All Dashboard Gauges Not Working (2000 Ls400)

[LS400Platinum]

Hello, I have a 2000 LS400 and all my gauges are dead. Radio, heat and air conditioning all work fine. One of my battery cables had come loose and after I went and tightened it down the car started fine but the gauges wouldn't light up. I'm worried I may have blown something. I read that was a somewhat common issue but I thought it was only on early LS models. Is there a fuse just associated with the gauges? It didn't appear so from looking in the owners manual. Any ideas on how I can fix this? Prior to the gauges dying they were bright and working just fine. I didn't notice any dimming or other behavior to indicate they were about to fail.

[landar]

and you did rotate the dimming knob to make sure it was not turning the gauges off, correct?

[LS400Platinum]

Yep, I've tried rotating the switch. I get nothing no matter what position the dimmer switch is in. It's weird because everything else is working just fine.

[landar]

Yep, I've tried rotating the switch. I get nothing no matter what position the dimmer switch is in. It's weird because everything else is working just fine.

Ok. And you didn't happen to try and jump start the car when the battery cable was loose, right?

Also, check out this thread for similarities -> http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=63472&st=0&p=405858&hl="gauge%20lights"&fromsearch=1entry405858

[LS400Platinum]

Nope, just went up and tightened the battery cable. Car started right up but I didn't have gauges.

Just read that post and that definitely sounds like the exact problem I have. Anything else easy that I should try before taking it to the shop?

[landar]

Nope, just went up and tightened the battery cable. Car started right up but I didn't have gauges.

Just read that post and that definitely sounds like the exact problem I have. Anything else easy that I should try before taking it to the shop?

I would go over the fuses again to see if there is anything obvious. Perhaps it is the circuit board. The "jump" question was a possibility of accidentally crossing the cables and blowing the board.

[LS400Platinum]

It looks like the gauges and A/C control are all on the same circuit so if my A/C working it can't be the fuse.

I see lots of tutorials about removing the gauge cluster on early LS models. Does anyone have a guide out there on how to do this for later models? If I did get it out how hard would it be to repair if it is the power inverter?

Just in case it is something to be to handle on my own does anyone know of a good electronics shop in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that could handle something like this. I'd rather take it somewhere that specializes in this kind of thing rather than the dealership.

Thanks for the help.

[LS400Platinum]

I decided to try just disconnecting the battery and letting everything reset. Sure enough, that fixed the problem!