Thermostat Needle Gauge Busted Today,help! Easy Fix?pleaseee Help

[pete rock]

ok guys youve all been so much help with other stuff,im in need of some help now more than ever.i got into my baby today (93 es300).and i started her and noticed my thermostat gauge was already almost at half.so i was wondering if maybe someone started my car before me that morning.so i tapped lightly on the top of my dash and it went back down to cold where it should be before i started her for the first time.as i warmed her up it went up little by little normally.and then stopped almost at half so i gave my dash a little tap and it went to half like it should.i figured it was cold and it was sticking which isnt a big deal.then when i got home i shut my car off and its suppose to go all the way down when we shut the car off.so i tapped it again and noticed there was a plastic piece sticking on the top of the needle.so i gave it a tap and something plastic came off and rolled down the needle and it went all the way down passed the C so im sure now its busted.now my question is what do i do??should i buy a needle off ebay or take one from a parts car??i know the long needles are easy to take out of the cluster but im not sure how hard the thermostat needle is to replace.please guys im dieing here i always look at my thermostat gauge to make sure my car isnt running hot (im paranoid sometimes).so i would love to get this fixed quickly if possible.please experts any and all help is much appreciated.thank you

p.s. i dont want to buy another cluster because i dont want my mileage to change since the odometer is digital.

[Lexucan]

It sounds to me like the little plastic pin that limits the travel of your gauge needle has either broken off or come loose, and it got caught behind the needle and made the needle stick. When you tapped on the dash, it dislodged the pin and it fell down inside the cluster.

This should not be too difficult to fix, and should definitely not require you to buy a new cluster.

You'll need to remove the cluster and the smoked plastic front lens so you can get to the face of the temperature gauge. You'll find that loose pin in there somewhere. If it has broken off, you can use a spot of crazy glue to stick it back where it belongs. It is there to keep the needle from dropping down below the lowest mark on the gauge or it may be the one that keeps the needle from traveling past the top mark. You'll be able to tell which one it is once you get in there.

For info about how to remove the cluster, click on the LED Instrument Cluster Backlights DIY link in my signature below. Just follow the first 5 steps in the write-up to remove the cluster from the dash. Then there are a few screws and some plastic tabs holding the smoked plastic front lens in place.

Hope this helps.

[pete rock]

lexucan you are a god my friend.i have to ask you if i broke something in there can i pull the needle off and replace it with another like just pop it out without removing anything from the back end??im hoping i didnt break anything.but if i did can i do this?

[pete rock]

and lexucan another dumb question but i see your diy post for the backlighting.the backlighting bulbs do they have the color boots over the bulbs?i know my 92 camry did and when i took the little green boots off the dash lights were much brighter and not as dim and looked a little better.does my 93 es300 have these boots on them and if i remove them will this work like it did on my camry?

[Lexucan]

As far as finding anything broken inside your cluster, I am pretty sure that the only thing that you'll find is that little pin that has broken loose from the face of your temperature gauge. Once it is glued back in place, you should be good to go! And no, there is no need to get in behind the gauge face to fix it. You shouldn't have to pull the needle off either.

About the backlighting bulbs: yes, I found little blue booties on my old incandescent bulbs when i replaced them with LEDs. So, removing them should brighten up your gauges a wee bit.

[pete rock]

sweet lexucan again thank you so much for taking time to help me it is much appreciated i will try this fix tommorow afternoon and will let you know if i need anymore help im glad i have you to ask.

[pete rock]

ok i was impatient and did it already i took everything out got the lens out and got to the gauge and seen that both pins were broken off from each side.so i superglued both sides,im waiting for it to dry now and i will reinstall it tommorow.when i let the needle flow normally it still goes below the C tho.i dont think it did this when it was working 100% but im not positive does this sound wrong?

[Lexucan]

ok i was impatient and did it already i took everything out got the lens out and got to the gauge and seen that both pins were broken off from each side.so i superglued both sides,im waiting for it to dry now and i will reinstall it tommorow.when i let the needle flow normally it still goes below the C tho.i dont think it did this when it was working 100% but im not positive does this sound wrong?

I'd wait until tomorrow and see what happens after you reinstall the cluster. Since you did not remove the needle from the gauge (or did you remove it?) it should operate properly again once the cluster is reconnected. Let me know how it goes.

