My 1980 bus had upgraded tailights at some point. Right brake light went out enroute to a tune up. Thought I'd have them replace since I was there. Tune up guys did not have that bulb. Decided I am pretty lame if I can't fix at least that. Bad bulb is a GE 1665. Went to 4 auto parts places. They all tried to hand be a 22 something. I told them "It does not match what I am showing you". They ALL said the 1665 is obsolete or not available and the 22 works. So at the 4th place, I bought one. It fit in the hole, and lit up.
A week later I started up the bus and was waiting for temp and air to come up. Since the air brake was on, the brake lights were on. 10 minutes later I walked behind the bus to look for leaks and noticed new bulb looked brighter. A LOT brighter! Put my hand on the reflector and it was almost melting. Screw gunned the cover off quickly and grabbed the hot bulb with a leather glove. Bulb is all discolored. Filament in the bulb they all told me is "it" is much thicker. It worked when I replace it because I drove and then parked, but when kept ON for ten minutes it got way hot.
3 days of searching I THINK I have 4 GE 1665's coming from Zoro. Film at eleven.
So if the filament does not look exactly the same, don't let NAPA, Auto Zone etc etc let you burn your bus down.
https://www.bulbs.com/
Thanks Dave. Typed in GE 1665. Checked miniature bulbs as well and there are some that are close. Looks like no gots, but I will call them Monday. I think Zoro has some on the way. They looked right in the close up pictures of the filament. Leave it to me to not be able to even change a light bulb without problems.
Have you checked to see if Luke has them on the shelf?
Once again, just use leds from superbrightleds.com
Thanks Richard. Completely forgot about Luke!
They say denial is the first sign of Alzheimer's. I called two Prevost service guys I know and they did not have them. Did not think of Luke for a light bulb.
A light bulb. A light bulb! I feel like such an idiot. Tune in next week when I try to match pressure in all 6 of my tires!
Will check on superbright. Like the idea of an LED. Much cooler???
I had a 24v turn signal lamp go out on my trip home after buying my bus. Truck stop after truck stop had nothing (of course) until finally one had a connection at a coach shop in town that sent one over. After that Luke was my go to guy for things like this and I carry plenty of spares.
Ted -
With a quick search, it looks like the 1655 is a 24vdc bulb. Have you checked - is all your exterior lighting 24vdc? Time to get out the VOM?
Anyway, here's an LED bulb that might work for you, reasonably priced, too.
https://www.amazon.com/Melphan-Auto-Reverse-12V-24V-Parking-Interior/dp/B08YDTJW5J/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=24vdc+1156+LED+light+bulb&qid=1628381303&sr=8-4
FWIW & HTH. . . ;)
LEDs for the win. I don't think I've installed an incandescent bulb into anything for at least the past decade and I've never once regretted it. Whenever I touch a bulb on the bus, it turns LED.
LED bulbs are nice, but they don't play well with every bus's turn signals. They also don't work in every lamp - if the reflector doesn't like the position of the LED element they can actually be dimmer than the incandescent.
That said, once I got good bulbs in my bus and clean sockets I have had no need to change any bulbs. The incandescent work fine and I don't see a reason to futz with getting LED bulbs to work with the signals.
you may have luck on ebay. lot of nos for sale on there.
Thanks for all the ides. Will call Luke if the ones Zoro sends are not exactly "it". My friend with a 4106 tried LED and he said it was so bright it looked like he was driving with his brakes on all the time. Like all things on this old bus, I have much to learn Grasshoppa, but if I try to keep it "fun" instead of always thinking...REALLY!!! It will go better.
But you would think a tailight would not be this difficult.
Again thanks for so many helpful ideas and solutions.
Ta daaaa
FEDEX on a Sunday with a big truck, just brought me 4 lightbulbs. Genuine GE and exactly correct GE 1665, in case anyone else needs them. Zoro overpadded them and they were not expensive.
Glad my Niece is not here. She hates the 3 day delivery on everything now. Bad for the planet and everything.... Even my mailman sometimes delivers on Sundays for extra $. He says last week he drove 35 minutes to a house to deliver a pair of socks! I'm not an enviro nazi, but I didn't need these bulbs in 3 days? Rita says competition and all that rot.
Sorry. Snap out of philosophy mode ted and be happy about the bulbs. Still very curious about LED and will still learn about it, but for now, in getting ready for Loudonville Ohio, will run with bulbs the bus likes. Thanks again for the help gents.
leds come in different lumens to closely match desired brightness. Superbrightleds and a couple other bigger outfits have different ones, and many anymore are rated from 12 to 30 volts.
I always use Bulbs.com because they are cheaper than most, no shipping charge, 3 days or less delivery and they always have all the bulbs on one site 12 or 24volt. :^
Cheaper isn't always better. Some of the import bulbs are so poorly made that they'll twist apart the first time you go to install them. Not saying that they're all bad, but I'd rather pay a few cents more to buy from someone like Luke that knows he's got something that will last.
I used to think that way too before retirement now there's too much month left at the end of the money! Inflation has a fixed income thinking more frugal then the cash flow years... I'll say this - even in the income years when I purchased crew tools - I could buy a dozen HF side grinders for example for the cost of one Milwaukee. One drop from heights & the tool is done - guess which one I bought... ;)
find nos on ebay.
