Replacement of Dash Lights

[S-mk3-B]

Sooo most of the bulbs in my dash are out or have barely any life in them, the only ones that are still working good are the bulbs that light up the total miles, the trip, and each needle. But besides that you can`t see anything. So yeah it kind of sucks driving at night, haha. So what i wanted to know is how to remove the dash and what bulbs will I need to buy. I know that there is a tutorial on the TSRM, but is there an easier way to approach it or steps one can skip? So any tips and advice from anyone that has undergone this procedure or to anyone the could give insight on this will be very helpful. Thanks!

[btwilson86]

Its been a long time since I've removed the gauge cluster, but from what I remember it's fairly straightforward. Remove the trim around the radio/climate control, remove the black bezel above the cluster, and I believe you remove the switches to the left of the steering wheel. Then tilt the steering wheel all the way down and telescope it all the way out. Remove all of the screws around the outside edge of the cluster, pull it free of the speedo cable, and remove the couple wiring harness plugs and you're out.

A couple tips, obviously with these cars getting up there in age, everything that's plastic is going to be brittle, so don't try to flex it too much. Also, removing the steering wheel is fairly easy, so if it looks like it may be in the way for you, go ahead and remove it. I've never had to use a steering wheel puller on a Supra, and I've removed 3 different steering wheels. I just used some screwdrivers for all of the plastic covers and a socket wrench for the nut that holds the wheel in place.

[interested!]

Originally Posted by S-mk3-B

Sooo most of the bulbs in my dash are out or have barely any life in them, the only ones that are still working good are the bulbs that light up the total miles, the trip, and each needle. But besides that you can`t see anything. So yeah it kind of sucks driving at night, haha. So what i wanted to know is how to remove the dash and what bulbs will I need to buy. I know that there is a tutorial on the TSRM, but is there an easier way to approach it or steps one can skip? So any tips and advice from anyone that has undergone this procedure or to anyone the could give insight on this will be very helpful. Thanks!

Hi! May sound silly , but you mentioned that " some of the lights have barely any life in them " which leads me to think that the reostat for night driving has been turned down making the lights dim . have you checked this first ? - just a thought! .

[cre]

This isn't the easiest thing to go by but it's probably clearer than any description I could try to put together right now.

http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Librar...spx?F=5501&P=1

S in a circle indicates a screw. If you don't see it then there's a panel on top which has to come off first. Common hangups:
1) Foglight/accessory panel comes out first, one screw (underneath) then pull firmly straight back toward you.
2) Ashtray, 4 screws to remove and the wiring to the light above the metal cover can be a bit of an annoyance.
3) There's a screw under the ignition which people miss often.

When reassembling do NOT over tighten or you WILL break plastic tabs and/or the cluster trim panel. You don't need to remove the lower kick panel (the one covering the steering column, etc.) but you do have to remove one or two screws (see #1 and #3).

[S-mk3-B]

Originally Posted by interested!

Hi! May sound silly , but you mentioned that " some of the lights have barely any life in them " which leads me to think that the reostat for night driving has been turned down making the lights dim . have you checked this first ? - just a thought! .

If your talking about the dimmer, then naw its not that. The dimmer works, and with it being on the highest brightness, its still dim...
Thanks for all the tips, and i`ll probably try this procedure out this coming week, and did you guys happen to know the bulb size?

[907mge]

The bulbs do dim over time. When I did mine I found that although the replacement bulbs were the right number they had been made slightly wider in diameter making them not fit back in. I don't know if this is for all bulb manufacturers or just what i used. I can probably make you a video of the cluster removal. I have a parts car I am working on taking apart now.

[S-mk3-B]

@907mge A video would be awesome if your willing to do one, but if you decide not to then its all good. And since the bulbs didn`t fit, what did you end up doing?

[btwilson86]

IIRC, the bulbs for most of the lights are 168's. I do remember that the oil pressure light has a smaller bulb, I couldn't source one locally (doing a red bulb swap) so I had to order it online

[907mge]

I ended up using a dremel to make the socket/holder a little bigger. The bulb would fit in the socket/holder but when you went to put it back in. It wouldn't twist and lock in. You could try getting the bulbs straight from toyota and see if they will work better.

[cre]

The regular bulb sizes are 194 and 74. The climate control and a couple of the accessory switches are T1 LEDs, the others use a socket-less 12v accessory bulb. The numeric display I originally changed by etching adapter boards and using my numeric display of choice up until a member on SM named Kai found the only manufacturer we've still been able to find who makes a pin compatible display which swaps right in (Kingbright.... common anode if I remember correctly.).

A friend of mine put together a great writeup on SM where you'll be able to come up with a complete count. http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?76463-Comprehensive-Lighting-Modification-Thread

There are a number of concerns with swapping to LEDs. The main issues are uneven lighting and your dimmer won't really work anymore. There are ways around this but it's a good deal of work.