LED Shift Knob "How-to"

Aqui devem ser colocadas todas as dicas e truques que achem interessantes relatar e partilhar
Responder
Avatar do Utilizador
ruimegas
Gestor do Forum
Mensagens: 5074
Registado: 04 jan 2011, 23:39
Data de fabrico: 09 jun 2011
Capacidade bateria: 59 Ah 12 barras
Localização: Oeiras
Contacto:

LED Shift Knob "How-to"

Mensagem por ruimegas » 29 jan 2014, 22:51

LED Shift Knob "How-to"

Que pachorra :o

"Long time readers will know that we've seen 3 people so far disassemble their shift-knobs intending to fit LEDs. From the previous threads, two of those people appear to have been successful, but neither has been willing to share how they did it with the group, which has kept others from giving it a shot. After all, replacement knobs are ~$100, a not inconsiderable sum, so goofing it up will cost ya.

But, since it's been a mod I've been aching to do for ages, I decided to give it a go all by myself. I figure that I've followed others' lead plenty with other mods, which has saved me a good few bucks AND a lot of heartache, so it was time to give back. Hopefully, my missteps will make your attempt a bit easier. But I'm also willing to learn what others would have done differently. Or even what those before me did to make theirs look so appealing, because I'm not sure what I've done is as good as what they did (especially Ingineer, who always seems to have his stuff together on the engineering front).

While I'm sure it's possible to do much of this mod in the car, it is FAR easier to remove the shifter assembly. And that's the way I chose to do it. So here is my humble effort for your approval:

First step is to remove the console cover. As you can see, I've employed one of my favorite trim removal tools - the putty knife wrapped in masking tape. I like this tool because it's skinny enough to get into most joints between parts but wide enough that it doesn't mar plastic parts. I also like feeler gauges wrapped the same way for very tightly joined parts, but I digress:

[IMG]https://sphotos-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 5761_n.jpg[/IMG]

It's best to get the cover out of the way entirely, or you'll run the risk of scratching it or the console plastic. To do that, you'll need to disconnect the drive mode indicator and parking brake wiring:

[IMG]https://sphotos-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 6962_n.jpg[/IMG]

Once the cover is out of the way, you can get the shifter assembly out. You first need to remove the bezel that sits between the knob and the top of the shifter tower. As you can see, it clips into place in four spots. Once that's out of the way, simply remove the three bolts holding the tower in place using a 10mm socket. You may find it easier if you move the shifter back and forth, like you're selecting Drive and Reverse.

From here though, things start to get a bit tricky - you really need to get underneath the tower to disconnect the wiring . This may be possible for someone with small hands, or someone who can figure out the ideal tool, by getting in through the hole behind it in the console substructure. But for me the easiest way seemed to be further disassembly of the shifter tower so I could rotate the electronics box and get at the connection. You do this by removing the three Phillips head screws joining the tower to the electronics box.

If you do it this way, note that little spring in the one picture - MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT LOOSE THAT SPRING. Also, you'll need to remove the wiring for the park button switch, but access to this isn't so bad. Just be sure to note how it's routed around and underneath the tower (there is a prong on the underneath that the wiring loops through). Also BE SURE NOT TO START YOUR CAR WITH THE SHIFTER DISASSEMBLED - you'll get several errors (Shift and Smart Key, if memory serves) and a "Visit Dealer" prompt. I cleared these after I had the car back together by disconnecting the 12v battery, so not a big deal. Also, if you follow my lead on this you MUST reassemble before putting the shifter back in the car - it is IMPOSSIBLE to screw the tower to the electronics box without being able to view them from the side to make sure the ball at the end of the shifter shaft connects the socket on the electronics box properly. IMPOSSIBLE I tells ya. But on the plus side, getting the wiring loom connected again isn't anywhere near as bad as getting it disconnected:

[IMG]https://sphotos-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 1711_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://sphotos-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 1197_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://sphotos-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 3972_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://sphotos-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 2366_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 8782_n.jpg[/IMG]

So now you have your shifter assembly out, your best bet is to remove the knob from the shaft it sits on. In other threads we've talked about removing the top of the knob by getting between it and the blue Lexan piece with a thin instrument (a feeler gauge, for example). But as you see from the picture showing the underneath of the knob, once you've removed the clip holding it to it's shaft, it's quite easy to get at the prongs holding the top in place. Removing the knob will also require disconnecting the Park switch wiring from the electronics box, if you haven't already done it. Make sure to note how the wiring is routed around the shifter tower:

[IMG]https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 6931_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://sphotos-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 2357_n.jpg[/IMG]

Once the shift knob is free, you can remove the top in either of the ways outlined (from underneath or by inserting a thin instrument between it and the blue Lexan) and put it to one side. Then it's time to remove the blue Lexan section.

Now I had real trepidation about removing this, and in my first go at modifying the knob I hadn't given it more than passing consideration, thinking it must be held in place with superglue. But it turned out that what I thought were dabs of superglue were actually dabs of white silicone sealant, and a bit of persuasion with a small jewelers screwdriver was enough to free the bond between Lexan and base:

[IMG]https://sphotos-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 8221_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://sphotos-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 0770_n.jpg[/IMG]

From here it's time to cut away the excess material from the base, and a rotary tool is your friend. As you can see, I cut a substantial amount from the sides and cut a slot in the front (not particularly happy with the quality of the cuts on the side, but I had to work around holes I'd tried in an earlier iteration of the mod). This will allow enough light from the 3 LEDs you're going to use in the project. Note that I took the Park switch out completely. I'm not sure that this is really necessary, but I would at least tape it off to protect it from dust. If you choose to remove it, it's held in place with two plastic prongs. Remove it's button first, since it just sits in place.

