1999 Sienna Dashboard Bulb Burnt Out

You have a bigger problem than a bulb. There are a number of bulbs back there; if it were one bulb, only one guage or section would be out.

My bet is, there is a loose connection, either at the connector or the back of the dash panel. Id look under the dash in a dark area with the lights on and the dashpot all the way to Bright, and then check connections under/behind the dash. If you can, have someone else there to either wiggle while you watch (hey, if she' HOT, I'll come watch, too...) er, or watch while you wiggle (count me OUT on this one!) and see if the guage lights flicker or something. Of course, the darker the better.

Try this first before we go ripping the dash out...it can be a pain.

Actually, you will probably have to remove the lower panel to get beter access to the connections, anyway. Look for 3-4 screws along the top of the panel, an 2-4 along the bottom.

Hey Haichiroku, thanks for the response.

Additionally to what I mentioned already, it appears that the light(s) went out slowly. I remember that they were much dimmer then they originally were for a few months before they went out completely.

Would this indicate that perhaps they did burn out in stages and that they're now all gone or can the connection issue you mention have occurred in such a way?

Thanks again!

Wow, that IS weird!

Now, did the radio dim with the dimmer before? DOES it dim with the dimmer NOW? Check that out.

You have me on this one. Unless it's a flourescent display, it's weird to have the whole guage cluster go out at once. The way I would go about this one is to start at the dimmer. You say you already did this; it should be a one-contact dimmer; one wire for voltage in and one wire from the wiper out to the dash.

If it is by chance a dual-gang dimmer I could see what you're describing happeneing, but usually it's one winding and one wiper...

Ok, so to remove the dash, remove the lower panel, and then remove the bezel from around the guages. There should be 3-4 screws at the top. Remove the bezel and you should see 4-6 screws holding the dash cluster in, remove these and carefully fanagle the dash cluster around the steering wheel; remove the harnesses in the back before pulling TOO hard.

Look for broken/burned traces on the printed circuit on the bvack onf the panel. Also look for frayed/broken wiring in the harneess.

These are just shots in the dark...I never heard of a problem like this, unless there is a short or open somewhere. My '85 Celica has one light that would go out occasionally, but a good WHACK to the side of the cluster brings it back!

Hi again, for what it's worth, I just went outside and checked and yes, the dimmer control does operate the lights in the radio and other buttons around it with no problem. Thanks!

Hey! Let us know how you made out with this, 'K?

Hachiroku, So far your assistance has been invaluable. I started taking the dash apart and "working" the wiring harnesses as you suggested and lo and behold the light started working on the right side of the guages (fuel and speedometer)! I was thinking that I was all set if what you suggested would work.

Since I didn't have any bulbs as of yet and the left side of the dash didn't work after jiggling it around I didn't proceed to crack the dashboard open all the way.

As an aside, after removing the bottom screws, the plastic bottom housing, the inside bottom metal housing I'm kind of at a loss as to how to proceed and as to whether I may actually be able to get at the remaining bulb from the bottom or if the whole dash will need to be moved forward. Anyways, I've got some work ahead of me.

Thanks again, RFguy.