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This took about 3 minutes to do.
2001 RX300
1. Just pop off the trim around the shifter. ( black trim as well as woodgrain trim is all one piece) There are no screws to remove.
2. You will have to put key into ignition to move shifter down to remove the piece of trim.
3. There is a small plug on the left hand side of the shifter. Twist it counter clockwise and pull it out. There is a small green rubber cover over the light. Replace the light bulb and put the green rubber cover over the new light bulb.
4. Screw in the light clockwise.
5. Replace trim . Make sure all metal clips are there.
The bulb is part # 90981-11018
I picked up the bulb for $7 from the lexus dealer.
Attached pictures shows the process of replacing the shifter light.
Attached pictures shows the process of replacing the shifter light.
Enjoy,
Thanks so much, I would just add to be careful removing the bulb. After I removed mine the new bulb was a little loose. I managed to make the prongs in the socket tighter so when you pull the old bulb out, do it slowly and carefully. Too much force may slightly bend the prongs on the inside of the socket. Again thanks for posting with the pics. It was a big help.
I need to change the bulb for the shifter in my car. I didn't have a replacement bulb yet but I wanted to see how easy it is to access the bulb. First of all there are 5 clips on each side of the trim starting at the very top and ending right at the bottom. Also there is one clip in the center just below the climate control. I did find that these clips are very tight and take a lot of leverage to get started. I started with the top one on the driver side and had to really pry hard to get it loose. After the first one came loose it was not hard to work my way around until it was off.The bulb holder is in a place that my fingers don't fit but one of my trim tools has a notch in it that fit perfectly. Now all I need is a bulb. I found the bulb on Amazon for less than $2.
I replaced the bulb using a Phillips 74 bulb. This bulb is a little bigger that the original one. When I test the bulb in the socket it works fine but every time I put the socket in the hole in the side of the shifter it seems to come out. I don't know if it is a size issue and the bulb doesn't get all the way into the socket or what, I guess I could put a small bit of tape on it. Any ideas?
I did this today and it was very easy to do. Now I can see what gear I am in at the selector as well as the instrument cluster. Thanks to the OP for posting instructions for this, very helpful. Shift selector bulb replacement.
Hi, I see in pics 4 and 5 that you have popped off the black plate that makes accessing the bulb much easier. What is the trick to removing that part? Thanks, Mike
Hi, I see in pics 4 and 5 that you have popped off the black plate that makes accessing the bulb much easier. What is the trick to removing that part? Thanks, Mike
The wood trim and black plastic surrounding the shifter is all one piece. Use a thin flat blade screwdriver to pop the trim piece out and you can access the bulb at the left side under the shifter indicator window. Twist the socket toward the dash and pull, it should slide out. The bulb should have a little green rubbery covering on it, remove that cover and put it on your new bulb. Hope this helps.
The wood trim and black plastic surrounding the shifter is all one piece. Use a thin flat blade screwdriver to pop the trim piece out and you can access the bulb at the left side under the shifter indicator window. Twist the socket toward the dash and pull, it should slide out. The bulb should have a little green rubbery covering on it, remove that cover and put it on your new bulb. Hope this helps.
Hi, the wood trim popped off very easily. It is the bottom black cover that shows the illuminated letters (P R D.. ETC) that I would like to pop off giving me more room to access the bulb. Thanks for the reply.
Hi, the wood trim popped off very easily. It is the bottom black cover that shows the illuminated letters (P R D.. ETC) that I would like to pop off giving me more room to access the bulb. Thanks for the reply.
Okay, don't know how to remove that. I couldn't get my fingers down there to the bulb either, I used a panel removal tool, it has a forked end and fit the square socket perfectly, and was able to twist the socket out with that. Hope that helps ya.
01-13-13, 08:09 PM
DIY Shifter Light
