03 IS300 shifter light

[Leozack]

So amongst other light/wiring stuff I've dealt with, I had the centre console stuff out so thought I'd replace the shifter bulb with an LED as it had often flickered or gone off.
However it turns out the problem is most likely the holder the bulb sits in and my LEDs also struggle to stay in it, and if I put a bulb in and tap the holder it often flickers off/on again.

The other issue is my LEDs seem too long to be used since this bulb is held in the clear plastic shifter guard and when you try to clip that down on the shifter it has an annoying white plastic block point blank in front of the LED so it just knocks my LEDs out of this loose bulb holder.

Anyone got any tips or parts I can use?  I could try to put it back together with the original bulb but it's still going to annoy my if it keeps going off cos of a looser holder or whatever  😞
Attached a pic showing where the bulb is held in the guard, and compared to the LEDs I have spare in size

[Leozack]

So I played around some more and also found the domed LED don't fit in the ashtray space either and the no-domed ones are too directional upwards whereas they need to go sideways.
I may be able to squeeze a non-domed one into the shifter light spot but I'm fairly sure there is an issue with either the holder's connectivity causing them to flicker (multiple bulbs) or the wire going into it.  I don't really have a way to test 😞 But I'll at least need shorter but side illuminating LEDs if possible?
I thought maybe I could trim the top off the plastic but there is a little resistor or something on 1 of the wires from the bulb in there so I can't save any vertical space that way  😞 

[rich1068]

Is this a light that indicates P, R, D etc next to the gear lever? I'm almost certain I've never seen that illuminated on my IS300. I'll have to check.

[Leozack]

2 hours ago, rich1068 said:

Is this a light that indicates P, R, D etc next to the gear lever? I'm almost certain I've never seen that illuminated on my IS300. I'll have to check.

Yes.  At 13.00 in this video you see him replacing it even though he wasn't going to.  My issue is 1 the LEDs seem to stick out too far and 2 the socket/wire seems to result in an intermittently flickering bulb so I dunno what I can do about that - I don't wanna put this back together and have a flicker  😕

 

[Leozack]

If anyone has experience with this light, or knows where I can buy LEDs that fit (same for the ashtray that also doesn't fit my dome one and the direct one doesn't really light it) that'd be great.  I don't think I'll be bothering to remove the wired-in cigar lighter light for an LED though it looks simple enough in this video

[rich1068]

These cars are pretty rare over here now. Have you tried over on the US IS forums such as Club Lexus?

[Leozack]

I haven't - maybe that's a good plan 🤔

[Leozack]

I believe for LEDs the resistor stopping them blowing is what you see inside the plastic plug casings (which stops me shortening their length which I need to do for some of these sockets, as seen in the pic below.
The bulb holder that goes behind either the RPM or Fuel gauge is the blue one in the pic below - where can I buy these?  The issue may not be the holder but where the holder rubs on the board as you twist it in - I'm not sure how I can help that connection if it's the issue  😕
Video attached shows my current issue with the shifter light as it seems to go off when twisting the holder.  Will I need to chip & replace the wire, refit the wire into the holder (it looks pretty fixed/ok) or what? 🤔

[Leozack]

Does anyone have any links for LEDs that are super short so they can go in the shifter socket (but also spreads out sideways not just end on which is point blank at a plastic lump)?  It needs to not stick out anymore than the orange covered bulb shown below.

Does anyone have tips on how to fix that light going off when I turn the socket in the video above?  The 2 wires into the socket look pretty stable/fixed and don't move so I don't know what part where is the issue.  I can't see a way to get the wires out and stripe the ends and refit them - are there pre-wired sockets I can buy that I can then join the wires up?

Does anyone have any links to replacements for the blue holder you see in the 2 pics below?

[ET Mitch]

On 9/22/2021 at 10:17 PM, Leozack said:

Does anyone have any links for LEDs that are super short so they can go in the shifter socket (but also spreads out sideways not just end on which is point blank at a plastic lump)?  It needs to not stick out anymore than the orange covered bulb shown below.

Does anyone have tips on how to fix that light going off when I turn the socket in the video above?  The 2 wires into the socket look pretty stable/fixed and don't move so I don't know what part where is the issue.  I can't see a way to get the wires out and stripe the ends and refit them - are there pre-wired sockets I can buy that I can then join the wires up?

Does anyone have any links to replacements for the blue holder you see in the 2 pics below?

I believe these are the ones

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-x-Toshiba-V2-V-2-T5-Bulb-Holder-Dashboard-Instrument-Panel-HONDA-TOYOTA-MAZDA-/182824695958?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

[Leozack]

Update!

So those sockets you linked on eBay look like they may have been the right size, but look like the 'latch' bit on the side would be too wide for the gaps in the PCB which is why these ones I bought for the bigger size bulbs are useless and I went back to using the originals
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Socket-Instrument-Panel-Cluster-Holder/dp/B09B3SF6BB

These ones I used in the dash for the 2 small ones including their sockets to replace the 2 blue sockets, and they worked well!
I also used these lights to fit in the gearshift light and it fits nicely as it's short!  And no flickering at all!  Only down side is the light is pointed end on whereas the gearshift to light is above it when it's fixed in place sideways, but can't complain at finally having a non flickering gearshift light!  Just be nice if there were some of these small wedge bulbs where the LED was mounted for sideways illumination not end-on?
I also used them for the ashtray light which was a tight fit in the socket but works fine
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09J7TG2PK

IMPORTANTLY :
The LEDs I had tried before were the ones with 2 wires sticking out of them as seen in my above posts, and the flickering problem you see in the video happened on the cluster ones too.  The fact I can't find any like that now and the fact the ones I'm using are all the type where the actual pcb board with metal contacts is used to plug in (like the ones linked in this post) instead of plastic holders with flimsy wires is probably the reason.  Last night I had to solder a load of the wire ones back on as the wires come off when you pull them out of the sockets.  Basically, don't get any like you see in previous posts, get ones like you see in this post where you're plugging board in not plastic with wires wrapped on it.

These ones below I just put in the front for sidelights and work well
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071LNH2D3

Below images are my cluster when I had a blue one in temporarily until I resoldered some white ones, my ghetto Battery setup to test lights with, my gear shifter finally lit up after about 15y (note the handgel bottle being lit up amazingly by the ashtray light it's next to - super cool effect I've seen used in the cupholder if you cut a hole for a light there!), the ashtray socket and the wedge LED I struggled but succeeded to get in there, and the gearshifter light without the cover on so you can see the bright spot it makes by pointing sideways when you want it to light up & sideways/around really

[Leozack]

I should note I also used the Keiurot T5 74 small LEDs for the glovebox light as well as the shifter light and cluster 2 smaller lights in top right & bottom left
I used the KATUR T10 194 LEDs for the front sidelights and the cluster 3 bigger lights

I am yet to confirm which lights to use for the sunvisor light and map light
I think the sunvisor uses these 31mm bulbs?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KaTur-Bright-Replacement-Interior-Dashboard/dp/B06XJ74ZJM
The map light is a twist in bulb and I *think* these bulbs will do it though they have the code for the 'dome' of DE3175 and the 'step/courtesy' of DE3021 so no idea
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XJ74ZJM/ 

I am yet to find anywhere that shows me how to change the dome light as everything I find online has a different dome light unit in the middle of the ceiling to what I have, pictured below - and since I can't take it off, I can't confirm what bulb is needed.