What Filament Size Is This.

[footfistart]

Hi all just a quick question... I have bought an interior light from a ford mondeo which come with the map lights and I am wondering what size they are. He is a couple of pictures.

This is the filament inside the holder

And this is the bulb side by side with a capless 501.

Hope the pics help.

Many thanks

Ryan

[Stoney871]

BA9S

Sent from my S5

[footfistart]

Thanks for that. Would any others fit?

[Stoney871]

You can get LED ones of that configuration but I have found through experience that they don't seem to last very long.

Sent from my S5

[troy45]

You can get LED ones of that configuration but I have found through experience that they don't seem to last very long.

Sent from my S5

I swapped to similar with maplights for the rear courtesy light and got some LED's in there but can't say how long they last as I mainly use the centre lamp. Problem I had was the polarity of the LED's needed swapping before they'd work and it's not just a case of swapping connections round.

With a 501 capless it would have been simples just reversing the bulb, not so with the older bayonet type bulbs. But found some info on a Mondeo forum how to do it, bit of surgery needed but was doable if you're ok with a soldering iron :)

[Stoney871]

The ba9s bulbs, and the way they fit into the map lights are a total pain.

The space to rotate the lugs into a locking position is limited.

Also for some strange reason Ford courtesy lights are very sensitive to fiddling with and will blow a fuse if you remove a bulb while the wiring is connected.

As LED Bulbs are polarity specific you would have to disconnect the wires, swap bulbs over then reconnect the wires to test for correct polarity and then go through the whole routine again if polarity is incorrect.

Sent from my S5

[footfistart]

Don't last long?? I thought the idea of leds where meant to last longer than the car....

Well I don't fancy touching anything with an iron as I am NOT confident with wires and such like purely because I don't know what I'm doing. How would you install a rear one? Is wiring there for that also? Just a new roof liner?

Mechanically I'm ok being an aircraft mechanic curtainly helps there. Anyway.... I did think it was abit strange about that type of bulb which was why I asked.

My old one was a single 501. Same as my footwell areas. What I'll do is take it apart again and measure the height of the bulbs and see what I can do.

I may also get fragments of plastic mirrors to fit into the top of them to aid in the reflection of the light. I'll have to bare in mind of heat so may have to think of something else. I don't mind taking it apart every time as it takes five seconds to do. Leds are cheap enough on eBay. I had my old festoon from my fiesta and swapped that over and it works a treat.

What would any of you suggest to do?

[Stoney871]

Change the light for the one with ambient lights in.

Two little red led's shining onto the centre console and three T10 bulb holders instead of the festoon and ba9s's.

Not cheap to source but very flash ;)

Sent from my S5

[footfistart]

I would but they are expensive and hard to come by but I agree with you it would look pretty awesome but the mondeo has been bought and fitted. I'm happy with it just want led upgrades now to make it as bright as I can without being blinded :)