*please read entire thread before telling me to search other threads*

I have a '92 LS400, and recently my dashboard went completely dark. I thought, I mean, I hoped that the problem was the dashboard fuse. I replaced the fuse, started the car, and the dashboard would light up for about 1-2seconds before it would go completely dark again, burning the fuse instantly (I repeated the process 5xs or so). I read many of the threads in regards to this issue and I became aware of Jim Walker and his services. I sent Jim my dash this past Monday, and he received it on Wednesday. Jim called me on Wednesday and said he tried to work on the cluster, but he couldn't because apparently my cluster works fine (so he didn't have to work on it). So the reason my dashboard doesn't light-up when it's in my car, at this point, is unknown. I don't know what to do. I really don't want to take it to the dealer (and fork-out the big bucks that I don't have). If anybody out there has insight, info, suggestions, and/or knowledge, please feel free to reply or contact me.

Any response is definitely appreciated.

 

What other electrical components share the same fuse?

 

Sorry GRAND LS 4 for not replying earlier, but I was out of town. The fuse that keeps burning out, the dashboard fuse, does not have any other electrical components sharing it. But in the fuse box, there are some other fuses that have wires to them (I have an aftermarket amp & sub hooked up to the factory stereo). I wouldn't be able to tell you which exactly fuses have the wires because I can't find my manual to ID them. I know that one wire is from the amp, the other two I have no clue. The amp & sub were hooked up at a local shop like 2 yrs ago. Who knows, that may could be the root of the problem, though the dashboard was working fine 'till recently.

 

Try stepping the fuse up by 5amps?

You could have a capacitor that is drawing too much current at once and burning the fuse.. What is the stock fuse rated at? Are you sure you're replacing with the correct fuse rating?

 

The fuse is rated at 10amps, and I'm very positive that the fuse rating is 10amps (I looked in the manual right before it got misplaced). So Suneet, if I replace the fuse with a fuse of 15amps, it should solve my problem, but more importantly, the added 5amps will not mess-up anything?

 

Im having the same problem and before I send my cluster out to be fixed where is the fuse located?? I looked under dash and under hood and couldnt find a fuse for dash....Thanks, Stroker

 

Stroker....the fuse thats giving me problems, the instrument cluster fuse, is near by the e-brake.

 

in the fuse box near e-brake is a fuse marked gauge, is that the one or is it outside the fuse box???

 

Nothing more than a fire may occur! I have always been told that its good practice not to EVER put in a higher amp fuse than is requested in a circuit. If you put in a higher amp and whatever is causing the fuse to blow could catch fire by overheating.

I should practice what I preach because just last week I had to borrow my dads Nissan truck. Due to my uncles shoddy work of adding trailering lights, the taillights had developed a short, because they kept blowing the 10 amp fuse. I had driven the truck up to Sams Club because I had not got my Lexus yet and my other car was in the shop. I had noticed that the taillamps had went out and I had to do some driving back on the freeway and with no taillights, that would be a no-no. I phoned my dad and told him what was going on. He said for me to put in a slightly higher amp fuse and against my better judgement (I told him that I rather not because I did not want to start a fire back there), I did anyway. The lights worked for about 5 seconds, then blew the 15 amp fuse! We came home with no taillights, but came a different way through town and I pressed the brakes a little to use to brake lights. The next day, he installed a 20 amp fuse (which I highly recommended against), to check where the short was. He said he wanted to to start burning/smoking so he could see where the short was. It never did smoke or overheat or blow that fuse, but he was able to track the short down to the wiring near the trailer harness... he cut that mess out of there and it was fine after that.

In summary, I would personally advise against installing higher amp fuses as a fix, unless it is only for a moment or two to see if you can troubleshoot something, but even then I do not think I would even do it personally on any of my cars. I have seen too many of other peoples cars go up in flames because of this. I once heard of a guy that used foil in a fuse box as a "temporary" fix, only to burn up his cars electrical systems.

If that is the only thing on the circuit on your car and its not the cluster, it sounds like there may be a short in the wires that go to the cluster. Have you checked power to that to see if it stays powered up with the cluster disconnected? I would be suprised if it was a short in the cars actual wiring though, as these cars (Toyotas in general) seem to have the best electrical systems out there, unless they have been tampered with, or modified.

Good luck!