[Hinsonite]

Hey everyone, my gear indicator backlight recently went out on my 91 Camry. I’m wondering how to replace it or if anyone has info on how to access behind that to replace it. I’d also like to replace the face of gear indicator as it’s all cracked if that’s even possible.

 

[swegmike]

Both are replaceable. Bulb is 154 or 194 more bright. The acrylic shift lens dries and cracks over time. It’s discontinued. So I made my own replacement for my Camry and corolla shift lens last year by photoshopping them and giving a graphics shop the images and plastic in which they printed on adhesive vinyl and had the cutting machines to cut the plastic to fit the housing. The graphics shop does body wraps with graphics for vehicles and a lot of small and large company advertising stuff using the printers and cutters. Their manchines are impressively big vs the tshirt or coffee mug graphics shops. So during COVID lock down they had time and were willing to do my $300 job based on their labor rates.

The graphics file formats their machines use is vector graphics where the cutting machine is a pen plotter but instead of a pen it is a knife blade like exacto or utility knife blade. The printer are very large scale HP laser printers since inkjet ink will smear on the plastic vinyl but laser melts it into the plastic vinyl. Their equip could be joined together when multiple machines are connected. The one 10ft printer joined together with others to act as one can create printouts on large vinyl rolls that are room size that can be attached to billboards and buildings or cars etc.
The plastic sheet I gave them from Amazon was only one square foot. I gave them a second one as a test sheet just in case they needed it.

Be aware that Microsoft’s paint can be used to cleanup the shift gear image but when saved it changes the scaling. Thus use photoshop to retain scaling of image. You can find free vector graphics or illustrator to convert image png/jpg to vector graphics format for the machines to use.

 

[swegmike]

So you’ll need to take the center console that covers the gearshift housing off. The dealership should give you exploded diagram that shows the screw locations etc to remove the housing. Then you’ll see the other Phillips screws to remove to shift gear shift housing with lense to get access to light bulb socket to change bulb.

 

[white90dx]

Yup, center console has to come out/up to replace the bulb(s) there.

• remove center console lid (visible screws when open)
• remove center console base (visible screws)
• remove e-brake storage plate (pull up, can't remember if from the front or back)
• remove screws from each side (slide seats back, 3 or 4 each side
• lift whole console up from the rear

If you want to completely remove the whole console, you need to unbolt the shoulder belts from the top and pull them back through the holes after the trim panels are popped off.

Or drive a manual trans and you won't have any lights down there.

-Charlie