Climate Control Buttons

[l008com]

I have a few questions...

First, is the AC button supposed to light up? I assume it is but I'm not sure. If it is, how can I fix this? Are the lights in there little bulbs, or are they soldered on to boards?

Second, are the FAN buttons supposed to light up? I'm sure if they are, fixing them is the same.

Third, I also heard these buttons are easy to replace? How do you remove them? Is there a source for replacements? Besides a junkyard I mean. New, reasonably priced replacements?

The interior in my truck is so mint, people don't believe it has 118K on it. But the only thing that shows any real wear is the climate control box.

 

[Capote]

I have a few questions...

First, is the AC button supposed to light up? I assume it is but I'm not sure. If it is, how can I fix this? Are the lights in there little bulbs, or are they soldered on to boards?

Second, are the FAN buttons supposed to light up? I'm sure if they are, fixing them is the same.

Third, I also heard these buttons are easy to replace? How do you remove them? Is there a source for replacements? Besides a junkyard I mean. New, reasonably priced replacements?

The interior in my truck is so mint, people don't believe it has 118K on it. But the only thing that shows any real wear is the climate control box.

Yes to both.
The bulbs are soldered on to the boards. You'd have to remove the climate control unit and open her up. De-solder the bulbs and re-solder new bulbs in it's place. You might as well go all out and put LED's with resistors in place of all the bulbs. Soldering isn't hard at all and it's pretty easy to do on these boards. Take a look throughout the LED Mod thread and you'll get an idea of what I mean. @Blckshdw has some diagrams and sample photos. And if you're not one for having like green, red, blue, etc for colors in your vehicle, they do have natural warm white colored LED's.
If you didn't want to do any of that and look for a replacement HVAC control module, your best bet is Ebay or Amazon. Those are one of the first things to go when a vehicle arrives at a pick-n'-pull; anything instrument/control-panel-like.

 

[l008com]

Are you saying yes to both meaning the AC and the FAN buttons are supposed to light up?

Also, I had a post once about switching my climate control for simple manual controls, and the consensus was that a computer reprogram was needed. But I could probably change my climate control with another climate control box plug and play, right? If I can somehow find one in good shape, and save me the hassle of disassembly and soldering. I probably won't do it this way, but now I'm wondering if it's an option.

 

[Capote]

Are you saying yes to both meaning the AC and the FAN buttons are supposed to light up?

Also, I had a post once about switching my climate control for simple manual controls, and the consensus was that a computer reprogram was needed. But I could probably change my climate control with another climate control box plug and play, right? If I can somehow find one in good shape, and save me the hassle of disassembly and soldering. I probably won't do it this way, but now I'm wondering if it's an option.

Yup, that was a yes to both the A/C & Fan.
From what I recall, that's correct about the HVAC controls. You can't simply swap an Automatic unit or a Manual or vice-versa.
Yes, you can do a swap for another automatic HVAC control unit with no issues, it's plug & play. If you post up in the wanted section saying you are looking for an Automatic HVAC unit, someone might have one that they have just lying around that they'd part with. Or someone might link you a good priced used one that's in good shape.

 

[Mooseman]

It's plug and play only if it's not from an EXT/XL or the early models that had "A/C OFF" instead of the snowflake in the display.

If you do find a good unit with intact button, find a clear nail polish and paint them over. Experiment with different brands as some will make the paint lift. Some are glossy while others are matte. Again, experiment on your old one before committing to one.

 

[Matt]

I just bought one on Ebay for $85 including shipping. They went through it and changed all the bulb in it.

Changing mine out because of a continuity problem.