Cheap Del Sol dome light upgrade
This weekend i was bored and i noticed that my PC came with some extra 12v blue LED lights.
The interior light on my 97 del sol is almost useless so I decided to see if I could do an easy, free swap to an LED.
This is REALLY easy
First thing to do is to pop off the plastic cover and pull out the crappy little bulb.
Next thing I did was turn the light to ON position and then touched the LED wires to the terminals to figure out which went to which. (On mine the Green went on the driver side terminal)
PROTIP: Cover the screws and everything else inside the dome with electrical tape. I accidentally touched that screw and it fried one of my LEDs so be careful!
After this I just stripped the wires, wrapped them through the hole in the posts and then crimped them with my wire crimper.
Added some tin foil to make it focus downward more and electrical taped the LED into place where I wanted it.
It's about 700% brighter inside my car now.
The interior light on my 97 del sol is almost useless so I decided to see if I could do an easy, free swap to an LED.
This is REALLY easy
First thing to do is to pop off the plastic cover and pull out the crappy little bulb.
Next thing I did was turn the light to ON position and then touched the LED wires to the terminals to figure out which went to which. (On mine the Green went on the driver side terminal)
PROTIP: Cover the screws and everything else inside the dome with electrical tape. I accidentally touched that screw and it fried one of my LEDs so be careful!
After this I just stripped the wires, wrapped them through the hole in the posts and then crimped them with my wire crimper.
Added some tin foil to make it focus downward more and electrical taped the LED into place where I wanted it.
It's about 700% brighter inside my car now.
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Also, the light output in those pictures is horrible. A real, proper LED bulb would cost all of $5, and would give you 10 times the light output, and a more even light pattern.
Also, the light output in those pictures is horrible. A real, proper LED bulb would cost all of $5, and would give you 10 times the light output, and a more even light pattern.
where are coloured LED's purchased for this application ? i havent seen any local stores out here in my area ...
and the LED lights ive seen in the stores are of very cheap quality ...
i did this awhile back on my prelude ... with blue LED's i bought in a 4 pack at wal-mart ... they work great i wired 2 into the dome for extra light and brightness ... i didnt use tinfoil for added distribution of the light as i didnt need it ..
and ive already purchased another four pack to install into the dome light on my del sol i just picked up .. it is very easy to do this .. i used a different method tho however ...
i pulled the entire dome light assembly out and wired my lights into the wires behind the dome where it connects without disconnecting the original socket .. and inside the dome light i used a hot glue gun stick + lighter to attach the LED's in the position i wanted
havent had an issue with it and they work great .. with my spare LED's i pulled out the 2 heater vents on either side of my dash dremelled a hole and glued the LEDS in place and then ran the 2 led wires to a switch i purchased ... i placed the switch where i wanted it in my interior " hidden" and wired it all up to add a blue glow to my heater vents via the switch "so i can turn them off and on as i please" all turned out well and it gives it an added effect or option whenever you want to show it off
good write up and it is very simple i also prefer the blue lighting ... however im sure it would look cool red ... and brighter if you used white leds .. but of course thats to everyones individual taste ..
and the LED lights ive seen in the stores are of very cheap quality ...
i did this awhile back on my prelude ... with blue LED's i bought in a 4 pack at wal-mart ... they work great i wired 2 into the dome for extra light and brightness ... i didnt use tinfoil for added distribution of the light as i didnt need it ..
and ive already purchased another four pack to install into the dome light on my del sol i just picked up .. it is very easy to do this .. i used a different method tho however ...
i pulled the entire dome light assembly out and wired my lights into the wires behind the dome where it connects without disconnecting the original socket .. and inside the dome light i used a hot glue gun stick + lighter to attach the LED's in the position i wanted
havent had an issue with it and they work great .. with my spare LED's i pulled out the 2 heater vents on either side of my dash dremelled a hole and glued the LEDS in place and then ran the 2 led wires to a switch i purchased ... i placed the switch where i wanted it in my interior " hidden" and wired it all up to add a blue glow to my heater vents via the switch "so i can turn them off and on as i please" all turned out well and it gives it an added effect or option whenever you want to show it off
good write up and it is very simple i also prefer the blue lighting ... however im sure it would look cool red ... and brighter if you used white leds .. but of course thats to everyones individual taste ..
Bought a 48-panel LED on Amazon for a couple of bucks. Made a huge difference, all my friends freak out when they open my door of how good and bright it is. However, i don't think a 48-panel will fit in a del-sol dome light. Here's info on the bulb sizes, change the year if yours is a different year.
http://www.modifiedlife.com/1996-hon...-size-diagram/
Assuming it's a DE3022
http://www.modifiedlife.com/1996-hon...-size-diagram/
Assuming it's a DE3022
As mentioned above, LED sheet is the way to go, and a superior option for the money ($3-4). I've done these in a number of my Honda's with amazing results!


I am a HT sponsor and sell exactly what you need with a lifetime warranty and plug and play ANY color!!!! Email me LightsOnLEDs@gmail.com and check out www.facebook.com/LightsOnLEDs
I bet he isn't doing that
"Replace dome cover" was a given really.
I could have bought LEDs but like I said I had an extra laying around so I decided to install it for a free upgrade to the crappy little bulb in there.
The light output is actually really good, it is bright enough to find stuff that went into the foot wells and behind the seats. It's a small cockpit so it doesn't need a whole lot.
If you can buy a big strip go for it, but this thread is not for you. It's just a humble upgrade that is easy and can maybe give someone an idea or show where the "hot" connector is.
I could have bought LEDs but like I said I had an extra laying around so I decided to install it for a free upgrade to the crappy little bulb in there.
The light output is actually really good, it is bright enough to find stuff that went into the foot wells and behind the seats. It's a small cockpit so it doesn't need a whole lot.
If you can buy a big strip go for it, but this thread is not for you. It's just a humble upgrade that is easy and can maybe give someone an idea or show where the "hot" connector is.
Well I commend you for the free modification. What would be awesome would be lights under the dash, not that neon crap, but like just lights to illuminate the foot well and seats.
For example, the sides of the doors, or the sides of the dashboard, or even under the dash, and then another light behind the e-brake handle to illuminate the floor of the rear. Now that'd be functional.
For example, the sides of the doors, or the sides of the dashboard, or even under the dash, and then another light behind the e-brake handle to illuminate the floor of the rear. Now that'd be functional.
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lalatee
Honda Civic / Del Sol (1992 - 2000)
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Jul 1, 2008 11:21 AM




