luckyguy Posted July 17, 2002 Posted July 17, 2002 I have a '93 LS400 and the lights for the tach/speedo sometimes does not work. It seems to not work when in the morning or when the car is cold. Has anyone run into this?
Birdie Posted July 22, 2002 Posted July 22, 2002 I have the same problem on my 94. I have spoken to several dealers about this. One replied that an electrical component (can't remember which one but can find out) in thedash has failed - 500.00 CAN$ to repair. Another suggested that two ground screws on the back of the display may have worked loose, making contact as car warms. He suggested pulling the display an tightening these. I have not tried either as thankfully the weather has been warm. I too would welcome input from others who may have had this problem.
luckyguy Posted July 23, 2002 Author Posted July 23, 2002 Birdie, What is the dealer that quoted $500 (CAN) to repair the unit and where are they located?
duker44 Posted October 17, 2002 Posted October 17, 2002 The two screws the dealer was talking about isn't the problem. check these guys out over at http://www.lexusdash.com They may have your answer.
luckyguy Posted October 21, 2002 Author Posted October 21, 2002 Thanks for all the info. I emailed them and got some good info. I also found a place that could repair it locally in the SF Bay Area. Mikado Technology (888.962.5236) said they would repair the instrument cluster and the climate control display for $600. They normally don't work directly with the public and deal mostly with dealers and repair shops, but business was slow and they were willing to do my repairs. I'm bringing it in tomorrow.
luckyguy Posted October 22, 2002 Author Posted October 22, 2002 I just got back from the shop and they repaired the circuit board and replaced the LCDs on the climate control/clock. It's great having both of them working again. If you need any of this work done they do not deal directly with the public. I just got lucky. But they will work with any auto repair shop. All you need to do is bring it in and have your repair shop contact them. :D The other place that said they could fix it said it would cost anywhere from $515 to $615, depending if you wanted to have the odometer still read the original mileage.
UCF3 Posted December 3, 2002 Posted December 3, 2002 Does the Speedo Cluster recharge itself after the car has been running for a while and is the temperature cold outside?
luckyguy Posted December 3, 2002 Author Posted December 3, 2002 After the temperature in the car warms up the lights would come on.
UCF3 Posted December 4, 2002 Posted December 4, 2002 I remember when I was in Ottowa. This same thing happened to me, where the ions in the gauge cluster would dim down so much it would be hard to see it compared to warm conditions. The temperature was below freezing point. This might be the same scenerio, I'm guessing, and I don't think changing the gauge cluster would do much. You might have to stay with that problem since it's temporary.
dusLS400 Posted December 6, 2002 Posted December 6, 2002 I am new to the site and I am experiencing the same problem. I bought my '94 LS400 in May of 2001 with 36,000 miles. No problems until October 2002...when my dash kept taking longer and longer to light up (and getting worse). I live in Wisconsin, so based on what I have researched so far, I am blaming the problem on the cold and a defective circuit board (If your cluster is totally dark with the exception of the shifter position and headlight-on lights, your "power source unit" circuit board is shot. The part number is 83247-5A050-RP). I just wanted to let you know that I have registered this defect with NHTSA (and I am not the first....and I hope I'm not the last). The rep I spoke to told me that if there is a trend and the defect is severe enough, NHTSA will try to initiate a recall. That is where we come in. Call 1-888-327-4236 and let's get this defect documented. I was also told that I could petition a recall. Just send a letter to: US Dept of Transportation NHTSA Att: Office of Defects Investigation - John White 400 7th Street SW Room #5319 Washington DC, 20590 In the letter, document your experience, the dangers of this, include the defect ID from your complaint to the NHTSA (if you can), etc. I like my LS400 (it drives like a dream), but this is unacceptable to me and I don't feel it is fair, because I live in the northern region of the US instead of a warmer region, to have to give up an 'arm' or 'leg' to get it fixed when it is obviously a design defect. Thanks for letting me vent, Driving in the dark in Wisconsin
bobsvilla Posted December 25, 2002 Posted December 25, 2002 This is more of a "preventive maintenance" suggestion. I read on another "Lexus" forum that the tach/speedo illumination was designed to operate at a max of 12 volts. Under normal operating conditions your bat/alt run at 14+ volts, adjusting (dimming) the brightness may extend the life expectancy of the display. I think dusLS400 makes a good point about contacting the NHTSA (1-888-327-4236) re: factory defective parts. I think we should also advise them about the clock/climate control. With over 500 visits to this "thread" it appears to be a common complaint. I wonder if there is a Canadian equivalent of the NHTSA? cheers, bob
Russ Posted January 9, 2003 Posted January 9, 2003 I have the same problem with my 93 LS400. I just got the car 9 months ago and have not noticed the problem until the winter came. Here are the details of the problem. It only occurs in the morning(I suppose its due to the long time that the car has been in the cold overnight), and only when the temperature is under 30 degrees F. Although most of the indicators on the panel don't come on, the high beam along with Drive, L1, and L2 do come on. Although the needles are not illuminated the temp gauge, the speedometer, and the tachometer needles do work, that is they move appropriately. The only gauge that does not work under this condition is the Fuel gauge. All the faulty indicators and gauges start working and illuminate after I drive and warm up the car for 10 - 15 minutes. Is this the kind of time frame you guys are seeing?
Jim Walker Posted February 2, 2003 Posted February 2, 2003 Lexus LS400 '93 and '94 especially have a problem with the instrument cluster lights (dash lights). Many many people have this problem. The dash lights won't come on for a while, then they will flicker and finally come on. This is more evident in cold weather. This problem gets worse over a period of weeks or months until they will refuse to come on at all. My car did that. '93 LS400. The Lexus dealer wanted $1400 to repair it. I repaired mine myself, I'm an electronics engineer and I can repair yours too. Email me at: jimlwalker@sbcglobal.net Jim Walker
malaybabee Posted March 1, 2003 Posted March 1, 2003 YES! I am having that problem also... Does anyone know where I can find the factory instructions to get into the cluster gauge or remove it correctly?? B)
Jim Walker Posted June 7, 2003 Posted June 7, 2003 I have instrument cluster removal instructions that I will share with anyone that asks, no charge of course. I have been repairing this particular dash light problem for several months now. I have done many many of these. The problem is caused by the aging several components in what Lexus calls the "power source" circuit boards. This particular design flaw is unique to the 93 and 94 LS400 vehicles only. When I repair the circuit boards, I not only replace the components that are currently bad, but also the ones that are potential future problems as well. The components that I use to replace bad ones with are of higher quality rating than the originals. After I repair the boards, they are essentially rebuilt and you should never have the problem again. Lexus cannot make that claim because they simply replace those bad circuit boards with new circuit boards with the same design flaws built right in. They WILL fail too, eventually. I have one customer that had the dealer replace his twice. The last set of boards lasted him less than 2 years. He then found me and I have repaired his and I guaranteed his for as long as he owns the car. You can find several posts elswhere on this forum of people who's circuit boards I have repaired for them. You'll find that in every case, they are happy with my repair and the price. I don't have a business, I'm just an individual that happens to be an electronics engineer and a fellow LS400 owner. I offer my services to others because I think Lexus charges way too much for this and I want to make a few bucks for myself in the process. If you are interested in having yours fixed (rebuilt) please Email me and let's talk about it. :) Jim Walker -----New Email : jimlwalker@sbcglobal.net
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