[pete rock]

no sir i didnt not remove the needle just glued the plastic pieces that broke off with the pins on them bac into the dash.i will install tommorow int he afternoon and ill be sure to update you thanx a million again

[pete rock]

ok lexucan i installed everything back today and was a little worried but i started her up,everything looked normal then i drove her and the gauge worked properly went to about the middle where it always goes and went down when i turned her off no problems again thanx a million for everything.if you ever need anything for your es300 or any other car you have just let me know i have a few salvage and junkyards around me and i will grab anything i can for you.thanx again and let me know if you need anything.i owe you for the help

[Lexucan]

ok lexucan i installed everything back today and was a little worried but i started her up,everything looked normal then i drove her and the gauge worked properly went to about the middle where it always goes and went down when i turned her off no problems again thanx a million for everything.if you ever need anything for your es300 or any other car you have just let me know i have a few salvage and junkyards around me and i will grab anything i can for you.thanx again and let me know if you need anything.i owe you for the help

Awesome! Glad to hear everything is working as it should again! I know you must have felt concerned about driving the car and not being able to accurately monitor the temperature. I haven't had that situation but if I did, it would worry me too! :(

I guess we're both a bit paranoid that way...lol

Anyways, no problem with helping you out. That's what this forum is for, after all. :)

And thanks for your offer. It's good to know someone who has quick access to used parts. You never know when you might need something...I'll think about it and let you know.

In the meantime, happy driving!

[pete rock]

sure thanxx and ill be happy to help you with anything your looking for.small stuff is easier than big stuff but id still try my best for anything big

[Lexucan]

sure thanxx and ill be happy to help you with anything your looking for.small stuff is easier than big stuff but id still try my best for anything big

Thanks....so how about a good used tranny? Is that too big? LOL (j/k) :D

My tranny is still running smooooth....which is somewhat surprising given the fact it has 435,000 kilometers on it. Or maybe that is not so surprising, given that it is a Lexus! :)

About the only thing I think I might need is a driver's seat cover that is in better condition. The leather on the seat cushion (the part my butt sits on) has some cracks in it, so it's only a matter of time before one of the cracks is going to open up. But that might not be for another couple of years...who knows? But if you happen to spot a 2nd gen. black leather ES300 front seat cover that looks to be in good condition, let me know. I don't know, are they hard to remove from the seat? Couldn't be too hard, I guess. I know they do come off. Anyways, I'd gladly send you the $$ if you were able to find one.

Oh - one more item that has been on my wish list is one of those newer type of auto-dimming rear-view mirrors with the built in digital compass readouts. I think they were standard in the 2006 ES330, but maybe earlier models too. A buddy in Sacramento put one in his 2nd gen ES....looked great!

[pete rock]

oooh ya the auto dim mirrors id love to put in myself how did he do it with the wiring and all that,since ours dont have any wiring attached anywhere to it.id love to put in in my 93 es300.and i have the same leatherinterior you do and my bottom part of my front seat is also cracked and has a split actually.ive found it very hard to find black interior i got really lucky one day and found the whole back seat section at my junkyard for $20in black cause when i bought mine it had sun rot really bad on the top end and looked terrible.the front seats were ripped out of the car i got my back seats from.but i will certainly watch out for that for you no problem at all.

[Lexucan]

oooh ya the auto dim mirrors id love to put in myself how did he do it with the wiring and all that,since ours dont have any wiring attached anywhere to it.id love to put in in my 93 es300.and i have the same leatherinterior you do and my bottom part of my front seat is also cracked and has a split actually.ive found it very hard to find black interior i got really lucky one day and found the whole back seat section at my junkyard for $20in black cause when i bought mine it had sun rot really bad on the top end and looked terrible.the front seats were ripped out of the car i got my back seats from.but i will certainly watch out for that for you no problem at all.

Yeah, it seems like a black interior on the ES was pretty rare back then. I really like the look a lot more than the usual beige interior you see in most of them. My back seats are in pretty good condition (much softer) probably because the windows are tinted so the sun doesn't shine directly on them. But the front seats have taken a beating from the sun over the years through the front windshield. :( I recently purchased one of those foil lined sunshades for it (ordered it from Sewell Lexus) so on sunny days I can prop that up inside the windshield and keep the front seats (and dash) from getting more baked from the rays. it sure helps to keep the temperature down inside the car too. I guess you are familiar with what it's like to sit on black leather on a hot day! :o Yeeeoow!! LOL

About the mirror, he ran his wiring for it down the A pillar and under the dash to get power. Did a pretty clean job of it. There's only a small bit of wire showing that goes from the mirror up to the headliner. I think he got it on Ebay for less than $50. It came out of a 2006 ES330 but like I mentioned, they were probably standard before that. But I think the first Auto-dimming mirrors didn't have the digital compass readout. I'd prefer one with the readout.

So, whatever you might be able to find in a visit to your local yards would be appreciated. Definitely no rush tho. As I said, this was just on my "wish list". Thanx! :)