Lights for speedometer and gauges around the speedometer working intermittently?

I have a 2003 Tacoma Standard 5-spd shift.

Recently the dash lights for my heat gauge on the left side of my Speedometer quit working. I thought that to be a bulb issue but before I got around to replace that bulb the rest of the lights for speedometer and gas gauge (located on the right side of the speedometer) stopped working. Ok ..so I still thought it to be a number of bulbs that had blown (although I thought it strange they all blew at the same time)??. Then all those lights started working again with exception of the one for the Heat gauge...well for one day...then not. Then they started working again...then not..this intermittent issue continues.

Is there a fuse - or - more than one fuse effecting the dash lights?
Better yet ..Is there also a relay in line with this circuit with a bad contact working intermittently????
If so where is this relay located?

Also the lights for A/C controls are working fine.
Speedometer itself works fine.
Parking lights/Headlights are working fine.
Dome light is working fine.
Dimmer control appears to be working fine.
I do not have a Hitch.

dwatex

 

Mine and lots of peoples have done this. If you hit the sense over the instrument cluster it does it turn on? For me it was just bulbs. Just replace all of them while you are in there

 

If you mean does the lights come on when I bang on the dash above the speedometer ...No.
Please clarify if I missunderstood.
Is it really necessary to remove the speedometer to replace the bulbs?

 

Yes. I just meant do they turn on. You have to remove the instrument cluster for the bulbs but it isn't bad. It is easy enough that id probably do that before hunting down an electrical problem or something

 

You'll have to really get in there and do some wiggling of those wires. I had a buddy of mine that actually had a crack in the soldering that attached the harness plug to the circuit board of the cluster that fed power to the lights in his car. It was a hairline crack, but enough to cause a problem.. that was a pain to find.