The Car: 1992 Seville, 4.9L PFI

I want to replace the dome lamps in my Seville but I need guidance in removing them. They are ones right above each door that you can click in to activate. When I attempted to remove one of the clear lenses with a small screwdriver, I had no luck. Since most everything else in this car is just snapped into place, I figured the entire housing should be pryed from the headliner. When I attempted this, there was alot of popping and cracking noises being generated so I stopped. I didn't want to break the housings since finding new ones would be difficult. How exactly is one supposed to get into them to change the bulbs?

 

For anyone else removing the dome light, I figured it out and am posting to let you know how.

On the 2 lights in the front, the bottom and top centers of the housing cover have tabs snapped into the inner housing so just gently pry with a 1" putty knife and the cover will separate from the actual lens housing. The lens is held in the inner housing by a tab which you pop loose to flip it down and get to the bulb. I am referring to the chrome part of the lens housing, not the clear part. The clear part separates as well but you don't have to remove it to get the bulb out.

On the 2 rear lights, they are held up by 2 screws behind the O-Crap! handles. The lens housing flips down the same as the front ones do to get to the bulb.

NOTES: When you pop the tab to flip down the lens housing, the switch that turns them on is snapped to the upper side. These housings are 21 years old now and all of that bulb heat has made them quite brittle. Be very gentle as you start pulling the lens down because if the wiring is tucked up in the headliner it will snag and break the clips holding the switch on. Goodluck fixing that, when one of mine broke, I just jammed it in there as best I could and taped it down. I don't push click them on anyway.

Also if you are replacing with LED bulbs, the bulb you need is a 194 and it needs to be a sidefiring style or at least an inverted lens type. If you buy a focused lens or a single SMT front firing style, most of the light will be shining inside the housing which doesn't make it very bright. There is also not alot of room so it can't be much larger than a real 194 bulb. Definitely no tower style bulbs. I used one of the flat circuit boards with 4 SMT LEDS soldered to each side. Yeah the back 4 don't do anything but the other 4 that face the lens are very bright and crisp. Bought a 10 pack off ebay for less than $15 and also put them in the glove box, console shifter housing, & license plate lights. That size also fits the 2 front marker lamps.