940 License Plate Bulbs on 940 Wagon

How do I replace the license plate bulbs on the 940 wagon? I was able to get the lenses out, but there doesn't appear to be much room to twist the bulb out. And just to be sure, what type of bulb does it use? edit: Figured out the bulb type is 3893. This car really has a ridiculous number of bulb types. 2nd edit: got 'em. There is no trick to it. Somehow a previous owner managed to cram giant bulbs in there. It looks like I'll need to find a bulb with the same bayonet connector but a shorter dome. 3rd edit: the only way I can give this stupid thread any value is this suggestion: when the brittle plastic around the bolt holes gives out, you can use a small washer to hold it in place. It won't go anywhere. I know because mine was already like that when I found it. In hindsight, this definitely wasn't worth a thread. But I would rather ask a stupid question than fail a lighting assembly puzzle, because that is answered with a crack.

Is this post asking how to remove a bulb from the bulb socket?

There are only so many ways lol, but after looking up 940 license plate bulb, just pull it out. If you have new bulbs look at them and this should be really obvious. No threaded section means just pull. Wipe off the inside of the lens while you are in there.

2turbotoys said:

Is this post asking how to remove a bulb from the bulb socket?

There are only so many ways lol, but after looking up 940 license plate bulb, just pull it out. If you have new bulbs look at them and this should be really obvious. No threaded section means just pull. Wipe off the inside of the lens while you are in there.

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Yeah, I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't some kind of booby trap in the design that would leave me holding half of a broken bulb assembly. I should have assumed it was this easy because there's no write-up anywhere, but I feel a need to be overly cautious.
edit: There was no booby trap, but someone had crammed some huge bulbs in there. Biggest BA9S bulbs I've ever seen. I think they were intended for a flashlight instead of a license plate assembly. I had to break them to get them out. The real mystery is how they were installed to begin with. The tops rested against the back of the lenses, so that both have a good sized spot of burned plastic. About 1mm of clearance, yet somehow two of them were installed. Amazing.
final edit: The bulbs in there were 1816 bulbs. They are very slightly larger than the 3893 bulbs that were supposed to be in there. 1.2mm longer and 1mm wider according to the web. Doesn't sound like much, but it's the difference between a struggle and a straightforward job. If 1816s are all you have on hand, you should still see if you can get a shorter BA9S bulb.

I think you press in and turn 90 degrees. Use pliers or at least a rag so you don't cut yourself if it breaks.

ZVOLV said:

I think you press in and turn 90 degrees. Use pliers or at least a rag so you don't cut yourself if it breaks.

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It would have been that simple if there weren't 1816 bulbs crammed in the socket. Breaking them was a mandatory step in removal.

Since I just did this, I'll write a procedure. Even if it's dead simple in ideal circumstances, there are things that can go wrong. Hopefully this saves at least one person a few minutes or hours. I can't say for sure because I don't have a 740, but the procedure may be the same for those cars.

1. It's easiest to have the hatch open while replacing the license plate bulbs on your 940 wagon. Even if your hatch pistons are dead, you're better off propping the hatch on your chest or a wood plank.
2. Remove the bolts from the sides of the lenses. Carefully pry out the fragile, yellowed lenses and pray that they don't crack. If they crack around the bolt holes, you can reinstall them with small washers on the bolts. They won't go anywhere.
3. If the rectangular rubber gasket falls out, press it back into the rectangular recess above the bulb socket.
4. Rotate the bulbs 90 degrees counterclockwise and pull toward you, then pull down. If it feels like you have no room to pull the bulb down, then someone installed an improper bulb. Just break the dome and remove the remains. Hemostats or needle nose pliers will reduce your chances of painting your bumper red.
5. Install new bulbs. Press them down into the sockets and rotate them 90 degrees clockwise. The Sylvania part number for these bulbs is 3893. They are rated for 12v, and are the smallest commonly available bulb with a BA9s base. Resist the temptation to try other bulbs that look like they would fit. They won't. Even if you succeed at cramming them in, they will melt the lenses.
6. Reinstall lenses and bolts, and washers if necessary. The lens should be nearly flush with the assembly. If it won't go in far enough, it's probably because the rubber gasket from step 3 fell down.

Kinda funny someone jammed the wrong bulb in there, the things ya see sometimes.... glad you got it figured out.

2turbotoys said:

Kinda funny someone jammed the wrong bulb in there, the things ya see sometimes.... glad you got it figured out.

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I still want to know how the 1816s were installed. The only way I can think to do it would be with very gentle taps from a padded jewelry hammer. Equally amazing is that it was somehow done without bending the crap out of the sockets.

Where there's a will there's a way. Maybe they were determined to use what was on hand instead of spending the big bucks on the right bulbs haha, bet they are almost $2 for the correct ones!!

2turbotoys said:

Where there's a will there's a way. Maybe they were determined to use what was on hand instead of spending the big bucks on the right bulbs haha, bet they are almost $2 for the correct ones!!

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There were many similar issues on this car when I bought it. Two of the exhaust manifold studs were replaced with bolts, threaded into some poorly installed heli-coils on the head. I ended up having to discard that head after the metal around one of the cylinders rotted away because the original owner repaired a head gasket failure with stop leak. I still get copper flakes out of the coolant lagoon sometimes. Unbelievably, after the new head was installed, the cylinders all blew around 150 with a max variation of 7 in one that blew a 143. The water pump was affixed with silicone, which was all over the impeller. I also had to remove a bunch of silicone from the oil cooler using compressed air. Many gaskets were missing.

Some people should have their tools confiscated. Hope you don't find much more hack jobs like that! I must admit that I had to install a waterpump using only RTV in an emergency once, but it did not get on the impeller or anything else.

I never heard the term "coolant lagoon" before lol, but I get it.

2turbotoys said:

Some people should have their tools confiscated. Hope you don't find much more hack jobs like that! I must admit that I had to install a waterpump using only RTV in an emergency once, but it did not get on the impeller or anything else.

I never heard the term "coolant lagoon" before lol, but I get it.

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The only other one I found was that the overdrive button was replaced with a cap and the wire bypassed. I ended up doing the blockoff plate mod anyway. I don't tow, and I'd rather be able to rip the shift handle off without thinking about it.
I've never seen it mentioned anywhere, but the easiest way to move the solenoid bolts is to approach the front bolt from the front, and the rear bolt from the back. Just reach a spanner longitudinally across the step on the transmission casting. With a ratcheting wrench, you can get several clicks before you have to back it off.

Not sure what you mean, just got rid of the overdrive function? I have a M45 4 speed in my 79, would love to have the overdrive, if it broke I would fix it. I have the overdrive in my 78, and will probably swap it into the 79 when I do my engine swap on it. But then again I drive at higher speeds on the highways. 4th gear at 80 MPH using only 1 muffler on the car is really loud at 3500 RPM or so, no fun. Forget about listening to music....

2turbotoys said:

Not sure what you mean, just got rid of the overdrive function? I have a M45 4 speed in my 79, would love to have the overdrive, if it broke I would fix it. I have the overdrive in my 78, and will probably swap it into the 79 when I do my engine swap on it. But then again I drive at higher speeds on the highways. 4th gear at 80 MPH using only 1 muffler on the car is really loud at 3500 RPM or so, no fun. Forget about listening to music....

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This is on the AW71 automatic. The 940 turbo only came with an automatic in the US, sadly. Its overdrive control disables 4th gear using a solenoid. I decided to get rid of it entirely after a wire tie came off and the solenoid connector was eaten away by the driveshaft.