'96 Instrument panel lights are burnt out

[apell]

Hi there. The dashboard/instrument panel lights seem to be burnt out. At first, it was the one(s) on the left, which wasn't that big a deal, but now the one on the right, where the speedometer is, is gone. I made it go back on by tapping (hard) on the clear plastic cover, but I know that's not gonna work for long.
How hard is it to replace these and what bulbs do I need to get and how do I do it?
I really appreciate any help on this.
regards.
a

[toyotanos]

To change out the bulbs on an older camry like yours, you have to pull a couple of screws that are on the top of the speedo trim panel(black surround). Then, carefully pull the whole surround out (be CAREFUL!!!). There a some clips on the backside. You might also need to unplug the clock, if its on that same panel. Then, once that's out, you will see the speedo cluster. Use a phillips screwdriver to pull the 4 screws out. There are 2-4 plugs on the backside, but after those are out, pull the cluster out. Look on the backside, there will be a lot of bulb reatiners. The backlight ones are the largest ones. They use #194/168 bulbs with green covers. Get them at an auto parts store, up to $5 for 2. You need at most, 5, usually 4. If you can do that, you can save yourself a buch of cash. Just realize, many parts in the dash will be brittle and may crack! So be very careful and stop if you're not 100% confident. The labor a shop would charge is less than the price of that surround.

[CamryWilly]

to be more precise you need to remove the 2 screws over the speedo and then remove the 2 screws hidden behind the U-shaped panel around the radio...

But if you search a bit(I assure you it won't kill you) there's a DIY How-To with pictures on how to replace your dash lights and instrument cluster lights.

William

[toyotanos]

Thanks, I always forget those on these camrys.

[apell]

Thanks for the help. After reading these posts, I'm thinking I don't have the patience to do this. I can see me snapping something or shorting a panel.. I think I'll have the repair shop do it. THanks for the input.
a

[tacomonkey69]

i have a short that keeps making my dash lights fuse blow so i gave up on trying to find it and bought some reverse glow gauges off ebay.

[apell]

Well, that's idea, too. I'm hoping that the shop wil be able to fix the lights and they'll be good for another 12 years.
Thanks again.
a