting to it is the same as mentioned earlier in this thread, unscrew the shift knob ( just twists off, no set screws), pull the trim piece around the shifter off and then use a flathead screwdriver to very gently pry up the four tabs of the shifter bezel. Directly underneath that to the left of the shifter is the black plastic holder with the lightbulb in the middle. The plastic piece pulls away from the shifter but the wires are very short so it doesn't move far.

 

The bulb socket turns 1/4 turn out of the black plastic holder and then installation is the reverse once bulb replaced.

 

Just wanted to add this in case anyone on the Internet was having as hard a time as I was looking for this bulb size.

 

Thanks!