93 Es300 Mph Needle Bulb Burnt?

[imrat]

i have a 93 es 300 and it seems that both my mph gauge and rpm gauge needles do not light up anymore, do i just need to replace a bulb? or what do i need to do to get them to light up again

[busoptr]

i have a 93 es 300 and it seems that both my mph gauge and rpm gauge needles do not light up anymore, do i just need to replace a bulb? or what do i need to do to get them to light up again

This is common in 2nd gen es300's. There is a fix for the needles, you have to put a little led light underneath the needle,search for it in the forum.

[Lexucan]

Busoptr is right, the needles in most 2nd gen ES300s will sooner or later burn out. Two of the needles in my car were burnt out when I bought it three years ago. So I came up with a fix for it. You'll find it HERE

If you're good with your hands, have a few dollars to spend on parts, and you own or can borrow the use of a soldering iron, it's pretty simple to do.

[eternalcurry]

Hi Lexucan, thanks for putting up the instructions to fix the burnt needles. I recently purchased a 92 es300 from Vancouver and drove it back home in the Okanagan. The flickering lights on the dashboard kinda got me a little concerned and I googled it. Interestingly enough, this page came up. I feel better knowing that my car is not the only one with this problem. Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me some further info on the bulbs and needles situation.

How many bulbs do i need in total? I counted 4 for the dashboard, I am planning to buy the white ones with the bluish tints which you have used before.

Secondly i am a little concerned with taking out the dashboard compartment never having done so before (my skills are somewhat limited to oil changes, fuses and such :-( ). Any advice?

Lastly, do you know if there is alternative way of obtaining a spare set of keys? The previous owner lost the spares...

Well, thanks very much for your help.

Cheers

[blk_on_blk]

As Lexucan can tell you, these aren't bulbs (for they aren't waterfall needles), but rather a series of LED's running down the length of each needle. I did the "Lexucan-needle-repair" and it came out perfect. He's the only one I know of who has come up with a very cheap, relatively easy, and nicely effective repair.

[Lexucan]

As Lexucan can tell you, these aren't bulbs (for they aren't waterfall needles), but rather a series of LED's running down the length of each needle. I did the "Lexucan-needle-repair" and it came out perfect. He's the only one I know of who has come up with a very cheap, relatively easy, and nicely effective repair.

Thanks there, blk_on_blk!

eternalcurry:

As blk_on_blk stated, the original needles have a strip of surface-mount LEDs in them, not bulbs as such. Once they start to flicker, it means that they are on their way out. :(

In my DIY I used one new red surface-mount LED per needle to illuminate the tip of the needle, since this is the only part of the needle that you need to see to accurately read your gauges. I think there is info on my DIY page about where you can obtain that type of LED.

This is what they look like (but this is a deceptve photo...they are actually very tiny!) :

To give you a better idea of their actual size, A life-size 0805 SMD LED would easily fit inside these two brackets [ ]

And this is what it will look like when installed in the tip of the needle:

For the backlighting of the gauges, I used eight (8) white/blue T5 wedge-based 5mm 12volt LEDs that have a flat top, not the type with a rounded or domed top. The ones with the flat top throw light to the sides as well as through the top and so are best for this application.

They will look like this:

I bought them from an ebay seller for about $8 for a set of ten of them. You'll find info on how to remove your instrument cluster and how to install the LEDs HERE. BTW, I plan to update the cluster disassembly info with photos etc. in the next few weeks.

So, that's four (4) red surface-mount (SMD) LEDs to repair your needles

Plus eight (8) 330 ohm resistors - two (2) per needle

And eight (8) T5 wedge-based 12V flat-top LEDs for the gauge backlighting.

And about the keys: that's a good question! <_<

I have read on the forums that you can sometimes find keys with matching FCC ID numbers (it's printed on the plastic part of the key) on ebay. You have to find matching FCC numbers to be able to program the key to your car. Other than that alternative, I guess a Lexus dealership is the (expensive) way to go.

Hope this info helps. If you need any further info, feel free to PM me.

[Lexucan]

Also if your gonna do what Lexucan said the DIY method which I also did and it looks great I recommend buying like twice as many SMD lights that are needed cause I made quite a few mistakes while doing it but that may be just because im not very good at soldering microscopic lights hahah.

