howler

The RPM needle in my 2006 IS350 went dark about half it's length. Can I use a needle taken from a boneyard IS cluster? My friend has an extra IS cluster. How would I go about doing this? I've read the various forums about soldering new LED bulbs, but that may be beyond my skill level.

06350F

iTrader: (4)

There's a few places on eBay that will rebuilt the cluster and do custom colors. That's about as much as I know. My 06 also has that problem.

howler

Thanks BLAZE_TYLR,
I had a LS400 cluster rebuilt by an eBayer awhile back. They did a great job.
Since I have a donor cluster for my IS, I was hoping that I could switch out a needle to fix the issue.
It would be great if the method of attachment for the needle to the post is also the electrical connection for the needle LEDs.

pmanliu

iTrader: (4)

The LEDs are attached to the needles, so i think the answer to your question is yes, you can replace the needles and that should fix the led issue.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...needles-2.html

chi123

iTrader: (12)

I changed mine out several times to change up the colors. But if you have another cluster, all you have to do is wedge a flathead under the needle and pry it off. Then push the new one into place. The tricky part is that your speedometer or tach may be off and you have to adjust the needle to get it perfect again. You'll have to mess around with it, it kind of hard to explain how to get it at the right place.

howler

Thanks for the replies!
I'll try to swap out the dark needle this week, and report back how it went.

howler

Did the needle swap and it worked great!
Pried up with two right angle screwdrivers padded with electrical tape. A bit nerve-wracking as I thought I was man handling it at one point, but with the right amount of balanced force they popped off nicely. Had to take more a few stabs at aligning it right, but got it on the fourth or fifth attempt. Glad I had the boneyard cluster. Don't think I could have done the micro-soldering involved with LED replacement- looked very intricate inside the needle.
Thanks again for the great advice!