Bulls I Posted June 19, 2008 Share Posted June 19, 2008 Just bought a 1999 LS 400 and my wife said that the instrument panel lights flickered a couple of times while driving. While reading the site here I see that this is common on the earlier model years. Could this be the same for the 1999? I also see that it could be the battery which is an easy fix. I'll check that out too. Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulls I Posted August 7, 2008 Author Share Posted August 7, 2008 It appears that when my wife was exiting the parking ramp at work the automatic lights would go on and make the dash lights dim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenmore Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 On Gen I cars, 1990-1994, weird dash light flashing suggests a potential failing alternator. Check that out before buying a new battery or it will drain your new battery too. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 300CE 2000 C280 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdg319 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Just bought a 1999 LS 400 and my wife said that the instrument panel lights flickered a couple of times while driving. While reading the site here I see that this is common on the earlier model years. Could this be the same for the 1999?I also see that it could be the battery which is an easy fix. I'll check that out too. Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance. I also have a 1999 LS 400 and my dash lights dim or flicker when I am driving, but after awhile I was able to narrow it down to when I go under overpasses or enter tunnels. Like you, at first I thought this might be leading to the instrumental panel failure that some of the 1st gens have, but after doing some studying I have read that these gauges adjust their brightness level to the ambient light conditions. I have verified that this is true, as soon as I enter my garage the lights go dim, when I pull out they get brighter. A neat feature in theory, but a little aggravating sometimes on the highway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrome04 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 I thought I had a problem with my 97. It's just driving in shadowed areas at darker times of day/night causing the sensors to dim the lighting. Thank God right? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threadcutter Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 I thought I had a problem with my 97. It's just driving in shadowed areas at darker times of day/night causing the sensors to dim the lighting.Thank God right? :) There is a photosensor (that I thought was on the top of the dash) that senses ambient light conditions and adjusts the dash lights accordingly. There is a capacitor in the circuit that changes value over time (wears out) and the result is that the change in brightness is almost immediate, hence the reason you notice it. When the car was new (as was the capacitor), the change was gradual/slow enough that you didn't notice it changing. Mine does the same thing. I could go after finding and changing the cap, but it's not a big enough deal for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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