JHS999

Thanks for the great write up. There is no way I could have done
this repair without it. Everything worked just as you indicated and the
new LCD screen works great. Thanks once again.

spsinha

Hey guys, great write up. Does anyone know what the part number is for a 1998 GS300 Radio?

-Sanjay

LW ES300

1992-96 ES300 - The setup is different (climate on top of radio) on my '96 ES300, but these are the same steps I followed from DIY bulb replacement. Pull out air vent on top, then top 2 philips screws and then bottom 2 philips srews (as shown in Woogies pics). BTW, great pics & step by step instructions!

As stated by the Woogie, put car in first gear, pull up parking brake and turn off car. This gives much more room to move everthing around.

ps These are also the same steps to remove climate control to replace those bulbs.

asorowka

Allow me to echo everyone thanks to Woogie for his DIY tutorial. Everything worked as planned. I called Pioneer Canada trying to order the Assembly. Their service manager spent 20 minutes trying to scare me about the hazards of tackling the job myself, ESD protection, factory warranty, no guarantees etc. Pioneer Canada also doesn't sell directly to customers. I finally got him to give me a couple of dealers in Ottawa and Toronto who could order the parts for me. I ordered one from Hi-Tronics in Ottawa. Total price including S&H was $160 Cdn -- a little steep, but better than going through the dealership.

I used one of my kids plastic silly putty modeling clay paddles to safely pry the vent and bottom panels off. The only issue I had was that with my ham-hocked fingers, I dropped a mounting bolt into the bowels below the radio. The Japanese designers of the ES300 must have been moon-lighting as Pachinko designers, as I heard the bolt rattle and clang down inside, but for the life of me I couldn't locate it to retrieve it. Oh well, here's hoping it doesn't rattle around too much. It looks like a reasonably common bolt, so I'm hoping it shouldn't be too much trouble to find a replacement.

Thanks again for the tips and encouragement. Another job well done.

Andrew

peter1965

related question but on a similar theme... i have an 97 ES 300 and want to buy a CD stacker that will interface with the std head... Any idea where i can get one? Oh and just to make it harder i am in Australia...

cheers pete

Woogie

Wow, this thread has grown quite a bit. Thanks to everyone who has checked it out, and I am sure glad I was able to help you guys out.

Please feel free to post any questions you have or PM me.

charley240

iTrader: (6)

thanks to you. i didnt think you were even around. btw, ive found the replacement for the radio bulbs, so now i have all new radio oem.
Charley

gserep1

I have a 99 GS400 with Pioneer Radio. My LCD screen is all garbled, but all the other lights work fine. Do you have the correct part number for the GS units, or are they the same?

On my first 99 GS 400 Lexus replaced the entire radio for free long after the 50,000 mile warranty was up. I bought the car used with 78,000 miles on it back in 2003, and they stil fixed it. With this 2nd GS400, (and all these many years) I am not sure if they would. I gotta fix this one myself, and $1000 bucks for a new radio is ridiculous.

I'll give Pioneer a call if all else fails.
Thanks so much

nabber

Just did mine in my 98 300ES. Took an hour. Great instructions and pictures.

Ordered from Argo Nexus Inc in Toronto. Next day delivery. Taxes and delivery all in $154.23.

Can read the radio stations again!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU WOOGIE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ProfessorP

I finally got around to replacing the LCD on my 97 ES300. $110 or so from partstore.com.

Did I read that there was a place that gave you back some money for used LCD's? Or was it my imagination?

cu2cool

Just replaced my LCD, purchased from the pioneer website for $117.19 after tax. This is a great write up. You have to be very careful when removing the vents and lower cover though because it is very easy for the metal holding bracket to pop off and fall under the center console. Even though it's pretty tough to get out, you still have to do it carefully. After removing the lug nuts, a tip is to remove the A/C unit from the metal frame first. You can remove the faceplate off the radio while it's still in the metal frame (saving time unscrewing 8 screws).

So my LCD is fixed, hurray for that. I still have the problem of dead LED lights for my radio though. Is there anyone who has attempted to fix the LED lights for the buttons? If there is a write-up specific for the '97 radio that would be awesome. I know there's a write-up on Toyota Nation, but I would like to know the specific LED size/color for my radio.

The new, working LCD


Night Shot


As you can see, I am missing the lights for my volume ****, preset, and tuning buttons.


Also, is the Outside Temp **** supposed to be illuminated as well? Because mine isn't. All other A/C unit lights are OK.

OceanView

I did this DIY about a year ago.
Everything was good till about 6 months ago the LCD went bad again.
Did I just get a bad LCD? I'm hesitant about buying another screen if these go bad relatively fast.

Woogie

I think you just got a bad LCD. You should check to see if there is any warranty that came with it. If so, you might still have a chance to get this replaced on Pioneer's dime.

My LCD is still fine ever since I replaced it - this must have been a few years ago (whenever the heck I made this thread).

vbhalla24

I own 97 Lexus ES300 and had same issue. I did not find a way regarding how to distinguish between Pioneer or other brand just from outside however decided to take the risk of ordering part and replacing LCD on my own after reading your article. Part costs $125/- including shipping etc. and the whole procedure around 1.30 hr from start to finish.
You did a great job in explaining the steps via. pictures. It was really easier to understand and follow the instructions without any hickup. You did a great job and saved lot of money for me and others. My car looks great now with this flaw take care of. Excellent Thanks buddy.

terrick

Woogie, thanks for the great repair discription. I used a similar note about 6 years ago to replace my LCD. Worked well and continues to work longer than the OEM LCD. I have been very impressed with the Forum.
Now my issue is the diodes used to backlight the display. I lost a couple on the equalizer over the last couple years and didn't replace. Recently the entire backlight for the radio has flickered and now no lights are working. I pulled the IC board today. Saw no shorts, checked the fuses, and put it back together and still no lights.
These diodes require soldering. I would tackle the job but it appears I have a bad board versus bad diodes. The board designation is CNP4092-C.
Does anyone know how/where to purchase?