[IMG]https://sphotos-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 9784_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://sphotos-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 9915_n.jpg[/IMG]

Once you have this done, it's time to flat the INSIDE of the blue Lexan part with some sandpaper. This will defuse the light from the LEDs and give you a better look. It's important you also flat the BOTTOM of the Lexan part too, or you will get light "hot spots". I did mine with wet 800 grit wet-and-dry. The picture above of the Lexan part is actually post-sanding, so I'll not repost it now.

So we're down to the LEDs. As previously noted, I used 3 12-18v LEDs, in blue, purchased off eBay from a seller in China. It took about 10 days for them to arrive. These were already finished with wire and suitable resistors soldered in place. 20 cost $14 shipped. I have spares if anyone would like to get them from me instead. Originally, I had tried white LEDs, but the color wasn't quite right - more yellow in the light than I would have thought, giving a sort of green hue around the knob. I didn't care for it.

These were so small that I thought fixing them in place might be an issue. I decided to take advantage of the prongs holding the knob's top in place as a fixing point and thought superglue might be the answer. But I quickly found that superglue ate into the plastic. STAY AWAY FROM SUPERGLUE!

Plan B was clear silicone, and I did actually use that on the front LED because I wanted it to stay put in that channel you see and couldn't get my other fixing method up high enough on the prong to secure it in the spot I wanted. The other fixing method (which worked out quite well) - a band of 6mm (1/4") heat-shrink.

Now in the pictures you'll see a fairly wide band, but it became apparent that I couldn't use a band that wide because it interfered with fixing the top back in place. I ended up with bands that were 3-4mm wide. I forgot to take a revised picture, sorry.

Shrink these bands into place WITHOUT the LEDs being there - you'll melt the insulation on the tiny wires with that much heat. Once the heat-shrink is the right size, it can be slipped off the prong; the LED inserted; and then slipped back onto the prong. A little clear silicone could also be used if you are worried about the LEDs facing out. Got to be honest that I didn't care much about that - there was plenty of light coming off them things no matter where they were pointed (with the possible exception of facing completely away from the Lexan). I took the extra precaution of testing the LEDs before I affixed them - no point in getting everything back together again only to find out a LED was bad out of the box:

[IMG]https://sphotos-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 8431_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://sphotos-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 9924_n.jpg[/IMG]

From here you simply have to route the wires straight down and through the holes in the base directly below the prongs. Just make sure that the wires aren't going to get trapped by the prongs and make sure you remember to replace the park switch WITH the park button in place, if you've removed it. Don't forget the Park switch button or you'll have to remove the top again.

Once the knob is all the way back together, you'll have to tackle the wiring. I chose to bundle all the wires and enclose them in heat-shrink. The right size for 6 wires is 3mm (1/8") and you'll need to feed the wires in one pair at a time. Again, be cautious about heat and these tiny wires. If you keep away from shrinking the very ends of the heat-shrink you should be OK. You'll then need to group like wires together and solder them to standard wire. I happened to have 16 gauge wire, but I would imagine any sensible gauge between 22 and 14 would be fine. Use heat shrink on these solder joints and then use small wire ties to bundle the new wiring with the Park switch wiring, remembering to leave some strain relief:

[IMG]https://sphotos-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 4451_n.jpg[/IMG]

From there, I tapped into the shift indicator illumination circuit (white wire on it's connector) using a T-tap, and got ground from a bolt holding the console assembly to the floor. This way, the knob only lights up with the dash lights. I seem to remember Ingineer did his so that the knob was on with the car. I suspect he tapped into the Park switch wiring instead of the shift indicator.

And here is the end result. Hope you approve!

[IMG]https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 9373_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://sphotos-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 0445_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://sphotos-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 0963_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://sphotos-b-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho ... 1096_n.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 9631_n.jpg[/IMG]

Well, I think that's pretty much it. If you have a better idea for doing this, I'd love to hear it. If I've missed anything, or you need any questions answered, be sure to speak up. If you want to buy a package containing the 3 LEDs, heat-shrink, and the two tiny tie-wraps you'll need from me, I can do that for $5 shipped. Otherwise, the eBay seller for the LEDs is this guy:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/L0805B-20pcs-Pr ... 3384d4f0d3"

Em: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=14069
NISSAN LEAF Branco c/Spoiler mk1 de 09JUN2011. 195.000 kms.
TESLA Model 3 AWD. Encomenda 03JUL2019. Entrega 09JUL2019. 72078 kms.
Associado da Associação de Utilizadores Veículos Eléctricos http://www.uve.pt

RJSC
Proprietário Leaf
Mensagens: 3472
Registado: 13 jan 2011, 20:27
Data de fabrico: 15 ago 2012
Capacidade bateria: 16kWh, 9 Barras
Localização: Aveiro

Re: LED Shift Knob "How-to"

Mensagem por RJSC » 30 jan 2014, 15:56

Muita paciência só para colocar uma luzinha extra.
É a paixão do tunning...

dgalv
Proprietário Leaf
Mensagens: 858
Registado: 19 out 2013, 18:51
Data de fabrico: 16 jan 2019
Localização: Évora

Re: LED Shift Knob "How-to"

Mensagem por dgalv » 30 jan 2014, 16:57

RJSC Escreveu:Muita paciência só para colocar uma luzinha extra.
É a paixão do tunning...
E mudar as luzes de presença exteriores para LED? É possível? Sempre gastava menos...
Kia e-Niro de 64kw. Comprado a 7 de Setembro de 2020, com 14.100km.

Responder

Voltar para “Truques e Dicas”