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Disassembling turn signals

Hi all!

A couple of weeks ago my mother bought a Miata after having envied me for 4½ years.

I went to her place today to install daytime running lights so she wouldn't have to have the barn doors open whenever she went for a ride.

Due to local regulations I decided to go for a solution where I install DRL where the front turn signals are, and moved the turn signal to the outer sockets (unused in North American cars). Sort of like Keith's setup:

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Now, the problem is that we can't have orange DRL's. So I seemed to remember a couple of ways to remove the orange insert from the turn signal assemblies:

1) Heat assemblies on low heat in oven, and pull assemblies apart (heat makes the glue managable).

2) Break orange insert with a screw driver through the lamp hole in the back.

Well ... (1) didn't work. I could get the thing opened. I then thought that (2) would be fool proof, but the darn thing wouldn't break.

Any tips?

Reply to
Per K. Nielsen
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You didn't mention the year, but often you can find used assemblies from eBay. You can also search the market for third-party suppliers of custom lights.

Sorry to hear that this was such a hassle. My '97 uses standard amber 1157 bulbs for the parking/turn signal lights, and I did the DRL conversion, added the outer socket lights, and installed a simple piezo buzzer between the DRL and previous parking light wire to act as a "headlight minder". The entire job took about 1.5 hours, less than $20 American, and was worth every minute and penny.

Mike "Red '97" Verive snipped-for-privacy@mverive.com

Reply to
Michael Verive

But have you managed to remove the amber inserts from the turn signal assemblies?

Reply to
Per K. Nielsen

I had tried 75 degrees celcius as found on the web somwhere.

120 degrees celcius did the trick. Amber inserts removed.
Reply to
Per K. Nielsen

PKN,

Mine doesn't have amber inserts, but uses amber bulbs instead. Might be a US thing, but I don't know (I'm sure Leon, Lanny, Dana, or someone else well-versed in Miatae will fill in the details).

Mike "Red '97" Verive snipped-for-privacy@mverive.com

Reply to
Michael Verive

NO, color parts in mine. My 1991 Miata has clear "parking lights" TOO. What year? (do you have?)

Bruce RED '91

Reply to
BRUCE HASKIN

Mine's a 94 - my mother has a 91.

The original setup of the assembly in Europe is turn signals in the middle (21w) and parking lights in the outer parts (5w).

This, I believe, is the same as in the US.

The middle (larger) part of the assembly has amber (orange) inserts, and take a white bulb. The outer parts have no amber inserts, but aren't used on US models. In Europe they are used for parking lights.

My plan was to move the turn signals to the parking lights place and use the original turn signal spot (middle, large) for (white) DRL's. This required me to remove the amber inserts.

Did this clear things up?

Reply to
Per K. Nielsen

My US '97 doesn't have the amber inserts, so you may be able to get used US parking light assemblies on eBay or other sites, or from some of the usual sources previously mentioned.

Mike "Red '97" Verive snipped-for-privacy@mverive.com

Reply to
Michael Verive

Go to Miata.net! I see them in the classifides all the time. About $35 to $65 "US".

Bruce RED '91

Reply to
BRUCE HASKIN

It appears North American models din't have the orange inserts. This is one difference I don't understand, though.

Reply to
Per K. Nielsen

Amber bulbs are readily available here; is that the case there?

Reply to
John McClary

I can't speak for all of Denmark, let alone all of Europe, but they are easy to get where I live.

Reply to
Per K. Nielsen

They're quite plentiful in the USA.

Mike Verive

Reply to
Michael Verive

Sorry, probably should have indicated that I'm in the U.S. too.

I was trying to determine if the reason the European lamps have amber inserts and the U.S. ones don't had anything to do with a difference in the availability of amber bulbs, but apparently that's not it. Maybe something to do with lighting laws...

John McClary ('94 Miata, Arizona, USA) jsgmcclary at cox dot net

Reply to
John McClary

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