Change dashboard bulbs?

[rabinny]

Does anyone know what kind of work I'm looking at if I want to change all the dashboard lights in my '94 Corolla DX to orange? I love that look and I can't stand the basic "white" color it has now.

[Ukrainian102]

You mean just in the instrument cluster (speedometer etc.) or the whole dash... like the heater and A/C control?

[rabinny]

Just the instrument panel.

[Ukrainian102]

Put your steering wheel in lowest position if you have tilt wheel.

First you remove the panel around the cluster. There are two screws at the top, then you pry off the bottom. Next you remove the cluster, there are 4 screws around the edges. Disconnect the three wires at the back of the cluster and pull it out. On the back of the cluster there are little black knobs for lights that should screw out, but I haven't gone that far. I have no idea where you'd get different colored bulbs though. Post pics of how it turns out!

[rabinny]

Nice, that doesn't sound so bad. I'm gonna give it a try probably this weekend. Thanks!!

[VooDoo]

if you're a cheapo (like i am), you can just add a few layers of orange colored celophane to where the 3 main peanut bulbs are (just make sure the cellophane doesn't touch the bulbs)... and you get something like this...




tried replacing the stock peanut bulbs with blue bulbs and it came out like this...



hope this helps.

[Ukrainian102]

Shit dude the blue is FRESH. What do you mean by peanut bulbs and where would I get blue bulbs to put in?

[rabinny]

Damn man, yea that blue looks sweet!!! I think I like the blue better. That is my exact dash too!! Awesome, thanks man.


Any more pics?

[Ukrainian102]

Yea could you put more pictures showing which bulbs need to be changed? I'm thinking of going with green cause I got green neon inside.

[VooDoo]

ill try to take a pic of the bulb... but there are three of them that need to be replaced. the blubs are the size of peanuts. i'm not sure if the "Reybrig" brand is available in your area.

[Ukrainian102]

I swapped in a cluster with a tachometer recently, but I didn't feel like taking it out of the car so I looked at the my old cluster that was lying in my room (the one with no tach).

Now this one has 4 peanut bulbs:



But when I take one out...



Surprise! It's already blue. All the peanut bulbs in the cluster without the tach are blue. I am also 100% sure that the bulbs in the cluster currently in my car are blue also. Now here's the weird part. The old cluster never shone blue, and neither does the one I recently swapped in. They both shine white like so:



What in the world is going on here?!

[homeguard]

it is just a thin blue cover you need to replace it with a real blue bulb

[thespud]

It is a blue tinge, that actually makes the white brighter and have more definition. Sort of like the Ultra White headlight lamps - they have a blue tinge, but come out white.

[VooDoo]

ey! that's what the bulb look like.

yup, the blue thing is just a "condom"... you can actually remove it to make the gauge cluster a bit brighter. you'd still need a real blue bulb to get the blue colored effect.

[Ukrainian102]

Ok so one last thing. So the bulbs come out of their little holder that screws in or when I buy new bulbs do they come with the holder?

Also, anywhere on the internet where I can buy bulbs like this, or do you think they'll be in a store like Autozone or Advance?