LOL...practice makes perfect...LOL :)

But you are right about the SMD LEDs being very small. I work with such tiny (and even tinier) devices all the time in my line of work (electronic design) which is why we have a high-powered microscope in our lab. But unless your eyes are very weak, a microscope should not be necessary for working with these LEDs. Steady hands are definitely helpful, and a simple magnifying glass will do fine for checking the quality of your work. :)

[eternalcurry]

hello lexucan,..thanks for the reply..it beats bringing it to a dealer and getting completely ripped off. I will be getting the parts soon and installing them. Looking forward to your photos of the removal process!

thanks!

[eternalcurry]

hi....i have a quick question regarding the cluster bulb removal (for the LEDs). Did you guys disconnect your battery's ground cable?

[BoaR]

hi....i have a quick question regarding the cluster bulb removal (for the LEDs). Did you guys disconnect your battery's ground cable?

yes yes yesyesyesyesye....

I rather not take any chances seeing as its a quick 2 second to do, not to muck up my deploy airbag light.

[Billybobjoe]

For the backlighting of the gauges, I used eight (8) white/blue T5 wedge-based 5mm 12volt LEDs that have a flat top, not the type with a rounded or domed top. The ones with the flat top throw light to the sides as well as through the top and so are best for this application.

They will look like this:

I bought them from an ebay seller for about $8 for a set of ten of them. You'll find info on how to remove your instrument cluster and how to install the LEDs HERE. BTW, I plan to update the cluster disassembly info with photos etc. in the next few weeks.

Before you buy LED backlights (needle SMD LEDs are OK) - you may want to check out this thread - http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=51118

If you use LEDs there is a chance they will die and you'll end up taking apart the dashboard many more times than you'd like (only once as opposed to 3-4 times . . .)

[motoroil]

Lexucan, or anyone who may know:

The link that hosted your DIY for the burnt out needles is not functioning. ClubLexus is up and running, but for some reason the posts will not show up. :o

Does anyone has this saved anywhere else?

Can anyone re-post it here, or somehow make it available again?

I've been driving with burnt out needles for some time now, and its finally driving me nuts--so I plan to fix it.

Thanks!

Ooops... they are showing up now. Probably just a problem with my computer. Sorry bout that.

[motoroil]

Does anyone know the P/N at Digikey or anywhere else for blue LEDs for this application--the needles?

My stereo and other interior lighting is blue--want to keep it consistent if possible.

Thanks!! :D

[Lexucan]

Does anyone know the P/N at Digikey or anywhere else for blue LEDs for this application--the needles?

My stereo and other interior lighting is blue--want to keep it consistent if possible.

Thanks!! :D

The Digikey part number for some blue LEDs is: 160-1579-1-ND

Just keep in mind that if you're planning to replace your cluster backlighting bulbs with white LEDs, blue tipped needles might not be very visible against the face of the cluster.

[motoroil]

Thanks Lexucan, I appreciate your help.

Regarding blue against white LED, what do you think about green?

I do still have my green climate control unit, and I could go green and that way match with the climate unit if you think green/white is better contrast?

Thanks!

PS--Your needle write-up is awesome, saving me lots of money. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[Lexucan]

Thanks Lexucan, I appreciate your help.

Regarding blue against white LED, what do you think about green?

I do still have my green climate control unit, and I could go green and that way match with the climate unit if you think green/white is better contrast?

Thanks!

PS--Your needle write-up is awesome, saving me lots of money. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Green tipped needles would probably show up better against a white LED backlit cluster. Usually the white LEDs have a somewhat blueish look to them in certain lighting conditions which is why I would be concerned that blue tipped needles might not allow you to read your instrument gauges easily.

But what you might consider doing is buying enough of both colors, since they are very inexpensive. Then you could do some experimenting to see which looks better....just an idea.

OR...you could use blue LEDs for your cluster backlighting which would match your other blue interior lighting and then use red SMD LEDs for your needles. That would look pretty cool and the needles would contrast very nicely against the blue gauges. Here is a pic of a cluster with blue backlighting. I'm not sure about this, but after reading the post the owner wrote about his cluster mod, it seems he liked the look of my "red tipped needles" so much that he blacked out his still working original needles so only the tips show up. :)

Anyways, here is the Digikey part number for some green surface mount LEDs: 160-1179-1-ND

I'm glad you've found the DIY write-up to be useful. It appears to have more or less become the standard fix for our 2nd gen. ES clusters.