92-96 es 300
to remove the cluster bezel for acess to the bulbs behine the #'s
is remove 2 screws behind 2 plastic tabs,that you have to pop off
then pull out and disconect the wiring harness for the buttons and the alarm light
then it is 4 more screw to then pull out the whole cluster
then open the back shroud which has a couple of more screws
the lights are part of a twist base with a slot for a flat head screw driver
once removed then replaced and reinstall

the hvac controler is remove the upper vent above it then 2 screws behind it
then under the radio is a plastic tab that pulls forward
for to 2 nuts the whole assembly for the radio and hvac is connected together
disassemble the 2 by 4 screws and open the hvac front panel and it is little bulbs also that twist off and get replaced in the base holder to be reinstalled

the radio is much the same as the hvac

the bulbs are available at the dealer
change all as it is much simple ad about $3 a bulbs
it is easier if you remove everything at once and take it to the dealer to get replacments in another car then reinstall
do not turn the car on or drive it while anything is removed or it will cause problem whith the ecu
also disconnect the battery
the bulbs are supposed to be a 194 of sorts but it varies so be careful
that is why it is easier to remove and have them to compare to the new ones

is the bulb for LCD or for the buttons?
coz some buttons dont light up in my 96 es300, but the LCD display light up fully. and i couldnt find the bulbs for the buttons....

the bulbs for the buttons are about 2 or 3 that use a lens to project to the other buttons

just want to add something....
for 96 es300
the button light bulb for climate control r screwed in, but the button light bubl for radio control r SOLDERED IN.

have fun DIY the light bulbs, and DONT rip the plastic tape thing with wire on it in the radio control (coz i ripped mine...and now the radio control wont turn on even i taped it back with tape...)

ok, i got the screw-in bulb from lexus dealership....11.84 for one....and its gray based.....not brown....

the pn is 84999-60440 for the brown one
and 84999-60360 for the gray one....the lexus guy told me that they dont use brown one anymore, and gray one has lower voltage and longer life time....(???)....however, the Bellevue, WA lexus dealership still has the brown one.....10.5 or 10.75 each....

so i dunno wuts going on....

Ok so what is the problem or question.

I understand most of these instructions but what does "the lights are part of a twist base with a slot for a flat head screw driver" mean? Does this mean that the light bulb base is the Turn-and-Lock type? If so, what is the flat head screw driver needed for? Should the car battery be disconnected before changing the cluster backlight bulbs?

Thanks,
Lexucan

You definetly have to disconnect the neg. terminal from the battery first [If you don't your airbag light will stay on and have to be reset at the dealer ] The bulbs are pushed into the base which twists out of the circuit board, You have to twist out the base to get to the bulb. You can twist the bulb/base out with your fingers so you don't need a screwdriver. Circled in red in the attached pic are the acc. bulbs along the bottom of the cluster as you can see they are easy to twist out, I recomend changing all the bulbs while your in there [ TAKE A SMALL KNIFE AND SLIGHTLY PRY OUT THE CONTACTS ON EACH BULB BEFORE REPLACING THEM SO THEY WON'T VIBRATE LOOSE, Or you will have to bang on the top of the dash to get them to work], You'll have to remove both circuit boards to access all the bulbs. I have had the ES cluster apart more times that I would care to mention. If you have more Q's I will answer them for you if I can.

"You definetly have to disconnect the neg. terminal from the battery first [If you don't your airbag light will stay on and have to be reset at the dealer ] The bulbs are pushed into the base which twists out of the circuit board, You have to twist out the base to get to the bulb. You can twist the bulb/base out with your fingers so you don't need a screwdriver. Circled in red in the attached pic are the acc. bulbs along the bottom of the cluster as you can see they are easy to twist out, I recomend changing all the bulbs while your in there [ TAKE A SMALL KNIFE AND SLIGHTLY PRY OUT THE CONTACTS ON EACH BULB BEFORE REPLACING THEM SO THEY WON'T VIBRATE LOOSE, Or you will have to bang on the top of the dash to get them to work], You'll have to remove both circuit boards to access all the bulbs. I have had the ES cluster apart more times that I would care to mention. If you have more Q's I will answer them for you if I can."

Thanks dcfish...this is helpful.
Do you know if replacing burnt-out gauge needles can be done without taking the car to a dealer? My temp and tach needles are dead and I know where I can get replacement needles but could I do it myself at the same time as replacing the backlight bulbs? Any instructions for doing this (if it's possible) would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again.
Lexucan

Yes, You can change the needles, They just pull off [ when pulling them off use a firm slow pull ] Grab the needle by the base and firmly pull off. Here is my recomendation, Replace all of the bulbs first and reinstall the cluster, When the cluster is back where it belongs you can take out the screws that hold just the smoked faceplate [ the piece you can see through ] Have the car warmed up to operating temp, turn the car off and pull the temp needle and push the new one on and start the car and see if the temp needle is where it is suposed to be [ like the old one ] There is a 45 degree adjustment for all the needles so by taking them off and pushing them back on to a different guage setting can be achieved. [ repeat for the tach needle ] There might be a little trial and error getting the right needle reading but that is it. You can just ut the needles on when you have the custer out but you are going to need to adjust them anyway and the more you install/reinstall the cluster the ore your chances are that you are going to break something. Good Luck

Great! This sounds relatively uncomplicated. The dealer I spoke to about the needles told me they wouldn't just replace the needles, they would have to replace the whole cluster and it would be a $2k job!
My guess is that once the cluster is back in place in the dash after changing the backlighting bulbs, the neg. terminal for the battery can stay connected while playing with the proper placement of the needles.
Thanks for all your help dcfish.....much appreciated.

If all else fails you can get a brand new cluster here: http://www.luxurymods.com/ProductDetail.ph...ID=527&fid=1020

Let me know how everything works out.

[size=5]LEXUSCAN COULD YOU TELL ME HOW MUCH IT THE GAUGE NEEDLES COST AND IF YOU WERE ABLE TO GET THEM AT THE DEALER?

As far as I am aware, Lexus dealerships (at least in this region) do not sell gauge needles by themselves. To replace the needles I would have to buy a whole new instrument cluster, which is EXTREMELY expensive and therefore out of the question. Replacing the cluster backlight bulbs, however, is not expensive. Most dealerships will sell you the proper bulbs or you can by them at an auto parts store or on-line.

Check out this thread for an inexpensive DIY gauge needle fix:

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212184

Hi Lexucan, I know this post is old but I've looked at several posts and yours is the only one that says you know where to get replacement needles....Well, not the only, but for simple LED bars I can't see paying @100.00 US. Could you steer me in the right direction?

Thanks, Glynn

Hi Lexucan. I'm with Glynn re needing needles. Read your post that dealers don't sell on their own, but you did say earlier that you had a source??
I also found and read "low budget solution for burnt out needles", very informative and not impossible but new needles at a fair price would do too!
By the way I'm in UK, N Ireland to be precise, and spares are hard to come by here too.
Hope you can help.
Thanks.
Kenmar