Updated LED Interior Lighting Thread for 99+

[Doc3g]

**UPDATE** Please note that the battery light circuit is part of the charging circuit and if you replace it with an LED light you will most likely get a battery light that remains dimly lit all the time. I've also found reports of it interfering with the charging system and there doesn't seem to be any realistic way to add a resistor to the circuit, so the TLDR is to keep an incandescent in the battery light spot.

First of all, thanks to the many people who contributed to the existing threads. They were very helpful in the process. That said, they are a bit disorganized/incomplete and are missing some useful info. Rather than for the next person to dig through pages of posts to find the needed info, I figured I'd just post an updated thread.

1. To see how to get to the dash/gauge lights, please check out either of these threads, as they already do a good job on how to gain access to the parts:

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-...ash-bulbs-2000-limited.html?highlight=climate

LED Dash lights FAQs

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There seems to be some misinformation floating around about the bulb sizes and locations, and worse yet, most threads seem to be telling people the only way to get the lights seated correctly is trial and error (ie, plugging the cluster in and taking it out and turning lights around and repeating until you have them all working. I recently finished this process on my 99 SR5 and everything works flawlessly. I auditioned bulbs from SuperBright LED's, VLEDs, and Samsung bulbs from SuperLumination.com. Ultimately, the only bulbs that didn't leave hotspots were the VLEDs. I did ultimately use the blue super high power 1 watt from SuperLumination for my ECT and I used the superbright LED's for the floor shifter. For the really cramped places, only the superbright LED's and VLED's would fit. I also purchased the #24 bulbs that were recommended for gauge backlighting and they didn't fit anywhere.

So, here is your updated diagram and foolproof method of making sure the lights work (note, I used a small 12v battery that I picked up on amazon for ~20 bucks, but any 12-volt power source will work). Also, once you find the correct polarity on the bulbs, a small sharpie mark will make it super easy to install the rest in a hurry. Finally, make sure to install the bulb holders back in the correct direction, with the lettering readable when looking at the cluster with the turn signals at the top. If you had everything laid out it would be possible to knock this out in an hr. As a final note, for the vast majority of the lights, you could simply choose a white backlight and things will be their factory colors b/c there is a film over them.

<a href="https://imgur.com/kycmtgA"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/kycmtgAl.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

Additional bulbs:
- Map Lights: BA9S, which also go by #57 for some suppliers such as VLED (Note, VLEDs lists the map lights as 3175's, which is incorrect)
- Dome and Rear Cargo: 3175/3022 **Special note: it is wise to wrap a piece of tape or something similar around the rear cargo light when changing. The bulbs are known to spring up into the cavity and they will rattle around up there until you go insane.
- Accessory power plug ring light: This bulb is hard-wired into the housing, piece. If yours is burned out, the easiest option is a new one from the dealer unless you want to do some custom lighting.

<a href="https://imgur.com/QE2eMtb"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/QE2eMtbh.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/JTZtrMa"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/JTZtrMal.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/vDPylBj"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/vDPylBjl.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/rg93ukq"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/rg93ukql.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/zy0f2Dm"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/zy0f2Dml.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/hn74a9d"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/hn74a9dl.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/9Q5iY69"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/9Q5iY69l.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

<a href="https://imgur.com/9M0vXgu"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/9M0vXgul.png" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

 

[datsuyama]

Amazing!!

That looks fantastic, thank you for sharing your tips!

 

[Doc3g]

Thanks, I just realized there was a typo for #1, which is the airbag light, but I updated the image so everything should be accurate now.

 

[DreadPirateJon]

Wow, good work!
Am I right in thinking there is no low beam light?

 

[jgue467]

Attention Admins

This post qualifies, IMO, as Stickie material (Informational Threads?).

So tired of searching every time a bulb burns out for this info, make 2020 better!

OP - thanks for the time devoted to this & Happy Holidays everyone!

 

[Doc3g]

Wow, good work!
Am I right in thinking there is no low beam light?

Correct, at least on my 99', there is no low beam indicator light. I have run into a little snag however and I'm about to go test the fix. I hadn't started my truck after installing the cluster b/c I was doing some underhood work w/ an air raid intake. However, after I started it, the battery light was on; dim, but still on. So after some searching and a PM from another forum member, it seems that an LED for the battery light is a bad idea. The battery light is apparently part of the charging circuit and the low draw of the LED throws a wrench in the works.

I'm going to go pull my dash apart and throw a stock bulb back in there and if it fixes it, then I'll make sure to update the first post b/c this info would have been nice to know before I put everything back together :yell:

 

[DreadPirateJon]

Correct, at least on my 99', there is no low beam indicator light. I have run into a little snag however and I'm about to go test the fix. I hadn't started my truck after installing the cluster b/c I was doing some underhood work w/ an air raid intake. However, after I started it, the battery light was on; dim, but still on. So after some searching and a PM from another forum member, it seems that an LED for the battery light is a bad idea. The battery light is apparently part of the charging circuit and the low draw of the LED throws a wrench in the works.