Quote from: dtcerrato on August 11, 2021, 04:10:54 PM
I used to think that way too before retirement now there's too much month left at the end of the money! Inflation has a fixed income thinking more frugal then the cash flow years... I'll say this - even in the income years when I purchased crew tools - I could buy a dozen HF side grinders for example for the cost of one Milwaukee. One drop from heights & the tool is done - guess which one I bought... ;)
I hear you Dan, but some things are important enough to me to get the good stuff. Electrical components are on that list. I've seen some cheaper components which just weren't up to the task and could be a fire hazard, such as crimp on terminals without enough metal to actually hold a crimp. Same for bulbs which have the glass spin in the base because they weren't fastened properly. Things like bulbs and wire terminals don't add that much to the budget, even with the good stuff.
Getting close to time for me to stock up on angle grinders again. I like to keep at least 4 of them on the bench. One with a zip blade, maybe 2 with flapper wheels, and one with a wire brush, and then if I have an extra, put a hard wheel on that one. Saves a lot of time and if I can buy them for $20 each it makes sense.
Jim
Quote from: richard5933 on August 11, 2021, 06:25:13 AM
Cheaper isn't always better. Some of the import bulbs are so poorly made that they'll twist apart the first time you go to install them. Not saying that they're all bad, but I'd rather pay a few cents more to buy from someone like Luke that knows he's got something that will last.
These are good bulbs Richard they are G.E.'s and the like.
I like Luke too but for we west coasters it take a while to get things and the price is high for shipping.
Same here Dan I did a lot of tile and grout work over the years and those grinders would load up with sand etc. We would just take them back and they give you a new one. I had three in my truck at all times, LOL
Richard its funny how you put down the bulbs I suggested without even knowing what they were but in your mind Luke would be better. Your a funny guy sometimes. Way to much time on your hands.
Quote from: Dave5Cs on August 11, 2021, 07:14:50 PM
...Richard its funny how you put down the bulbs I suggested without even knowing what they were but in your mind Luke would be better. Your a funny guy sometimes. Way to much time on your hands.
If you read what I wrote, it wasn't a comment specifically about the bulbs you got at all. I even said not all imported bulbs are bad. It was more a general warning about going for the cheaper (usually imported) bulbs which are often of unknown quality and not name brands.
Why do I recommend Luke's items so often? He knows how we're using them, knows what we expect, and generally speaking will source out items which will actually do the job even if they cost a little more.
Having bought more than a few bulbs in the process of owning two buses and a lot of vintage cars, I stand behind my advice to use caution when trying to save money on electrical components, whether bulbs or other items like terminals.
We purchased two ultraviolet sterilization pond lights. Name brand were over a $100 a pop we ordered the two from China - took awhile to get here and both were under $32 and are running fine. In our metal gang box on the top shelf when tou open it are six side grinders with a variety of cutting & grinding blades & wire wheels & cones - no changing needed - just grab & do...
Quote from: dtcerrato on August 12, 2021, 07:41:48 AM
We purchased two ultraviolet sterilization pond lights. Name brand were over a $100 a pop we ordered the two from China - took awhile to get here and both were under $32 and are running fine. In our metal gang box on the top shelf when tou open it are six side grinders with a variety of cutting & grinding blades & wire wheels & cones - no changing needed - just grab & do...
Dan - there's no need to prove to me that there are quality items coming from China, just like there's no need for me to prove that some no-name imported items are junk. We both know that it's possible for both to be true.
All I was saying was that with things like electrical components it's important to use a quality item. In my experience name brand items deliver that more often than not, as does buying from a reputable dealer like Luke.
I'm all in favor of saving a buck when possible, but I think that there are times when it's possible to be penny wise and pound foolish.
With electrical connectors you should always use the best you can get any time you plan to keep the vehicle. If at all possible always use gas sealed connectors and cross link insulated wires as they are now proven to have a decades old life expectancy. Do everything possible to exclude air from the conductors. Air contains oxygen and oxygen corrodes nearly all metals. Corrosion is your enemy. As for bulbs, advances have been made in bulb connectors and if you can take advantage of those reliability goes up. However it is still possible to grease up the contacts with something like this product:
https://rrtools.com/product/no-ox/
Which will improve reliability considerably by both keeping the air out and deoxidizing the contacts.
Jim
Quote from Richard,"It was more a general warning about going for the cheaper (usually imported) bulbs which are often of unknown quality and not name brands."
Thanks Richard but I really don't need or want your advice every time I make a suggestion. It is only from something that worked for me and might work for someone else. Like Dan I must watch the end of the month also and do look for good quality but also price and free shipping when possible.
C'mon man! Aren't all bulbs created equal? ::) like engine oil right? :)
Quote from: Dave5Cs on August 12, 2021, 01:33:00 PM
Quote from Richard, It was more a general warning about going for the cheaper (usually imported) bulbs which are often of unknown quality and not name brands.
Thanks Richard but I really don't need or want your advice every time I make a suggestion. It is only from something that worked for me and might work for someone else. Like Dan I must watch the end of the month also and do look for good quality but also price and free shipping when possible.
Not sure how to respond here...
I thought that this was an interactive forum. Get the feeling I'm being told to sit back and shut up. How long does one need to be on this forum to be allowed to comment about what others post?
Not at all I gave my suggestion on the Bulbs I buy because of what has worked for me. That didn't involve you. I was responding to the thread poster.
You have every right to respond also not a problem. But when you had said that he should try Luke that was your response and then I responded not putting down your's but explaining why I use them and you proceeded to give me advice and tell me again about Luke as you always do. I explained why I don't use him much because it cost to much to send across the country thats all.
Again not a problem except it had already been said and then you explained to me why I was wrong. Just sayin.
Hey Van like old times eh, LOL Van if you stop those leaks you wouldn't have the oil problem , Kidding. :^