Tiny bulbs for buttons

[KensAudio]

So, I've searched and read postings on this site and others regarding dashboard lights. My issue is that in the three buttons to the left of the steering column (Fog Lights, Cruise control, Cargo Light), the buttons are not illuminated with the rest of the dash. They used to be. Now, I've taken off the trim etc, and gotten into the buttons and found the bulbs in question. They're tiny - about the size of a tic-tac, have a small plastic base less than 1/4" in diameter. I'm not sure if the base come with the bulb, or if the bulb comes out. The base inserts into the plastic button part, and locks with an 1/8 or 1/4 turn.

My issue is that I want to replace these, but I can't find them anywhere. Advance Auto doesn't have anything that small, the top 15-20 Subaru parts sites that come up on a Google search don't seem to have anything under 'lamp' or 'bulb' that looks like this, and the photos I do find online (e.g. eBay) don't have any sense of scale, so I can't tell if they're the right size.

Q1: Does anyone know if these are the same size/shape/type of bulb as are used for indicator lights in the dash?
Q2: Does anyone know the descriptive codes for this lamp? "Oh, it's a type )#%(!$#" or "you want a blah-blah lamp"
Q3: Does anyone know a part number(s) that I could take to my local Subie dealership?

Thanks.
- K

[hocrest]

You can get the bulbs without the base at radio shack. They look almost like a Christmas tree light, just the bulb with two thin wires. Unbend the wires from the base then replace and use small pliers to bend the new bulb wires into place.

[KensAudio]

You can get the bulbs without the base at radio shack. They look almost like a Christmas tree light, just the bulb with two thin wires. Unbend the wires from the base then replace and use small pliers to bend the new bulb wires into place.

Thank you immensely. That was perfect.
In case anyone else is looking, the bulb in question at Radio Shack is Catalog # 272-1092. To be specific, the bulb is:
12.0V
60 mA
Bulb Type T-1
Lamp Type 7219 (this is the number that appears prominently on the front of the package, along with "Micro Lamp"
Grand total: $1.99 (+tax) for a pair of them.
You'll find them in one of the parts slide-out drawers labeled "bulbs"
On Radio Shack's website, a search for "7219" got nothing; use the Cat # to search that way. It may be a bit of a chance if your local RS has these in stock; I took the last one from mine. So if you have far to go, I'd suggest calling first.

I'm attaching a pic I took of all the tiny bits one works with to make this swap. In the center of the pic is the dead bulb still in the grey plastic base. Then starting at the 9 o'clock position and working clockwise:
. (Black & Cream colored) this is the complete button for the Fog Lights. The two disc-shaped parts are the underside of two bases, with the bulbs pointing down into the housing. The lower one (from this point of view) is for lighting up the button icon or description (comes on with the dash lights). The Upper one is to indicate the device is ON. They're actually two slightly different shades of grey, but I can't see how that's relevant to the working of the unit.
. Above that (Black & Brown) is about 2/3 of my Cruise Control Button. This shows the metal contacts inside the button. Not much else.
. The Brown piece to the right of it is the other third. (at the 12 o'clock position) This piece will flip over top to bottom and mate with the other 2/3 by sliding down and snapping into place. In the lower left of this piece you can see an older-but-still-working bulb. When this flips over it will be on top and indicate that the CC is on. The bulb with base would slide into this piece from the underside, and rotate clockwise (from the underside's point of view) about 1/8 turn to secure it in place.
. In the upper right corner is my Gerber multitool, which I love. The small flathead is exposed, because that's what was useful in separating the 1/3 of the button (containing the two bulbs) from the other 2/3.
. Below that is a new bulb with long leads - next to the two leads that I'd trimmed off the bulb I already installed in the Fog Light button. N.B. when inserting the new bulb into the base, be sure NOT to twist the bulb. The two leads go through 2 holes in the bottom of the base; if the bulb is twisted, the leads will start to wrap around each other and short the circuit, never light up, and possibly draw more current than the circuit is designed for.
. Below the new bulb is the old one I'd taken out. The leads are short & wrinkly. The body of this bulb is a bit longer than that of the new bulbs. As it turns out, thankfully, it doesn't matter at all.
. Lastly are a couple hand tools: End cutters, useful to snip off the excess lead length, after wrapping the length I need around the bits of the base.
And the skinniest needle-nose pliers I have, for use in undoing the wrapping of the leads on the old bulb to extract it more easily.

I just tried the new bulbs in the car and the bulbs work just fine. They're even a bit brighter than the older OEM neighbor in the Cargo Light button. I'm betting it's because these are 12V bulbs, and possibly not designed to work with 13.8 volts from a running car. We'll see how long they last. Even if it isn't long, the cost and time to replace them again is certainly manageable.

[KzooBaja]

Good info!.... As the dealer does NOT sell those bulbs separately.... you must buy the entire switch to get one, or like me, I went to the junk yard!.....

Any info on the Heater Control Bulbs????

[Rizzo]

Using the info above, Two weeks ago I did this too.