I'm going to go pull my dash apart and throw a stock bulb back in there and if it fixes it, then I'll make sure to update the first post b/c this info would have been nice to know before I put everything back together :yell:

Would it be worth it to try and throw a resistor in there?

 

[Doc3g]

Would it be worth it to try and throw a resistor in there?

I don't see how you could b/c the circuit itself is printed on the board and the bulb holder screws in and makes contact. Anyway, it's not like I expect my battery light to get much use, so I stuck an incandescent in there and it did, in fact, fix the problem.

A couple of other things I noticed on the test run is that the Drive light is simply too bright. For now, I'm going to probably stick an incandescent back in there and then order a few other colors and try them out. Second, I realize that after all these years of driving I have become hardwired to recognize that bright blue light on my cluster as a sign that my high beams are on, so replacing my ECT light with a blue LED is making my brain hurt, so, it's going back to green.

 

[shadow247]

Any idea about the Auto Climate Control bulbs? I don't have any going out just yet, but I would like to change the color to BLUE to match the rest of the truck when I do this upgrade.

 

[G_Raw]

You sir are prepping and giving me knowledge base for lighting and electrical issues I need to take on after some more urgent pressing issues...So thank you

 

[Skulking]

Any idea about the Auto Climate Control bulbs? I don't have any going out just yet, but I would like to change the color to BLUE to match the rest of the truck when I do this upgrade.

Based on information and photos in this thread, the back light for the display should be two Neo 4mm bulbs, and the back lighting for the buttons under the display and the fan and temp knobs are two Neo 3mm bulbs. You can find pictures of disassembling the auto climate control in the second post of that thread.

 

[Doc3g]

Any idea about the Auto Climate Control bulbs? I don't have any going out just yet, but I would like to change the color to BLUE to match the rest of the truck when I do this upgrade.

I used NEO Wedge T3's in Green from VLED's and NEO 4mm from superbright in cool 6600. There are definitely hotspots that you can see w/ the bulbs from superbright. I plan to replace them w/ vleds and see if that helps, if not, I'm going to buy a couple sockets and try to add some more lights.

 

[Skulking]

I used NEO Wedge T3's in Green from VLED's and NEO 4mm from superbright in cool 6600. There are definitely hotspots that you can see w/ the bulbs from superbright. I plan to replace them w/ vleds and see if that helps, if not, I'm going to buy a couple sockets and try to add some more lights.

For the Neo 4's, VLED uses 2 LED's while superbright LED's only used one. Not sure if the second one will help eliminate hotspots since both are oriented the same direction. For the Neo 3's, they both just use 1 LED.

 

[Doc3g]

For the Neo 4's, VLED uses 2 LED's while superbright LED's only used one. Not sure if the second one will help eliminate hotspots since both are oriented the same direction. For the Neo 3's, they both just use 1 LED.

The number of LED's can certainly influence the hot spot, but I also think it has to due with the actual dispersion angle of the light. I know for the VLED T3's its 180 degrees, where the superbrights are 120 degrees. I already have the VLED T3's in now, so it is only the T4's that I'll be trying out, so we'll see how it turns out and I'll post a before and after comparison.

 

[stieg]

very nice write up, i remember when i did my swap (just the 3 backround in cluster, climate, and keyring/cig) using like 3 different pages to keep cross referencing after reading so many pages they blend together. though i need to replace my bulb for my cig light, i think i used that buld somewhere else, and when putting in the old bulb i broke it on accident and now it doesn't work at all. think that one was the same as the backround in the gauge if we wanna make this a master led thread.

Replacing my domes next time i get in the car. Did you use the Vled on the cluster? i feel like i dont have hotspots until its completely night then it kinda shows (or a picture really brings it out).

 

[rickashay]

Great post, bookmarked for future use and +1 vote for a sticky.

 

[Doc3g]

I added a few more bulbs to the list. I found out the hard way that VLED's lists the map lights as 3175, which they are not (though this is the correct bulb for the dome and rear cargo light). The correct map light bulb on the VLED site is listed under #57, which will bring up the BA(S base, which is the correct bulb (2 needed).

Also, as a heads up, VLED's is currently having a 20% off everything sale for the new year.

 

[LS-4Runner]

Great info, thank you for sharing.

 

[Devbot]

well wouldn't you know it, one of my buddies lives a stones throw from where vled is. Small world eh
Just curious, what color is that white? 5000k?

 

[Niteghost]

Thanks for putting this together. When installing the bulbs for the instrument cluster, which direction does the polarity go? If looking at the back where the bulbs go is the positive to the left or right?