Check out this guide from vid...maybe it will help you.

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/vids-guide-to-lighted-flipper-buttons-for-418

Yep, if you do decide to do it don't buy a kit, follow the advice in Vids thread to do it for only a few by bucks. Could look nice on a surf champ if you stuck with the color scheme and didn't go red or something.

I have done it on late 70's Gotts-including the start button since its the same translucent flipper button. Looks pretty cool with all three lit up. I used conventional bulb sockets and used incandescent bulbs due to the lack of 'retro' LEDs at the time, but would try them out. I have another one in the winter cue, will likely go there again. I often do some minor reverse-able 'mod' like this on most games I restore.

That is a great idea of just using the flex LED. Now I am going to have to updated all my System 11 games.

like a light blue or turquoise, yellow, or clear.

I have used vid's method several times. I've also used the cointaker kit. I hate to say it, but vid's method is so much better than the cointaker kits, all around.

I did find I wasn't a fan of light leak around the sides of the apron, so I took care of it with this:

http://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/lighted-flipper-button-shield

Cool stuff, I missed that original thread of yours.

Use clear buttons and the LED color you can always change with Vid's method.

Pinballife has clear:

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=1692

I got a free kit from Cointaker on the promo. I put it on my Tron, and it looks pretty cool. I hate the feel though. They feel very different than any other game I have. Are the pinball Life buttons any different?

I have clear buttons from pinball life on F-14, and regular old red ones on the Taxi next to it, I have never noticed a difference when I go between the two.

I bought the cointakers premade ones, I ended up switching them all out to vids method. It was soooo much better.

Did you just swap out the buttons or change out the whole thing?

So, I think I ran into the same thing with my kit from cointaker. I did a ton of googling and came across a thread about the same thing. Take a look at the buttons you got from cointaker, I think the little o-ring is missing from them. Look at your old buttons, they should have an o-ring on the plunger part that you can move over to the new cointaker buttons.

That fixed it for me.