m0rs

Hey guys,

This is an observation I made. I dunno whats going on, but would like some comments.

On a cloudy day when I manually switch on my headlights.. and whenever the car passes under an overpass (or probably any darker areas) I notice that the dash lights and the clock/temperature lights go dim and after the car clears the overpass, the lights brighten up after a second.

What is going on? I'm thinking the headlights brighten up under darker areas and so interior lights go dimmer? or what.. I checked the manual and did not notice anything in particular.

This is on a 1997 LS..

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

the light sensor on the top left part of the dash near the windscreen is adjusted to be too sensitive.

m0rs

ohh okay.. Thanks!

Is is easy DIY to reset it to the default settings?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

u just turn it left or right (its in the owners manual which way is which) to adjust the sensitivity.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

I guess First gen's didn't come with auto-dim. Or I just haven't noticed it.

I notice the lights come on and go off on their own in 'auto' mode.. which is handy. An auto-dim would be nice. Consider yourselves with added luxuries in 95+

Spacepig

My 98 LS does the same thing when going through an underpass/tunnel on a cloudy/ rainy day. I assumed that is was normal; the dash lighting is just adjusting to the change in ambient light. It was disconcerting when I first noticed it, as I thought maybe it was the beginning of a dash problem. But now I attribute it to thoughtful engineering; Toyota doesn't want me to have too much dash glare at night or in darker conditions.

jcrome04

My 97 does the same. I noticed it and got a little conflicted, but then went through a few more underpasses and noticed it's because of the sensor!

nothing to fret about!

Och

iTrader: (3)

The fist gen auto dims as well. The car has a sensor on the dashboard, near the windshield, and when it gets dark out, or if you pass under an underpass or any other dark area, it will dim the instrument cluster lights. However, it only does it when your headlights are on, if your headlights are off, it won't do anything. Also, the same sensor turns on the headlights when your headlight switch is set to auto. I believe there's a way to adjust it, but I have no idea how.

ncbitman

Does anyone know how to adjust the headlight sensor on the first gen?

emarknot

only "auto dim" when you turn on your lights and you have the dash dial turned down.

yup, auto dim rules. 1st gen doesnt have it.

deanshark

My 93 dash lights dim when I go through a tunnel with the headlights off. Maybe it has something to do with the dimmer used when the Headlights are on b/c I keep mine turned down almost all the way, 1 notch before off.