I got the idea for swapping out the LEDs and putting in different colored ones from the myg37.com forums where guys were changing their start buttons to the red GTR ones and then someone found out that you could swap the LEDs on the circuit board and change the colors of the lettering. I mistakenly bought a G37 start button, the first time to do this mod, but only the button lit up and the car wouldn’t start, so I don’t think it’s compatible with the M37. I believe the EX37 start button should work, but I haven’t double checked the part numbers.
***Disclaimer: This is just a guide - I am not responsible for you messing up your car or making a giant mess. Please seek the help of a qualified mechanic or the dealer if this seems too difficult.***
Time: 0.5 -1 hour for removal and replacement of the new start button
2 – 3 hours or more to remove and resolder the new LEDs on the start button (the LEDs are very tiny), so unless you reflow solder/use solder paste and/or have a soldering rework station - this is going to be a time consuming, meticulous process. If you have giant gorilla hands and or poor fine motor dexterity/serious tremors, this could get a little frustrating - you might want to think about solder paste instead of conventional solder.
Tools/Supplies Needed:
For replacing the start button LEDs:
A. M37 Start button
B. (3) PLCC-2 SMD LEDs (I got mine from LighthouseLEDs.com – they had reasonable prices and shipped for like $5)
I used PLCC_2 SMD Ultra Bright 1210/3528 LEDs, SKU: 100053902 for the lettering above the start button (“LOCK”, “ACC”, and “ON”)
http://lighthouseleds.com/led-component ... 8-smd.html
C.The start button itself uses a smaller 0805 SMD
I used 1.8mm/2mm Round Top Blue LED – Ultra Bright instead of the 0805
http://lighthouseleds.com/led-component ... d-2mm.html
D. Very thin tip flat head screwdriver
E. Fine tip tweezers
F. Soldering Rework Station (this will make your life a whole lot easier for meticulous soldering work, especially if you plan on working with surface mount LEDs) A standard soldering iron without a replaceable tip is too big – you’ll probably burn up the board trying to desolder the original LEDs off the circuit board) You will need a fine tip soldering iron to desolder the old LEDs off the start button.
I knew I would probably goofing around with more SMDs, so I bought a rework station/soldering hot air gun off of Fleabay (model 968 DB+), it was under $100 – well worth it IMO. http://www.ebay.com/itm/968DB-110V-Rewo ... SwNSxVVbNM
G. Solder paste/Solder (you don’t have to use as high a temperature with a hot air gun and solder paste vs typical solder, so you have less of a chance of damaging the LED or board when putting the new LEDs on)
H. Desoldering wick
For removal of the start button from the car:
A. Phillips head screwdriver
B. Trim remover tool
Cost:
Used M37 button (off Fleabay) = $45.00
LEDs: $0.24 x 5 PLCC-2 LEDs + $0.18 x 5 round top LEDs + S&H ($2.99) = $ 5.09
Rework Station: = $99.00
Soldering paste: = $10.00
Desoldering wick: = $ 4.99
TOTAL = $164.08
Steps/Process:
The steps to do this mod are:
Modifying the used start button board with the new LEDs
Removing the old start button and replacing it with the modded start button board
***IMPORTANT*** Whenever doing any electrical work/messing with electrical connectors in your car, first disconnect the negative battery terminal before starting any electrical work.
A. Modifying the used start button board with new LEDs
1. Your start button may still have wires connected to the circuit board (brown wire connector)
2. Remove those wires by pushing in the small button on the brown connector
3. Remove the central start button cylinder from the outer ring (topped by the chrome trim ring) by gently pushing in on the tabs on either side of the cylinder
4. The black central start button cylinder can then be pushed out from the outer ring
5. Here is the central start button cylinder
6. Removal of the blue start button circuit board from the central button cylinder is tricky – you have to gently push up on the lower portion of the black plastic at the bottom of the outer part of the button, so that the blue tab on the circuit board will release – I have a small flathead screwdriver pushing up on the black plastic edge – and you can see I’ve cracked it down the middle.. YOU WILL MOST LIKELY CRACK the black plastic, trying to get the blue circuit board out. However, at that point you’ll be able to get one blue tab loose, which should make the tab on the other side easier to release. If you crack the black plastic, hopefully it's just one side - no biggie, the circuit board should still stay clicked in when you push it back in after modding it. Not sure if you break off both sides.... (Terrible design by Nissan – the plastic is too thin/weak.)
