Lights in the center console

Lights in the center console

Anyone got any ideas how to open the center console? I wish to change the green LEDs to red. Also, do you know which LEDs are these and where to get the red ones?

They are not LEDs

The green lights are regular incandescent bulbs, not LEDs. See the DIY regarding daytime running lights - that will tell you how to remove the console around the shift lever. Then remove the center control (fan speed control) from the A/C panel and remove the screw. Pull out the trim from around the A/C controls. You're there.

green LEDs? or lites what ever it is...i dont have any green lights hmMmm

well when u turn on ur interior lights... the gauge cluster is red/white.... and the center console is?.... GREEN:!:

Re: They are not LEDs

The screws underneath the shift lever have nothing to do with the A/C panel (center console). :?

Can anyone please tell me how do i get in there.

You are correct, the screws under the shift lever trim have nothing to do with the center console.

1) Get the trim out from around the shift lever
2) Remove the center dial on the A/C console - just pull it straight out - and remove the screw behind it.
3) Pull the trim off around the A/C controls - start by pulling out at the bottom.

Not sure what you mean by (3)...could you explain in a bit more detail.

Once you've got that center screw removed the only thing holding in the center concole trim is 4 clips. Just pull the trim straight out.

What are the advantages of having the green rubber on the LEDs/Lights? Is it there just for the 'green' colour? Are there any down sides if u remove the green rubber?

the green rubber looks like a condom without a tip...hahahhaha

the green rubber just makes the light green. there's nothing special about it. removing the green rubber makes the light look a cheapy yellow. I broke one bulb...so I dunno how to replace it other than the dealer. I wanted a white LED but there's no housing that will fit. if anyone has luck...POST!

Hey there! If I was you i wouldn't worry about changing the bulbs in the center console unless it is an absolute must. In order to pull out the center console you need to remove the A/C control knob (just pull it out). Then you have to unscrew it in order to get it out. Pull it out towards you (if may be a little hesistant, but that's just the clips holding it in). It wasn't a lot of trouble to get it loose, but the bulbs are kind of in the back of the console, and hard to reach. I got my console out to where I could reach them, but it was just too hard. Plus, it's very easy to break one of the clips when you are putting your console back in. I broke one of mine by not setting it in perfectly straight, and had to go to the Toyota dealer, and get it fixed. To me it's just not worth all the hassle to change something so little. It just may cause more trouble than it's worth. Good luck though if you're gonna do it!

You can usually by colored sheaths, or make your own, or paint your bulb with glass paint...

where can I buy "colored sheaths" from?

Shiet I couldnt find the site and cant remember... Dont u jus hate that... It was some import parts website... But otherwise you could buy glass paint and mayb use tht? Ill try and find those sheaths...

if you could find those ...that would be great.

You cant just use glass paint and use that..it has to be heat resistant...and that is hard to find and quite expensive.

Hope to hear from you.

Hey, I was wondering if any one knew how to get to the light that lights the gauges :?: I would love to change it's color.

Autozone has some of those colored light covers you guys are talkign about.

The lights for the gauges are LEDs soldered to a circuit board. LEDs pretty much last forever, so they weren't designed to be easily replaced. The lights behind the a/c controls can be replaced though, just remove the center a/c knob, and the trim around the shifter and remove the 3 screws.

Aren't the lights within the center console LED's too, but covered with a green condom or something?

Anyone know if its easy just to pull the green condom off? and just replace it with a different colored condom you can probably get at Autozone?

If anyone has tried this, please post DIY?

I will be doing this in about a week or so, because I am changing all the interior lights to all blue (except the gauge).

So if I do it before anyone, I will post up the pics and the LED stuff.

No, I don't think they're covered with a green condom. They're just green lights, and are smaller than 194. Th suggestion was to cover them with a different colored condom in order to change them. Whatever color you put over them though, will probably not be the color you intended, due to the already green light. Someone suggested painting the bulb...who knows. Good luck! I was trying to change mine to all blue, too, but I gave up on it.

DIY: removing instrument panel

1) remove shifter cover: insert a flat head screw driver and pry out the cover.

2) remove screw: there is ONLY 1 screw. It is under the fan control unit. just pull out the knob and you'll see the screw.

3) Now.... just stick a finger in where you removed the knob from and pull CAREFULLY. this should take out the center console.

The bulbs are in the white housing where the contol unit resides. to remove the two bulbs, you'll have to go from the back (sticking your fingers and rotating the bulb 1/4 turn and it'll come out.

when you take out the center consle...the defroster button is cliped to the console...so it will come out with it (just letting you know so you don't freak out)

the other two are clipped on to the top of the white housing. I tried to take those out but didn't work. I am not going to suggest that you take out the white housing...it might mess up your a/c and other setting...if you wana do it...do it at your own risk!

another thing I wanted to add was that the little clear part on the 3 buttons.... one is amber..and the other two are green... the small windows have thier OWN little bulbs (LEDs I believe) that are soldered (these are different from the 3 MAIN ONES which are ALL green).

do whatever you are going to do CAREFULLY.... the centre console takes quite a lot of force to take out.

by the way.... all the bulbs have a green cap cover (condom) on 'em except the 3 LEDs in the little clear part on the 3 buttons (AC;Vent;Defroster)

Hope this helps. :mrgreen:

how did you change the color of them nomes?

Did anyone actually change the bulbs/color then?

? so what did you do about the green condoms? did you get to color change it?

HI guys, I have sucessfully disassembled my dash and there is no green condom. It has two white lamps that lights up the A/C control trim. It would be easy to change them if the dash itself didn't have an adesive tape glued to it.

I'm afraid of removing this particular tape screwing up the hole dash.

Any clues.

=]
Gus

Your guys car must have been made in a different place than mine.

Mine had green condoms on all the center console lights. I just pulled them off and painted them with stained glass paint by Krylon. Got the paint at walmart for $5. It doesnt need to be heat resistant coz the bulbs will never get that hot. I even painted my backup bulbs to be a nice blue color as well with no problems.

I am looking at replacing them with blue leds but have yet to find the time to do it. My plan is to just pull the bulb off that housing that its in and wrap the wires from the leds the same way as bulb. that should work fine.

For now you can see pics of my interior done like that in this thread

topic 459&start=15

If you have any questions ask away.

*sigh*

Can't keep up with all these threads about this. Have made posts on almost each one of 'em. hmm check the one with the POLL QUESTION. I think i've answered pretty much everything there.

I just changed the color of my bulbs in the center console to red. i got really lucky cause the color perfectly matched the red color of the hazard button. I did it by dipping the bulbs in paint that can be used on glass. That is $2.50 well spent. Here are some pics.



Notice the time? thats in the AM. i've got no life. :roll: I actually started working on this around 3:00am



Ofcourse it looks a lot better in real life than it does in the pics.



Instead of painting the bulb in the shifter, I took of the green condom and painted the back of the piece of the plastic right behind the "P","D","2" and "1". Notice the line i added next to those. Had to scratch off the coating with a knife on the back of that plastic piece to do that.

hmm... u forgot to change the colour of the clock....and what about the leds in the A/C, vent, and the one that lights up orange?


here is another thread where this was discussed.

topic 459&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

thats it :!: I'm gona change my radio/cd player to RED today...been putting it off for way too long.

I'll try to get the clock changed tonight. I couldn't figure out how to get to the LED's in the 3 buttons, if anyone knows how, please post a DIY. And nomes if u figure out how to change the lights in the cd player, i'd love hear how u did it.