Instrument Panel "Drive" Indicator Light

[mitch57]

My 2001 Toyota Camry has been a great car so far. But I knew the instrument panel gear shift "Drive" indicator light was eventually going to fail as I have seen it happen on many older Camrys.

How hard is it replace that bulb? Does anyone have the instructions on how to do it? Is it even worth it?

Thanks,

Mitch

[42GAMI]

first of all, let me say that im not farmilliar with the toy camry. with that said... is the "D" indicator on the dash or center console, idk, im assuming the dash.

is the light a bulb, or LED?

in either case, you will have to remove the insturment cluster to gain access to the rear of the cluster. if it is a bulb, its an easy change, if it is an LED, you may have to remove the dead LED and solder in a new one, that will require performing some electronic surgery on the cluster to gain access to the LED. dont forget, LED are one-way circuits so you have to know which way the juice flows. NOTE: LEDs have good longevity, they usually last for years.

theres a posibility that you might have a blown fuse or something instead, id check them 1st.

[mitch57]

Yes, it's in the dash/instrument panel. I don't know if it's an LED or a bulb but I would suspect it's a bulb since I have seen the burnt out light on numerous Camry models going back to the mid to late 90s. The light is a green square around the "D" on the instrument panel. The rest of the gears also have square rings around the drive gears. The "R" is a bright yellow. The green around the "D" is a faint green while the "2" and "1" are a brighter green I believe.

[42GAMI]

hmm, im thinking they are just bulbs rather than LEDs. toyota uses several different size bulbs. the bulbs are typically clear but the have a plastic slip cover that goes over them that is color specific, in you case green. i dont know if toyota stocks replacement bulb.

go down to your TOYOTA parts service center and tell them the issue. describe to them the exact problem with your bulb. they have a computer program with exploded views of just about every singe component in your car. he/she should be able to identify the correct replacement bulb and part number. the bulb of course is cheap, the labor is expensive as heck. DIY

if toyota doesnt stock the bulb, try looking for a cluster on ebay or at junkyards. if you still cant find one lmk. i might be able to get one from a junkyard in japan, my friend lives there and goes to the junkyards regularly. they junk cars in japan like we use toilet paper. it will take awhile to find and ship.

btw, did you check all your fuses? doesnt hurt.

[mitch57]

Originally Posted by 42GAMI

hmm, im thinking they are just bulbs rather than LEDs. toyota uses several different size bulbs. the bulbs are typically clear but the have a plastic slip cover that goes over them that is color specific, in you case green. i dont know if toyota stocks replacement bulb.

go down to your TOYOTA parts service center and tell them the issue. describe to them the exact problem with your bulb. they have a computer program with exploded views of just about every singe component in your car. he/she should be able to identify the correct replacement bulb and part number. the bulb of course is cheap, the labor is expensive as heck. DIY

if toyota doesnt stock the bulb, try looking for a cluster on ebay or at junkyards. if you still cant find one lmk. i might be able to get one from a junkyard in japan, my friend lives there and goes to the junkyards regularly. they junk cars in japan like we use toilet paper. it will take awhile to find and ship.

btw, did you check all your fuses? doesnt hurt.

I doubt it would be a fuse as the other lights (reverse, park, second, and first) work fine. I will be at the dealer tomorrow having some work done on my Tundra so I will check it out then.

I see that you are in the Air Force stationed in Honolulu. I retired from the Navy and spent my last seven years at Pearl. The first three were at COMNAVSURFGRU MIDPAC and the last four were at Afloat Training Group (ATG) MIDPAC. We lived in Halsey Terrace Housing. I sure miss Hawaii.

[42GAMI]

i miss hawaii too. 5 straight weeks of heavy rains, and flash floods. hard to enjoy the view when the whole state is overcast. my gf couldnt stand it, she just left for las vegas tonight.

i work at hickam, but not stationed here, im a local boy. i do contract flight management work for them. currently taking care of our brand new C-17s, those are some bad azz cargo planes. my pacaf boss still answers to pacom.

i hope yor dealer can help you with the bulb. it may be either a twist type or razor type. twist types only need about a 1/4 turn to r/r them. razor type are push pull like razor fuses.

removing the insturment cluster will be the fun part. this is what i had to remove for my 89t supra, im betting your camry will be similar.

1. steering column housing (tilt steering column down after removal)
2. center console (where the sterio is. disconnect wires for the cig lghtr and ashray)
3. under dash bezel (yours may or may not have one)
4. insturment cluster (do not remove the clear plastic fronting the cluster)
5. remove the cannon plugs from instr cluster (my supra had 3 plugs)
6. identify the suspect bulb on the rear of the instr panel (mostly IC boards)
7. r/r suspect bulb, replace green slip cover if needed (careful not to damage old slip cover)

8. reverse order put it all back together, voila!

post pics if you can so other TSrs can see too.

[hasan]

Hi all,
I've a question in the same subject. The instrument panel "D" indicator light in my camry 99 comes on some times and then will go off for a while, then I assume it is not from the fuse or wiring , can it be from the switch or the filament of the bulb? I can't think of anything else, could you please help me?
Thanks