Let there be light...

...but darkness prevailed.

I spent the day building a data table of the differing LED's for my Tundra, so as to assist others that may wish to convert, but the forum's software would not let me upload it. I also snatched a photo that BigStu uploaded, showing the back of the instrument/cluster panel and highlighted the various bulbs while explaining the bulb type that fit. The software would not let me upload it in its entirety (though BigStu had no problem it seems). I tried several times to make the picture smaller and the forum software kept chopping off more and more of the picture each time, making it impossible to bring the area in focus that I wanted to discuss.

My hope was to clear up any confusion that may linger, what with the various part numbers for the same bulbs, depending on the manufacturer. It has taken me a fair amount of time figuring this stuff out, and I thought it might be useful. Should anyone know how I can still upload the table and photo, please speak up.

BTW: I went with the blue LED's and I think it looks really cool. Well, at least different. I haven't quite finished the process as I ran out of T-5 bulbs in blue and the 36mm festoon bulbs for the map lights. I should have them by Monday and installed shortly thereafter, as it is an easy and quick modification to complete.

 

Kool, anyone have ideas to assist the OP?

 

After re-reading my post, I thought I should best clear a couple things up about the table and photo. The table was a modest piece at best, as most of my time was spent getting the unfamiliar spreadsheet program to cooperate, and the photo submission likewise, as I struggled to find a way to get past the forum software's refusals and severe editing. In collecting this info, I used a lot of sources, some from right here - BigStu, Freddie the Fingers, Somemedic, and Festerw. Most of the info comes from them and has been augmented by sellers such as Amazon and superbrightleds.com., with anecdotal info from minor sources connecting the dots. The table I prepared just sort of sewed the pieces together, and little else. I do believe it brings clarity to the subject, and therein lies what value it may have.

Since the table and photo are unable to get past the filters in place, I will try and explain the important points. First off, the table was similar to the table Toyota published in their 2003 Tundra Owners Manual on page 273 of the digital copy and page 266 on the print version. My efforts were towards updating the part numbers listed with the current LED's common alpha-numeric identifiers. For example, the #194 halogen bulb and its T-10 LED counterpart, and the #74 bulb and its counterpart the T-5 LED. I then listed the Amazon bulbs that matched the pairing, sometimes with more than one match as they often came with or without a socket as their placement requires.

BigStu and Freddie the Fingers photos were invaluable in identifying the actual placement of the halogens/LED's, lending a further understanding of what's required and their placement on the actual panels. These photos of which I gained so much info can be found on the initial thread "gear indicator lamp" on comments #8, #17, #19 and #20, with commentaries by others helping to bring the issue into shape.

Again, my efforts were that of a recap, bringing a summation to what others have learned or surmised and passed along - my only effort besides the summation was my purchasing of the bulbs based on what I had learned and seeing to their fitting, their correct placement as to type and use. It should go without saying that anyone wishing to do the conversion should pay close attention to the socket being filled, as several differing sockets will emerge of which you could use, though it may be incorrect if you are not diligent.

Lastly, I only dealt with interior lighting, leaving the exterior lighting for a future day. I am not convinced that the LED's are reliable enough to use with the all important exterior lighting, and today's halogens are already more than sufficient and proven to be durable over time. Or so says my experience.

 

This table I made shows almost everything needed for interior and guage cluster. Just missed one colored t5

 

My total bill from Amazon was about $64 and with quite a few extra bulbs left over, especially the 3mm bulb inserts in white with 19 extra, and in blue 20 extra (I used one these 3mm bulbs for the gear indicator light after removing the halogen bulb from the socket. They are tiny but work well.). Now if I can find that fog light bulb, which has never lit up since I owned the truck, to replace it...

It was news to me that my climate control panel had any lights, as none of them were lit since my purchase of the truck used. Now they light up just perfectly and I have Freddie the Fingers to thank for this heads-up.

This table would probably make for a good "pinned" resource, IMHO. Let that read as a "sticky".

 

I replaced all my interior bulbs with leds and hated them in the guage cluster and dash.

They were to bright at night while driving. Also the dash bulbs didn't dim at the same rate as the stereo.

Ended up changing all the dash bulbs back to halogen and returning the LEDs.

 

@TX-TRD1stGEN ...I used the following LED's and have no problem dimming them:

Partsam T10 194 168 Dash Instrument Blue LED Light Bulbs Bright Panel Gauge Cluster Dashboard LED Light Bulbs 10Pcs/Set with Twist Lock Sockets

T5 LED Bulb Dashboard Dash Lights Blue 8000K 3030 SMD Wedge Base for Car Truck Instrument Indicator Air Conditioning AC Lamp Auto Interior Accessories Kit Bright 12V 1W 1 Year Warranty 10Pcs

The T-10's were inserted into the stock sockets which I obviously reused, with the remaining parts stored. Those T-5's were likewise inserted into the stock sockets. I have also used them in the step well with its hard wired socket. They look very nice and I hope they are durable, but in any case, they are not that hard to replace now that I know how.

