More cheap fixes: Rothenberg LCD Backlight

[Alex Kowalski]

Last in my string of cheap fixes (after the rear door lock rods for about $3.98 and the alcantara trim cleaning for about $0.25 worth of detergent) I've finally worked my way down to the last trivial problem the car had when I bought it:  The LCD backlight on the stereo head unit.

It's the Rothenberg 10-speaker system.  Not great, but it works, and it'll be OK until I can really spring for a modern sound system.  But the head unit backlight on mine was dead, rendering the LCD almost invisible.

Pop the stereo from the dash and disconnect it.  Gently pry off the top of the unit.  The LCD is backlit by two tiny incandescent bulbs plugged into a little printed circuit board mounted behind the panel.  You may be able to find these original, I went to Radio Shack and got two 6v 25ma subminiature lights, cut the leads down, and soldered them into place (this was the most time consuming part).  Only one problem:  Radio shack only had clear bulbs, the originals are red to match the rest of the dash lighting.  No problem:  directly in front of the bulbs is a thin plastic piece that sits behind the LCD and serves as a light diffuser.  Take a Sharpie red magic marker and paint this piece of plastic red.

Reassemble the radio and put it back in the dash.  Flip the switch and enjoy your newly backlit LCD.  Total cost: $3.50 for the bulbs, an extra buck if you don't have the Sharpie, and about 45 minutes to an hour of work.  

Now if I can just get #($&@ 4th gear to work the damn car will be near factory perfect.

Cheers,
Alex Kowalski
'87 5KCSTQ