Replacement AC Delco Bulb, Side View, w/Box
If you have a late '90's to mid 2000's Pontiac Delco radio whose display has gone dark but the radio still plays, there's a good chance that the bulb behind the display has burned out.
If the display is lit, but you're seeing gibberish where the numbers should be, you've got a much deeper problem, but if the display is dark, but you can see the proper numbers and letters very faintly when you shine a flashlight on it, it's more than likely a dead bulb and an easy fix.
There are a number of YouTube videos that show how to replace the bulb, including this one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWzXaPL8MgQ Unfortunately, there's no sound, and it doesn't make clear that the bulb doesn't screw out of the brown cylindrical base it's attached to; the whole assembly has to be taken out of the radio and replaced as one unit, which is available from certain GM dealers for 8 bucks and change. If your local GM dealer parts department doesn't have one, they can print out a list of dealers in the general vicinity that do. (In my case, the next closest one was 25 miles away.)
First, using a thin-bladed screwdriver, loosen the seven clips holding the front face of the radio to the body. Once you have it apart, the bulb assembly is mounted upside down on a horizontal circuit board sticking out from the left top of the front panel. Using a pair of needle-nose pliers, turn the bulb assembly a quarter turn using the slots provided in the base. Pop the old bulb out, put the new one in.
Two caveats; 1. The burned-out bulb may not have a visibly broken filament; in fact, a good and bad bulb, placed side-by-side, may look exactly the same.
2. My radio was a replacement that has had TheftLock deactivated. If you have TheftLock, make sure you have the unlock code for your radio before you remove it from the car to do anything. Here's a YouTube video w/instructions on how to do that: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AVQZk8-qs4&feature=relmfu
Replacement AC Delco Bulb, Side View, w/Box
If you have a late '90's to mid 2000's Pontiac Delco radio whose display has gone dark but the radio still plays, there's a good chance that the bulb behind the display has burned out.
If the display is lit, but you're seeing gibberish where the numbers should be, you've got a much deeper problem, but if the display is dark, but you can see the proper numbers and letters very faintly when you shine a flashlight on it, it's more than likely a dead bulb and an easy fix.
There are a number of YouTube videos that show how to replace the bulb, including this one: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWzXaPL8MgQ Unfortunately, there's no sound, and it doesn't make clear that the bulb doesn't screw out of the brown cylindrical base it's attached to; the whole assembly has to be taken out of the radio and replaced as one unit, which is available from certain GM dealers for 8 bucks and change. If your local GM dealer parts department doesn't have one, they can print out a list of dealers in the general vicinity that do. (In my case, the next closest one was 25 miles away.)
First, using a thin-bladed screwdriver, loosen the seven clips holding the front face of the radio to the body. Once you have it apart, the bulb assembly is mounted upside down on a horizontal circuit board sticking out from the left top of the front panel. Using a pair of needle-nose pliers, turn the bulb assembly a quarter turn using the slots provided in the base. Pop the old bulb out, put the new one in.
Two caveats; 1. The burned-out bulb may not have a visibly broken filament; in fact, a good and bad bulb, placed side-by-side, may look exactly the same.
2. My radio was a replacement that has had TheftLock deactivated. If you have TheftLock, make sure you have the unlock code for your radio before you remove it from the car to do anything. Here's a YouTube video w/instructions on how to do that: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AVQZk8-qs4&feature=relmfu