 

I figured out how to upgrade the ignition key ring and the fog light switch and plan on attempting the ashtray and cigarette lighter, soon. I decided early on to carry spare bulbs due to the questionable durability/longevity of these early generation LED's and so I've stocked a small tin with a couple spares of each and carry with the Tundra. I have been so impressed with the output of these LED's, that I bought four white light bulbs (sticks) designed for my backup lights and cargo lights, and the difference is unbelievable, like little flood lights.

I now have a pimped-out Tundra with the blue motif. Now to figure out how to hang the disco ball.

 

I took her out for a lengthy drive tonight and I could swear the A/C was far more efficient, the engine ran smoother and with more pep, and my MPG increased as a result of changing my lighting to the blue LED's. Maybe not, maybe wishful thinking; hard to quantify when the blue light is too dark to see your toes when doing the math.

 

So far unsuccessful with the cigarette lighter bulb exchange, haven't figured out what is there and don't want to force the issue. I'll revisit at a later date. Same goes for the fog light switch's bulb...I've tried several LED bulbs that fit and light up but are too faint to radiate sufficiently to light the switch housing. Then today I went to use the 4Hi gear and the switch lit with a green light - I forgot about these 4x switches. I would hazard a guess that they are similar to the fog light, in that I have no idea what LED bulb to use. As of now I know a small 3mm, Partsam Blue 3mm Emitting Diode LED Bi-pin Mini Soldering Lamps Gauge Cluster Instrument Panel Indicator Lights 12V , fits but has insufficient light. Same for his brother in white. These 3mm barely fit so I haven't moved on to 4mm or larger, preferring to sit it out a while to rethink what is available that I have found, least I should have forgotten something. With a cave man's understanding of electricity and electronics, it has been an adventure even as simple as the matter really is, once tripped over.

 

Bored to death, I decided to try and change the bulbs in the radio/CD player deck to LED blue. I'd seen pictures of the deck unit and a detached face and figured what the heck, believing it to be easy. At first I tried opening up the deck unit while still bolted in the dash - no go. After more than 30 minutes of trying to open up the unit while still mounted and getting nowhere, I decided to remove the radio and try again from a different angle. After what seemed like an hour and many failures, I finally managed to get the face removed from the unit. The backside of the face was the circuit board and the only logical place for the light bulbs to be, as they were not in the base unit itself. So it came down to removing the circuit board to gain access to the bulbs. After another 30 minutes or so, meeting with failure after failure, I figured out that the screws on the board would have to be removed to get to the other side of the board where I assumed the bulbs were. Right, but the board was still not ready to be removed. I then tried removing the tuning knobs, getting nowhere again, then trying a lot harder, pulling a lot harder, and meeting with success. I had access to the back of the board and sure enough there were two little green bulbs soldered to the board. The two bulbs were the same size as the bulbs mentioned in my post directly above this one, those 3mm Blue LED's and of the same type as far as mounting goes, with two long legs inserted through the board, clipped to fit and then soldered. So I heated up the solder and removed the bulbs, replacing with my blue ones and re-soldering (not quite that easy, it was a biotch using an old pencil style iron that had trouble reaching a heat level sufficient to melt the solder). Anyway, once soldered on, I reassembled the radio, mounted it back in its cubbyhole and closed-off the dash. Taking a short pause to catch my breath and do a few hail Marys, I proceeded to turn on the headlights to see my new blue lights. There in front of me, in glorious color was my green faced radio staring back with a smirk. A green smirk! All that effort, and it was a lot, getting me nowhere, as there must be a green covering somewhere inside the circuit board that dictates the color of light being emitted from the radio.

Bottom line...the blue bulbs have been soldered in, are lit up, but the green glow of the radio, like a Stephen King novel, has mysteriously overcome my best efforts. Crap!

 

Good read. I like the struggle. Did you take any pics of the stereo with the circuit board removed??

 

I seriously considered taking pictures until I remembered that I have been unable to upload pics to this forum, not to include my rakish avatar. Should someone clue me in as to how, I would willingly oblige. Like a bull dog, I am not so inclined to give up after one try, and have been thinking about cracking the bank again. I really want to know what is countering my efforts.

