mdmellott wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 29, 2019 1:13 pm

I have a different climate control panel on my '02 Pathfinder than you have on your QX4 but I did have a burned out bulb issue on my A/C on and recirculate buttons. I had to carefully take apart the button switches to replace the bulbs, which I bought from Radio Shack years ago before they closed their doors. Those bulbs were just like these from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Eiko-7219-5-7219 ... =8-47&th=1
They are very inexpensive, at about a buck each, but it is a bit of a pain to carefully disassemble the panel and switches to replace them. By the looks of your control panel, you would have to disassemble it anyways to discover where the bulbs are hiding and if the one I reference is correct.

mdmellott wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 29, 2019 8:21 pm

Yep. Just cut off the excess. It was about five years ago when I replaced mine so I'm a little foggy on how they attached in the socket that holds then in place. I do not remember having to solder them in place. I do remember it being very easy and obvious to replace them once I got the switch button taken apart to access the burned out bulb and I remember almost the entire length of the replacement bulb lead lengths were cut off after connecting them to the bulb socket. Yours may be different but there is a good chance it's the same connection type.

born2lse wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:22 pm

How can you tell if someone's an engineer?
Dont worry, they'll tell you.

mdmellott wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 31, 2019 12:38 am

I had to remove the a/c unit and carefully take it apart in order to get to the button switches to remove them from the unit and then carefully take those apart to get to the bulbs. I use the word "carefully" because I can't think of a better term to use for taking apart something that was never meant to be taken apart. I seem to recall now that I may of actually had to use superglue on one of the switches when I put it back together because I wasn't as careful as I should have been taking apart the first switch. I remember cracking some tiny plastic piece before I figured out how to disassemble it. The second switch was easier once I learned from my mistake and it came apart and snapped back together without any issues. This is tedious bench work and requires patience and tiny tools. I work as an electrical/mechanical engineer and technician so I'm kind of use to this sort of thing.

mdmellott wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 31, 2019 3:14 pm

born2lse wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 31, 2019 2:22 pm

How can you tell if someone's an engineer?
Dont worry, they'll tell you.

It's just a job title. No degree. I prefer glorified grease monkey but you really missed the point of how this task is not usually done unless you're willing to spend the time to figure it out and take the risk, for what it's worth.

RoyDaGeneral wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:48 pm

mdmellott wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 31, 2019 12:38 am

I had to remove the a/c unit and carefully take it apart in order to get to the button switches to remove them from the unit and then carefully take those apart to get to the bulbs. I use the word "carefully" because I can't think of a better term to use for taking apart something that was never meant to be taken apart. I seem to recall now that I may of actually had to use superglue on one of the switches when I put it back together because I wasn't as careful as I should have been taking apart the first switch. I remember cracking some tiny plastic piece before I figured out how to disassemble it. The second switch was easier once I learned from my mistake and it came apart and snapped back together without any issues. This is tedious bench work and requires patience and tiny tools. I work as an electrical/mechanical engineer and technician so I'm kind of use to this sort of thing.

I certainly appreciate your diligence and your input here. Believe it or not, today I got notification that a QX4 was at my local junk yard. So, I went and removed the climate control unit, paid $30 and took it apart, which was much simpler than what you had to go thru. There are 4 tiny bulbs in their sockets that light up that unit and they're embedded in the circuit board. Fortunately they are all good, so I just swapped them with my original unit dead bulbs, and will keep this unit as a spare.