Cadillac Fleetwood License Plate Bulb Size

Additional Notes

• The Cadillac Fleetwood license plate bulb specifications span 1965 to 1996, covering three distinct bulb types across that period: the 194, 97, and 67.
• The 194 is the most widely used bulb type across the Fleetwood's license plate fitment history, appearing in the 1973-1976 and 1978-1996 model years.
• The 194 is a T10 miniature wedge bulb rated at 12V and 3.78W, conforming to ANSI standards for the US and Canada. Its wedge base design means it requires no separate socket retainer, as the bulb body itself locks into the housing.
• The 97 is a single-filament bulb with a BA15s bayonet base, rated at 12V and 13W. It is described as a variant of the 1156, though at a significantly lower wattage than the standard 1156 rating of approximately 26.9W.
• The 67 shares the same BA15s bayonet base as the 97 and is also a single-filament bulb rated at 12V, but draws only 8W, making it the lowest-wattage option among the three types specified for the Fleetwood.
• The 1965-1970 Cadillac Fleetwood uses the 67 bulb for the license plate position, while the 1971-1972 models use the 97, representing a wattage increase between those two periods.
• Although the 97 and 67 share the same BA15s bayonet base, their wattage ratings differ, and substituting one for the other would result in a mismatch with the original electrical load specification for that model year.
• The 194 wedge base and the BA15s bayonet base used by the 97 and 67 are physically incompatible socket types, meaning bulbs from these two groups are not interchangeable without modification to the socket housing.
• The 1977 model year uses the 97 bulb, while the surrounding years 1976 and 1978 both use the 194, indicating that the 1977 fitment is not consistent with the broader 1973-1996 pattern of 194 usage.
• All three bulb types listed in the specifications conform to ANSI standards applicable in both the US and Canada.