 

There's a bunch of little LED chips that provide the back lighting. I pulled my old one apart and took some pics, they're the ones labeled D942,943,etc in this post.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/wha...1st-gen-tundra-today.2558/page-80#post-907846

 

I recall seeing those little chips everywhere on the board, and thinking they looked an awful lot like LED's, but put the matter aside when I located the two bulbs. I also noticed a faint light being emitted from the radio while trying to gain entry, but likewise put the matter aside as interesting but insufficient to light up the faceplate and nothing but an anomaly, and returning to the task at hand of opening the radio up. I wonder if one could power up the radio while holding just the faceplate? I am not at all versed in electronics, making this more difficult while at the same time challenging. Frankly, as tasked as I was with the process, I did so enjoy the effort and discoveries.

Thanks for the info on those little chips, info that puts to rest any thoughts of changing the color scheme. A minor disappointment as I plan on replacing the radio with a head unit with touch screen, cameras, etc., come November's Black Friday.

[edit] And just as I clicked on the button to post this, it dawned on me that the faceplate wouldn't be able to fire up while holding just it, as the power came in through the back of the unit and wouldn't be available to the faceplate in hand.

 

@Darkness...Then point me at the place where the posting/uploading of pictures is explained in sufficient detail as to educate one to the process. Everyone seems to be able to post pics except me. Am I lacking an official decoder ring, or simply not cognizant of the secret password that gains one admittance to the executive lounge where posting of pics is allowed? Seriously, I have a new action camera and a relatively robust internet access that can handle such media files, and it would be a way to minimize what is viewed by a few as my excessive wordiness - a picture is worth a thousand words, or something like that.

 

Take a pic with your phone/tablet.
When posting, click on the "upload a file" button.
Click "choose file" in the bubble that pops up.
Click "files" when that bubble pops up.
Select what pic you want.
After it loads it'll be under text window. Click "full image".

 

I'm not sure why but I laughed hard at this.

 

I made that one on the fly. Gonna keep it for other threads

 

Like so...Thanks bmf4069 for the easy assist.

 

A couple less than good night shots of the blue interior lighting, using only the stock lighting sockets, no aftermarket additions (as yet).


Kind of blurry without a tripod setup - next time if ever. For those that notice, the oil pressure registers at an aftermarket oil pressure gauge mounted under dash and above right foot. There is a hint of it as the whiter light, lower right. I'm thinking I may relocate this gauge if I can find more of the tiny clear hose that connects it with the sending unit in the engine bay. Oh yeah, the overhead lights are illuminated in this shot.



Very blurry shot of the overhead and door lights illuminated.



An even blurrier shot of the center cluster, with the green glow of my radio casting its evil glare. Ha! The oil pressure gauge is the whitish blob in the lower left. Note that there is no step well (foot well) lights except at driver's feet. The glow under the center cluster is from the ash tray light, as I have removed the ash tray in favor of the atmospherics provided by the light.

Agreed that my photographers credentials need to be revoked, they are terrible shots, but they do relay the essence of what I did. Question: Would it have been preferable for me to insert these images as thumbnails?

 

Man, it looks like a rave inside that cab.

 

Parallax view? The camera's light capture doesn't match the real lighting - it is nowhere THAT blue! I would think it is somewhere between subtle and bold, giving the edge to subtle.

 

I like full size.

 

I really enjoyed changing out the lights and all. Penetrating the Great Wall, aka...the dash/instrument panel, proving it to be surmountable by the common man. Ha! So it came as a surprise that I hadn't looked at the issue as it pertained to my driving - I don't drive at night. Well, it is very rare when I do, and I have yet to drive anywhere, at night, since replacing the bulbs. All those pretty lights and no one to enjoy them.
Winter is coming, and dark starts around 4:45 PM up here in the north by mid-December, maybe then I can enjoy them without making up an excuse to waste gas so as to see them lit up. [I will admit, though, to wandering outside at night and crawling in the cab so as to admire the "atmosphere". ]

 

Thats pretty sweet! I like the blue but i’d be interested in a deep purple if i could find it. Time to do some research when i get the chance! Might be asking some questions here if ya’ll don’t mind.

 

If you like this color purple...
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=purple+led+bulbs+for+cars&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

I believe the sizes you will need will be found here. Look for the T10, and T5 bulbs for the most part. These will be your major dash/instrument panel lights and the door lights. Pay particular attention to the base that may be needed. I would be glad to help, as I am sure there are others here who helped me that would also step forward to help.

[edit] You will probably have to measure the length of your overhead light and the map light to get the correct festoon bulbs (unless you know the size already from your owners manual). These will be the main bulbs for the cab lights.