I know this is an odd question,(but thats me) Does anyone know if the actual dash light ever burns out??

 

Yes they do....At least on my Ford Windstar, I have replaced several....I am sure the Lexus ones will also.....

 

I did not exactly get your question ... warning lamps [they can go bad ,, and they cycle ON when you twist the ignition key to on/run-before start. A good driver always check that they are working]

If you are talking about the display lights [intensity controlled by the ****] they turn on when you turn manual-lights to park or auto (based on ambient light),,, they too can burn out, but they are more than one. You would notice portion of the display to be dark. If you ever need to replace them, I recommend doing all as they will start popping one by one.

No guarantee, but you can extend the life by keeping the dial at less than max. In any case, full bright setting is too bright for me. Its been 10yrs, the only one I needed to replace in dash has been the "D" light (2 times).

Salim

 

Thanx salim,Thats the one i was talking about (the main board lights) i could care less about that d light.

 

lexus114, the dash light that illuminates the numbers and tic marks (everything white) is illuminated by one single miniature cold cathode tube. It's in the shape of an L, goes across the cluster end to end. It's approx 1/4 inch thick and a foot long. There is a sheet of clear acrylic between the tube and the cluster face with tiny "cuts" that reflect the light across the cluster. VERY nice engineering

There are no "bulbs" that illuminate anything in the cluster, other than the ones for the pilot lights.

The cold cathode tube should last the lifetime of the car. It will loose brightness overtime and get more 'yellowish' but shouldn't "die" completely.

I know so much about this because i did an LED conversion in the cluster to get a crisper white. Wired 60 white LED's in a long strip which replaced the cathode tube

 

The last time I took the dash light out to replace the "D" bulb, there looked like there were several bulbs for different areas. There is no "big bulb" that lights a big portion of the dash. Looks like they'll blow (if they do) one at a time. So, one day your speedo goes, the next maybe the tach. then etc.

 

Hey thanks for that very detailed information cduluk.

 

Glad i could help

 

I need to verify, but there is a unique way the needles are lit , vs the cluster. For now I think both answers are correct.

Salim

 

The needles on the Rx300 are illuminated by the same light from the cathode. They're not independently illuminated.

Well they are on my rx300's cluster, but i made them like that lol...

 

here are some pics i took of some rx300 cluster parts half-way through my modifications.

 

 

There was a big hoopla when RX was introduced about the pure white light for the needles (and the numbers of the dial).

Cduluk .. what are the top row of holes for in the white plastic?

Also thank you for the detailed photos.

Salim

 

what do you mean top holes? You mean all the random holes and slits? Pretty sure they're to allow for heat to escape, other than that they serve no purpose...

 

#11 last picture shows a row of holes at the bottom and a row holes (in an arc) at the top.

The bottom holes are for warning lamps and the top holes is what I was asking about. Usually the cluster does not have large holes without purpose .. things can crawl in and even dust inside the cluster is very annoying ... so whole thing is typically closed (not vacuum level close). The electronics are the bulbs are supposed to be low heat generating source. [Hint cold cathode]

Salim