7. Remove the start button circuit board (blue) You’ll notice that the circuit board has a larger side and a smaller side – it will only fit back into the cylinder one way.
8. Turn the circuit board over and you will see the (4) LEDs you will need to desolder and replace. When you see the size of the LEDs, you will understand why a regular joe blow soldering iron won’t work here – their tips are too large and you’d probably fry the board trying to desolder them.
9. Here’s my circuit board after I desoldered the LEDs
**Notice the (3) LEDs across the top: they are the “LOCK”, “ACC” and “ON” lights.
**Number 4 LED is for the start button itself and is smaller.
**THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT (Yellow circles):
LEDs have polarity, so you have to solder them in the right direction or else they won’t work.
The yellow circles (you can see an arrow with a line drawn vertically at the point of the arrow) are the indicators for the direction of current flow for the circuit/LED
LED #1: the positive pole (anode) should be on the LEFT and the negative pole (cathode) should be towards the RIGHT
LED #2: orientation is the opposite direction of LED #1, positive pole should be on RIGHT and negative on LEFT
LED#3: is the same orientation as LED #2 (positive pole on RIGHT, negative on LEFT)
LED #4: is the same orientation as LED #2 (positive pole on RIGHT, negative on LEFT)
LED #1 is the only LED that should be oriented with the positive pole on the LEFT, and the negative on the RIGHT
10. Solder in your new LEDs. Here’s my sloppy solder job with the new LEDs
Again, I used PLCC-2 SMDs for the top LEDs and a round top LED that I had to really trim off the anode and cathode because they were much too long to fit in that spot (I wanted a really bright button light, so I elected to use the round top LED instead of the PLCC-2s. Not sure how bright a regular rectangular SMD would have been, oh well)
Top view
Side view
11. Replace the blue circuit board back into the black start button cylinder – putting it back in is waaaay easier than taking it out (“that’s what she said”-lol) Make sure that the flexible translucent piece is in place before clicking the circuit board back into place on the cylinder.
12. Alright, the really hard part is done. Now all you got to do is swap out your modified start button with the one in your ride.
B. Removing the old start button
1. I used TLoc’s instructions for removing the driver side lower dash panel to get access to the start button: how-to-install-fortin-remote-start-2012 ... 13141.html
2. If you gently pull down on the driver side lower dash panel, it will pop off. The side of the panel that the start button is on will have a small white connector that if you disconnect will give you even more room to get your hand behind the start button. You can see the connector I’m talking about dangling in the center of the photo.
3. Take your trim removal tool and wedge it under the chrome ring of the start button, while simultaneously pushing the start button apparatus from below. It’s a tight fit, but you will feel it start to loosen. The chrome trim ring might pop off, but that’s ok – just note that it only fits back on to the start button one way. There are tabs and notches in it that correspond to the start button cylinder.
4. The upper portion of the start button apparatus is cylindrical but about two-thirds of the way down, the entire button has a rectangular portion which doesn’t easily come out of the circular hole.
5. If you remember the steps from swapping the new LEDs, you can actually release the inner start button cylinder if enough of the button is exposed by pushing in on the two side tabs (See Part A, Step #3)
I about that and ended up twisting the whole start button apparatus and angling one corner of the rectangular portion and then the other, and finally managed to get more of the upper part of the button exposed so that I could release the inner cylinder. You can see the chrome trim ring is off too. I then released the inner cylinder and it came loose. Once that is out, there is a lot more room to maneuver the whole start button apparatus. Don’t forget to unclick the wire harness at the bottom to allow the inner cylinder to be removed. (See Part A, Step #2)
6. Swap your modified start button cylinder with the old.
7. Reattach the lower wire harness
8. You should reattach the negative terminal on the battery and test your work – hopefully everything lights up and the car starts!!! If not, you might have soldered your LEDs in the wrong direction or your replacement/used start button might be a dud
9. Push everything back into place and button up your lower dash panel
10. You’re DONE!! Enjoy the new LED color sweetness!!!
Craig
...this will probably work up to the current model year.
I bet this works for even the y50 M models, pretty much any Nissan with a pushbutton? 
I have a spare 06 M45 unit in my garage. When I get a chance I'll open it to see if the innards look the same.
