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OEM license plate light question

Discussion in '5th Gen 4Runners (2010-2024)' started by glwood54, Sep 18, 2020.

  1. Sep 18, 2020 at 8:36 AM
    #1
    glwood54

    glwood54 [OP] Stop making me buy stuff!

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    Gary
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    Recently, I replaced all my interior, puddle, and license plate lights with LED lights, which are so much brighter, and am very happy with the results...except one - last night when I was out aiming my new fog lights, when I went to leave I noticed my backup camera was blotchy and hard to see much with. I recently read a post, which I cannot now find, that said the brighter LED license plate lights can create more glare, messing up the backup camera.

    I saved all the OEM bulbs I took out, and my question is this - can anyone with a 2019 (though I don't know if it matters on year) tell me what bulb is in the license plate lights? I have 10 OEM bulbs left over, 4 of which are the same, so I assume those were from the door puddle lights, then 3 sets of 2 lights that match each other, but not the other sets. These are the markings on the bulbs I have:

    2 - Toshiba 12v 8w U93
    2 - 944 KOITO W5W 12v 5w E4 2AE
    2 - Toshiba 12v 5w W5W E2 2J6 889 (1 has 89X)
    4 - Toshiba 168 (2 have I9E8, 2 have I9E7) which I assume are the door puddle light bulbs since there are 4 168 bulbs.

    Does anyone know (or wouldn't mind horribly pulling a bulb to take a look) which of the above bulbs are for the license plate lights? They're all so similar, I don't even know if it would matter, but it'd be nice to know...
     
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  2. Sep 18, 2020 at 8:56 AM
    #2
    ForRun

    ForRun 4Runner

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    I went Diode dynamic 6k cool white /24 lumen. White light not to bright. No camera interference

    Screenshot_20200918-105402_Samsung Internet.jpg
    Screenshot_20200918-105427_Samsung Internet.jpg
     
  3. Sep 18, 2020 at 11:48 AM
    #3
    MeefZah

    MeefZah ------------

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    This guy, mine labeled

    89H
    KOITO
    W5W12V5W E4 2A E JAPAN

    I pulled it just for you

    20200918_114655.jpg
     
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  4. Sep 18, 2020 at 12:34 PM
    #4
    glwood54

    glwood54 [OP] Stop making me buy stuff!

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    Looks very much like the second one I listed above, thank you!

    You, my friend, are a gentleman and a scholar. I owe you a brew next time you're in the Land of Enchantment.

    I get the feeling that the Toyota factory where the 4Runners are built has immense bins of these bulbs, and some match exactly, some don't, and I'm not even sure if it matters as long as the voltage and wattage is the same.

    Gary
     
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  5. Sep 18, 2020 at 1:09 PM
    #5
    MeefZah

    MeefZah ------------

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    LOL, no problem. Just sitting around bored, gave me something to do. I think any 5w wedge base bulb would work...
     
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  6. Sep 25, 2020 at 9:41 AM
    #6
    glwood54

    glwood54 [OP] Stop making me buy stuff!

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    Ordered a set of these and put them in last night. They are whiter, a bit brighter, and don't seem to affect the backup camera, as you said. The only thing about them I don't care for, or any LED bulb in this location for that matter - because of the angle of the bulb, they shine the light out to the side, and not so much down onto the license plate like they're supposed to. The oem bulbs, while being more of a yellow color, actually light up the license plate better IMO due to the glass bulb emitting light over a broader area instead of just to the outside. These LED bulbs light up the edge of the plate, and outward from there on the tailgate. I wanted better license plate lights, not ones that illuminate the rear hatch. It seems that is the limitation of LED bulbs in this location. Worth a try, thanks.

    I will probably go back to the oem bulbs.
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2020
  7. Sep 25, 2020 at 9:52 AM
    #7
    glwood54

    glwood54 [OP] Stop making me buy stuff!

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    You're right, there. Last night, I was experimenting with the DD license plate lights, and switching bulbs back and forth from LED to OEM, and lo and behold, one of the OEM bulbs went flying when trying to get it out of the socket, and of course it broke. Anyway, I switched to one of the other bulbs on my list that said 5W, and it works fine in that location.
     

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