cyfi66

My climate control unit (non-nav) air recirc and AC button back lighting decided to stop working. Does anyone have the correct part number for the bulb I need to replace?
This is not the indicator LED (indicating whether the ac is on or not) but the back lighting for the button itself. Not looking to replace with LED, would rather keep it factory.

YODAONE

Rearview of 1999 LS400 climate control head depicting 10 backlight bulbs...two types of 5 each color-coded with black, and white twistlock base
Black base P.N. 90010-03013
White base P.N. 90010-03012
Replace all while you are in there
Climate control amplifier has eleven 47uF 35V capacitors....replace them with 47uF 63V...
Same case size.(higher voltage is improvement)
New capacitors in 35V range are more efficient, thus smaller case size and lead centers, so went higher voltage for fitment and performance.


All ten capacitors same value...

If not familiar with soldering, or anti-static precautions, then have a tech.perform.work

A link to previous write-up
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-1st-and-2nd-gen-1990-2000/855424-1995-2000-ls400-climate-control-capacitors-and-backlighting.html


When accessing climate control, Be very careful when extracting center vent....old plastic parts like to break off.... $$$ part.
pay someone $20 with correct tools to do.

cyfi66

Thank you Yoda!

Just as an FYI I contacted Tanin ( I understand you are not a fan of them, but I have had nothing but good experiences) and they have sent me all 10 bulbs for $15 shipped. Lets see what arrives. If they are OEM then they will be cheaper than going through the dealer.

I don't quite understand why you replaced the caps.

YODAONE

Did Tanin send you two types of bulbs??

What about color filters??

bulbs made in China?

OEM are Japanese....

cyfi66

They sent me all I needed in order to replace all the backlighting in the climate control. I will report back when I get them.

YODAONE

So the question remains the same; Did illustrious vendor offer one or two incandescent bulb types??

The OEM uses two bulb types...

Perhaps there is a reason for this, and rarely do I find aftermarket anything to standard...

Since you found it necessary to mention my sentiments, and I went through time and effort to help direct you with correct OEM part usage (which you requesred), and others similarly situated, please, kindly indulge us on what part numbers then the vendor provided..

Perhaps you can provide images of said parts...

Thanks

Losiracer2

I hate to say it, but the Toshiba bulbs that Toyota uses are a lot brighter than something you'd find either at Radioshack or aftermarket at Orielly or Autozone. Not to mention the bulb form might be different and not fit into the socket, so be weary of that.

I noticed this both on my parents 2003 Toyota Sienna and my LS400. I ended up buying a used GS300 radio for $30 and had to unsolder those bulbs and solder them onto the circuit board of my LS400's non-nakamichi setup.

YODAONE

Thank you...I actually sold subminiature incandescent bulbs. Oshino and Toshiba..superb quality.
I represented German manufacturer ALBA who was a primary supplier of instrument and dash bulbs to Mercedes-Benz.

TaninAuto

We shipped 10X loose bulbs. Our bulbs are not OEM. Our bulbs are TAE brand (our brand). They are high quality and manufactured to our specifications.

There is no purpose in replacing the caps or the bases. Those can be reused. The button lights are the black based bulbs. The screen backlighting are the white based bulbs. The white base bulbs are around 0.20mA more than the black base bulbs. Our bulbs are a near identical match to the black based button bulbs.

Can you leave your white based bulbs alone? Probably. Will you notice a difference if you replace the white base bulbs without ours? Probably not. Are they an exact match to the exact mA of the white based bulbs? No. Are you going to look at the climate control in the dark and say, "hmm the screen lighting appears to be 0.20mA dimmer than the button lights". Come on now.

Are you a perfectionist and don't mind spending more? Go with OEM then. Nothing can match OEM. We don't usually sell anything OEM because anyone can buy OEM parts at the same price we can.

Bottom line: are you looking for a quality replacement at a lower price? That's why we are in business.

There are a lot of variables involved here. I can answer them in more detail if needed.

TaninAuto

Your issue is that you bought the wrong voltage for the application. Lexus and Toyota radios usually have 8V bulbs from the factory. If you put off the shelf 12V bulbs it will be significantly dimmer.

YODAONE

Several submiature incandescent bulb vendors are no longer in the business....

I wonder whether a 12V bulb would glow, if at all, in an 8V circuit....but it sure would last a long time!

If relamping with non-OEM bulbs then best to take voltage readings.

Color uniformity between OEM Pioneer radio backlight and factory climate control backlighting is remarkable....
Someone spent a lot of time getting it right...

The green Silikrome incandescent lamp color filters on climate control bulbs are high grade silicone rubber with a 25 year shelf life...

TaninAuto

12V works, intensity is just very poor. A lot of people and other vendors use off the shelf 12V when replacing the climate control screen backlight on earlier ES300/SC300/SC400. Same issue, the OEM bulbs are actually around 8V! When they put it all back together it never matches the rest of the dash.