jdoolan

Started my 98 GS300 today (inside garage with headlight switch set to auto) .

Headlights came on but to my surprise - gauges and radio/HVAC controls had no backlighting.

I shut off car and restarted - all lights worked fine.

Drove car for a couple of miles and parked. The next time I started the car, same problem. Shut off and restarted car - still no lights. The only way I have any backlighting is if I turn the headlight switch to the off position.

I would think this is a fuse but it is funny how the lights started working when I restarted the first time and the fact that the backlighting works when the headlights are off..

Hmm....Any ideas?

biggie27

I remember some one else having the same problem a while back on this post you can check that out if Im not mistaken it was the fuse that caused it but Im not sure

hope that helps

nanotech

iTrader: (2)

I had the same exact problem last month on my 99 GS400.

I just took it to the dealership, it took them 4 hours to fix it. They didn't know what the problem was for a while, and they finally found out that it was just a little wire that was loose and they tightened it somehow. Now they work fine.

nanotech

iTrader: (2)

Actually, after reading yours again, mine was not EXACTLY the same.

My headlights AND gauges worked fine with the switch.

It was just the stereo, ac, and all the lights around the gear shift that worked opposite, when switch was on, those lights were off (but headlights were on), and in the daytime, when the switch was off, those lights were on, it was weird.

jdoolan

Actually my problem sounds identical to yours - The gauges themselves still work but there is no backlighting for the stereo, HVAC, gauges and gearshift...

This does work opposite the headlights like yours - headlights off, all backlighting works. Headlights on, all backlighting is off.

Do you have any idea which wire they "tightened"?

This makes it very difficult to drive at night.....

Thanks

nanotech

iTrader: (2)

Yes I know its very difficult to drive at night like that, even dangerous since you can't see anything about the gear shifter.

I don't really know which wire they tightened, sorry, but, if you have warranty, you should be covered, if not, then I don't think they would charge more than $100 for it.

jdoolan

Thanks for all your help - this should be covered under warranty but who knows - last time I took my car to the dealer coplaining about a rattle under the car they took 4 hours to find a missing bolt in the inner fender. They tried to charge me $320 to fix this - whittled them down to $80....

I expected the rattle to be covered under warranty so we will see about this electrical problem.