firasm

I know alot of guys have problem with these needles but i got a question about it and i cant seem to find it.

The instrument cluster looks like it has been messed around with like as if he had led bulb put in coz its pretty darn bright and white "well the needles are" for a 95 ls400. my problem is i have the speedometer needle problem sticking on zero at times then jumping to the speed number like 40 or 60 mph.
i have a Scan Gauge "its great, you guys need one of these" and it tells me lets im doing 40 mph, but the needle when it feels like working shows me that im doing 43mph and the same for all speeds. its inaccurate.

i also have a problem with the coolant temp gauge, its always at the level before bottom line. When i turn on the car for the first time all day or when ive been driving the whole day, i dont know if that normal or not. SO if anyone could help me with a pic of their instrument cluster taken with the light on and heated up already that would be great.

btw, what the operating temp for the coolant, because of this gauge problem, ive been kinda hesistant to find out what the normal operating temp is, seems in my car 172-197 degrees. can someone pls clarify that.

thanks alot
FM

Och

iTrader: (3)

As far as your cluster backlighting, when you headlights are on, the backlight should adjust by itself - if its dark it should dim itself, and when its light it should brighten. There also should be a ****, which you can use to adjust the brightness manually. If the automatic function doesn't work, try resetting the ECU by disconnecting the battery for 15 minutes.

I'm not sure what you mean by "scan gauge", but most cars speedometers aren't very accurate. They determine the speed by the wheel rotation speed, so if your rims and tires aren't factory, or worn out, it will post incorrect reading. In any case, these speedometers aren't calibrated too accurately, so 3mph isn't a major concern.

I'm also not sure when the normal operating temperature is for your engine, but for sticky needles, I posted a work around in the sticky thread in this forum. Even though it's for 90-94, I'm pretty sure it should work for a 95+ as well.

firasm

Thanks Och for the reply.

i dont have backlight problem and i know about when you turn the headlights on that the instrument cluster and dash brightness would dim. thats with all cars.

all im saying is the cluster seems too bright for a 95 lexus and that its probably been altered in some way. i think because of that, it could cause a faulty sticky speedometer needle.

I dont want to pay approx. $85 for a vehicle speed sensor and find out its not that.

And what about the coolant temp gauge, does it usually stay at that line (the line before the bottom one) ?

and regarding the scan gauge , heres the website www.scangauge.com , its pretty good. i have used it for nearly 3 yrs now, awesome tool.

Btw Och, im sorry if this might offend you but i really dont want to put a paper pin in my cluster, there must be a proper way of fixing it. i will use that info if all else fails.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Do you find the cluster backlighting itself being too bright or just the needles? I know there was a website that sold different color needles for our cars, but I don't know if they are brighter than stock. In any case, this is most likely unrelated to sticky speedometer needle, its a common problem on our cars.


Does your coolant temp gauge needle move at all, or stays at the same position all the time? It should move and stay slightly lower than the middle once the engine is properly warmed up. If it doesn't move at all, its most likely stuck. If it moves a little bit, then its either your thermostat, or the temperature sensor. Unless of course, like you said, your cluster has been modified, and something is broken.


Yeah, I hear you, but I've done a lot of research, and couldn't find a different method besides getting raped by the dealer to get a rebuilt unit for almost $2,000. With all these cluster problems being so common, Lexus should really make a recall.

1996LS400

Agreed with Och

Others have replaced there t-stats and fixed the low temp readings.