S70 gear shift indicator light

paul w m · Post by **paul w m** » 04 Dec 2008, 07:54

1999 Volvo S-70
My gear shift indicator light located inside the centre console does not work anymore. I have:
a) no idea how to get to it
b) what the number of this bulb is
I am reasonbly handy. Can I do it myself or is too complicated; a job for the dealer?
Any help would be greatly appreciated
PWM Toronto,Canada

Post by **VCA** » 04 Dec 2008, 08:55

paul w m wrote:1999 Volvo S-70
My gear shift indicator light located inside the centre console does not work anymore. I have:
a) no idea how to get to it
b) what the number of this bulb is
I am reasonbly handy. Can I do it myself or is too complicated; a job for the dealer?
Any help would be greatly appreciated
PWM Toronto,Canada

Hi Paul, yes I think most anyone can do this job themselves. First, the bulb is Volvo 1363149.

Remove the console like this:

Block wheels, engage emergency brake, transmission in Neutral, Ignition off (putting the transmission in neutral gives you room to remove the console)
Pull emergency brake bezel (the cover in the console that the e-brake's leather boot is connected to) towards driver's seat until it is loose
Remove emergency brake cover and leather boot (they're one piece), pull leather boot off emergency brake
Disconnect two white electrical connectors now visible
Open center console storage area, remove plastic cover near front
Remove 2x 8mm hex screws
On either side of the console, pull gently from the bottom out near seam between console and dashboard, this disengages two clips that hold the plastic to the dash
Lift console out at an angle from the back and slide it towards the rear of the car

The bulb is in a holder on the bottom of the gearshifter console. If you have a hemostat or similar curved pliers, they are very useful. Pull down on the old bulb and it'll come out of the housing, replace with new, then insert the new bulb into the housing.

"Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly."

paul w m · Post by **paul w m** » 04 Dec 2008, 09:14

Thank you very much, I'll give it a shot!
Paul W M

Rob · Post by **Rob** » 17 Jul 2011, 14:49

Paul, these instructions are terrific. My local Volvo dealer had the bulb for under $10. The procedure took me about 30 minutes total. Why shift in the dark when the fix is so easy? Two notes: in addition to the two white electrical connectors, I also had a yellow one that needed to be disconnected. I suspect has to do with specific installed options. Also, when replacing the console, you may have to 'feel' for the slots in the dash to get a sense of where the console tabs need to slide in. Thanks for the tip, saving me great minor frustrations!

carthage · Post by **carthage** » 12 Aug 2011, 00:11

Hi VCA,
my volvo got the same problem and i googled your instruction. It is sooooooooooo great. I did it in <30 minutes.

thank you!!!!

kfk721 · Post by **kfk721** » 24 Oct 2012, 16:38

Thanks for the instructions! Bought the bulb at my local Volvo dealer for $8.82 + tax. Installed it in less than 30 minutes.
Note that the bulb part number changed from 1363149 to 30710781.

KPM171 · Post by **KPM171** » 29 Dec 2012, 20:06

Thank you for the fantastic write up! The only thing I would add is make sure you line up the tab at the front of the entire console when reassembling. The job was very simple, deff took less than 30 mins start to finish and only $12 for the bulb from my local dealership. Well worth the effort.

VCA wrote:Hi Paul, yes I think most anyone can do this job themselves. First, the bulb is Volvo 1363149.

Remove the console like this:

Block wheels, engage emergency brake, transmission in Neutral, Ignition off (putting the transmission in neutral gives you room to remove the console)

Pull emergency brake bezel (the cover in the console that the e-brake's leather boot is connected to) towards driver's seat until it is loose

Remove emergency brake cover and leather boot (they're one piece), pull leather boot off emergency brake

Disconnect two white electrical connectors now visible

Open center console storage area, remove plastic cover near front

Remove 2x 8mm hex screws

On either side of the console, pull gently from the bottom out near seam between console and dashboard, this disengages two clips that hold the plastic to the dash

Lift console out at an angle from the back and slide it towards the rear of the car
The bulb is in a holder on the bottom of the gearshifter console. If you have a hemostat or similar curved pliers, they are very useful. Pull down on the old bulb and it'll come out of the housing, replace with new, then insert the new bulb into the housing.

"Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly."

Post by **cn90** » 29 Dec 2012, 21:12

I wrote a short trick on Radio Shack bulb for 99 cents, threading it in through the 2 spade holes (after the burned bulb is removed):

More info here:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=14201

StijnC70 · Post by **StijnC70** » 19 Dec 2013, 14:13

I had to replace the light today in my C70 1998 AND in my C70 convertible 2004.
This post helped me a lot however, in the C70 one also has to loosen two bolts that are located UNDER the back seat...

If you don't, you will not be able to remove it.

scgator62 · Post by **scgator62** » 09 Jan 2014, 11:47

thanks for the quick tip, couldn't get the rear console to move, now I know about the 2 bolts under the rear seat.