How to pry off center instrument panel trim

[FrugalOne]

1997 Camry XLE. I'm trying to replace the light bulb behind the heater A/C knobs. I have successfully pried off 90% of the center instrument panel trim but can't get the part around the cigarette lighter (bottom, left hand corner) to come off. Is there something about the lighter assembly that needs to be unscrewed or unfastened? If I can answer any questions, let me know. Thanks.

[Mike Gerber]

If I'm remembering my 98 correctly and you are talking about the piece at the bottom nearest the console, you just put your fingers at the bottom near the outside of each side and pull outward. There is a clip on each side there that needs to break loose.

Mike

[whip_cracker]

A pic would be nice for further clarification..

[FrugalOne]

Thanks to both of you.

Mike:

I think the 1997 and 1998 models are in the same generation. Yes I think we're talking about the same spot: basically where the cigarette lighter is. It's very hard to grasp down there, to get any leverage, and of course I don't want to break anything.

In prying the top part out. I see two plastic clips at the top; one plastic/metal clip on each side of the panel surrounding the radio; one plastic/metal clip on each side of the panel surrouding the heat/A/C knobs.

But I am not yet able to see or determine what types of clips are on the bottom or where they are located.

Whip_Cracker:

I took a couple of photos but it does not appear that the free service allows me to upload photos.

[whip_cracker]

Originally Posted by FrugalOne

Thanks to both of you.

Mike:

I think the 1997 and 1998 models are in the same generation. Yes I think we're talking about the same spot: basically where the cigarette lighter is. It's very hard to grasp down there, to get any leverage, and of course I don't want to break anything.

In prying the top part out. I see two plastic clips at the top; one plastic/metal clip on each side of the panel surrounding the radio; one plastic/metal clip on each side of the panel surrouding the heat/A/C knobs.

But I am not yet able to see or determine what types of clips are on the bottom or where they are located.

Whip_Cracker:

I took a couple of photos but it does not appear that the free service allows me to upload photos.

Hey mate,

Use something like Photobucket to load the pics onto, then copy the img link onto a reply post here...

It sounds like you're talking about the u shaped bracket or similar to that.

[Mike Gerber]

"It's very hard to grasp down there, to get any leverage, and of course I don't want to break anything."

I was able to remove it at the bottom portion using just the first 2 fingers on each hand. Try one side at a time. Once one side breaks loose you will know how much pressure to apply on the other side.

Mike

[MIK1989]

Here is the link on how to do it:
DIY replace bulbs for leds, a/c console etc gen4

[FrugalOne]

Well, I've actually done it thanks in large part to Mike Gerber's advice on how to get the bottom part of the panel off. I took photos in case I could figure out the Photobucket process Whip Cracker was referring to but I don't think I could do any better than the link supplied by MIK1989. Those pics had arrow and pointers and everything! (And I am not familiar with Photobucket)

Here's a couple of tidbits that might prove helpful to anyone facing this task in the future:

1. The Heater/AC lamps are EWG203; Toyota part no. 90069-98004. You will need 2 of them and they are hard to find (or were for me). Luckily, I'm in a large enough city with 3 Toyota dealerships, but only one had 2 of them (of course the dealership across town.) I paid $4.17 apiece, although the guy said the MSRP is about $6.50.

I also found the EWG203 lamp on line from Mouser but while they were cheaper, shipping cost more than the bulb. http://www.mouser.com But since I had the whole unit taken apart, I was impatient to get the bulbs locally if possible.

2. My burnt out bulbs had little green rubber caps (another forum referred to them as mini-condoms). The bulbs I bought didn't have the caps so you need to take them off the burnt out bulbs and transfer them. I guess that mutes the brightness on the knobs.

3. To remove the faceplate to the heater unit to get to the bulbs, you will need to remove the three knobs as well as the knob to the vent arm. Be careful not to lose the thin little plastic/lucite arm inside the vent knob. I'm not sure how important it is to reattaching that knob; it seems to give it some stability.

4. FWIW, I also replaced the ashtray bulb. That was part no. 90981-14011 and cost me about $2.49. The guy acted as if that was a more common bulb to get ahold of.

5. I also found that to get the proper leverage on pulling out the bottom part of the panel trim, I turned on the car and put the gear shift into D-1. Just not a lot of room to maneuver between the gear shift in "PARK" and the panel. You'll also need the room when replacing the bulbs.

6. To get the panel trim completely off, you will need to remove two plugs from the cigarette lighter assembly, The top one you press a latch underneath and pull out. The other is a two prong, right-angled female plug you pull away from the male prongs. Pretty easy, even for me.

I hope these tips help and again my thanks to those who took the time to reply. It helped a lot.

[Mike Gerber]

"Well, I've actually done it thanks in large part to Mike Gerber's advice on how to get the bottom part of the panel off."

Glad I could help.

Mike

[MIK1989]

Just to clarify a little bit on point 3 in your description. When I tried to replace bulbs behind heater knobs I accidentally broke that plastic/lucite as you call it. So I realized that it's not only for stability, it's also for visibility at night, when you light up the panel and everything, so you could actually see where is the vent arm, because of the light going through it.

[FrugalOne]

A very good point, MIK. I'm wondering if I did it correctly because it doesn't seem to light up very well, although the rest of the panel looked great last night. Actually, the new lights coming through the knobs are how I could see the vent arm. I'll need to check further tonight.

By the way, I think I'd like to tackle the shifter light, the ignition light, the remote mirror light,basically the other lights on the dash which are out. Also, it appears that one of the lights behind the speedometer is going and if I have the dash apart, it seems prudent to replace all of the bulbs. The light(s) in the power window switches on the driver side arm is also out.

So, my first question is whether anyone knows the type or size of the bulbs I will need for those various lights; or a site I can go to to see a list. Unlike the heater, I don't think I can drive around with the dash apart to go look for bulbs. I've seen references to "74s" but don't know what kind of bulb that refers to. (As a reminder, I'm talking about a 1997 Camry XLE)

Secondly, are people substituting LEDs for the OEM bulbs? (LEDs are different from incandescents, right?)? If so, is there a "conversion" chart somewhere to which I can link? I've seen comments in other threads about "filing down " the base to get them to fit. Not sure I want to get into that.

Finally, can you point me to links with photos of how to remove the dash and window switch panel, similar to the link MIK provided for replacing the shifter bulbs?

Thanks to all for the continued assistance. If I need to start a different thread, please let me know.

[MIK1989]

Here are some links that could be useful for you:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t88355.html
**DIY** Colouring The Needles on Camry GEN4 **56K WARNING**

This one will help you identify the types of bulbs you'll need:
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProd...de/default.htm

[FrugalOne]

MIK1989:

What great links. They will be very helpful. I'll probably just replace with similar bulbs. Should last another 12 years. Looks like LEDs would be a little more problematic than I want to fool with.

Again, thanks to you and to all who replied.