dashlight dial

hi , i have a 1998 model , does anyone know if there is a way to dim / brighten the dashlights can't find anyway to do it , dash is not digital , cheers

Hello simon g and welcome to the forum.

Your best bet is to head over to the Toyota Electronic Parts Catalogue. You don’t specify your van but a link for mine (a LH119) is here:

https://toyota.epc-data.com/regius_ace/lh119v/114894/

The electrical rheostat for dimming the dash lights is in Scheme 2 switch 3 on this link:

https://toyota.epc-data.com/regius_ace/lh119v/114894/electric/8401/84119/

and is PNC 84119 however my van also doesn’t have this and didn’t come with it.

Picking a random van a 'RHZ100G' shows this:

https://toyota.epc-data.com/regius_ace/rzh100g/142705/electric/8401/84119/

It’s the same PNC 8411 and this links to two OEM parts (-J04 and -J03) one of which is obsolete.

The T-EPC takes you directly to Amayama but it’s also possible to search within that site using their filtering system. It's also very useful generally.

Googling the Toyota part number will bring up other buying sites such as Megazip and toyodiy plus things like eBay. The thing to be careful of is that sometimes the further away from original the more likely a parts error might creep in and some seem to list this part as a fog lamp switch. Just be careful you are getting the thing you want.

Also, for further parts searches modify the T-EPC to your exact van based on the Frame / VIN and happy hunting!

I’ve fitted a dimmer rheostat to a couple of old cars in the past and it’s fairly easy to do. While a lot of the dash wiring is in parallel (to deal with load and bulb failure) there’s (usually) a single feed supply (that’s switched with the side / headlights) and by adding a rheostat in that feed wire all the dash lights on that feed will dim. I have a VW that slightly changes the dash etc illumination between side and dipped but the dimmer works on both settings so must be after the light switch.

To identify the wiring head over to the “Hiacesoutheast” website and download the electrical (and other) manuals there; the electrical one is the best I’ve seen but it might not cover your van exactly.

It's also possible that a switch blank is already wired to accommodate a rheostat and it just needs installing or there might be a wiring connector that's already part of the loom and it just needs a rheostat to bridge the connectors instead. Manufacturers often build and install a more advanced loom that the vehicle is optioned for. You just need to do some looking!

If you don’t want to get a Toyota rheostat then any similar device that can go from 0 Ohm drop to a suitably high(er) resistance will work and you can fit that anywhere, even in a switch blank. I’d expect that OEM devices will drop to a set resistance so that there’s some illumination but I don’t know.

HTH and gives you the tools you need for all sorts of areas!

Cheers!

thanks for that , just for clarification my van is a KD-KZH100G-JRPET