First look. Inside the Lexus sc300/400 gauge cluster.
02-16-03, 05:20 PM
#1
Keeper of the light
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iTrader: (17)
First look. Inside the Lexus sc300/400 gauge cluster.
More than not the second most annoying problem with the Lexus sc400 electronics are the needles not lighting up on the speedo gauges, second only to the lcd lighting problems of the climate control. Other issues involve the lighting for the gauges. There are several lights that wrap around each gauge and light the numbers for each section of the cluster.
following are 3 posts with 2 pics each showing the inner workings of the illusive Lexus Gauge cluster unit guts.
following are 3 posts with 2 pics each showing the inner workings of the illusive Lexus Gauge cluster unit guts.
Last edited by O. L. T.; 07-31-03 at 02:21 PM.
02-16-03, 05:23 PM
#5
Keeper of the light
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iTrader: (17)
if any images do not show up for you, refresh and they should.
in the second photo you can see the canisters that house the gauges, the tiny led inside is built in and replacement is not likely. for those who have needles that do not light, replacement of the entire gauge canister is the only way to solve this.
in the second photo you can see the canisters that house the gauges, the tiny led inside is built in and replacement is not likely. for those who have needles that do not light, replacement of the entire gauge canister is the only way to solve this.
Last edited by O. L. T.; 02-16-03 at 05:25 PM.
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02-16-03, 09:33 PM
#10
Keeper of the light
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iTrader: (17)
removing the cluster is as follows:
above the steering colum and in front of the speedo cluster is the black housing for the dimmer switch and security light as well as the clock settings buttons. That housing is on a set of snaps, 4 of them to be exact. it is likely that one of the 4 snaps will break upon removal so keep a tube of super glue handy. (the old plastic gets brittle).
after snapping the black housing (i suggest a right angle pic to assist) out by pulling FORWARD ONLY (not upwards) you can unplug the dimmer and clock buttons.
the cluster has 4 screws, one on each corner, that hold it to the dash. after unscrewing the cluster, it will pull just far enough to release the three large wire harness plugs free.
***********************
As far as the dash goes as a whole. you have to start from the bottom of the drivers side and work your way up and over. let me tell you from experience, you'd rather slam your head in a plate glass door than work with removing the dash once you get to the center console.
if you just want a quick way into the dash, to acess the driver side, simply pull on the area left of the steering wheel and it will pop right out and reveal a hole almost large enough to fit the average hand into.
from the passenger side removing the glovebox will give you acess to the blower and other items, and a simple process of removing the radio and climate control will give you acess to absolutely nothing but a firewall in the center.
above the steering colum and in front of the speedo cluster is the black housing for the dimmer switch and security light as well as the clock settings buttons. That housing is on a set of snaps, 4 of them to be exact. it is likely that one of the 4 snaps will break upon removal so keep a tube of super glue handy. (the old plastic gets brittle).
after snapping the black housing (i suggest a right angle pic to assist) out by pulling FORWARD ONLY (not upwards) you can unplug the dimmer and clock buttons.
the cluster has 4 screws, one on each corner, that hold it to the dash. after unscrewing the cluster, it will pull just far enough to release the three large wire harness plugs free.
***********************
As far as the dash goes as a whole. you have to start from the bottom of the drivers side and work your way up and over. let me tell you from experience, you'd rather slam your head in a plate glass door than work with removing the dash once you get to the center console.
if you just want a quick way into the dash, to acess the driver side, simply pull on the area left of the steering wheel and it will pop right out and reveal a hole almost large enough to fit the average hand into.
from the passenger side removing the glovebox will give you acess to the blower and other items, and a simple process of removing the radio and climate control will give you acess to absolutely nothing but a firewall in the center.
Last edited by O. L. T.; 02-16-03 at 09:34 PM.
02-23-03, 04:37 PM
#12
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Instrument cluster
Greetings,
The info. on how to remove the instrument cluster was just great. Before trying this: should the battery be disconnected?
Where is the best place to purchase a new speedo/tach cannisters? Thank You!
terry
The info. on how to remove the instrument cluster was just great. Before trying this: should the battery be disconnected?
Where is the best place to purchase a new speedo/tach cannisters? Thank You!
terry
02-23-03, 09:00 PM
#14
Keeper of the light
Thread Starter
iTrader: (17)
if you take a peek at the image of the white base of the cluster you can see the different color plastic covers. some are green, some are amber. the bulb is clear. Certain bulbs have a blue cover, you can see them in the pic. everything else uses plastic cover plates that pop in and out and can be changed to a different color. i did not run a voltage test on them when i had the cluster apart because i was focusing on the needles since i am currently having a problem with them. a lot of the bulbs in the lexus are less than 12v like the climate control bulbs. (with a simple voltage change and some special bulbs of the same size, i have drastically improved the lux on them though) Knowing that lexus designed most all of their units on resistors to "try" and give them a long life, i would say they made them less than 12v. however there is a HUGE quantity of bulbs in that cluster so either they bumped up the voltage to run all the bulbs, or they ran a nice strong 12v source and used lower voltage bulbs on them to make the circut more dependable. if you were Lexus, what would you do? (yeah, i think they went the efficient way too) so i'd say lower than 12v. Blind guess, little logic.
as far as the canisters go, i do not have a distributor for them. i will fool with mine until they work, or i give up and buy some. I did not disconnect the battery when i took the cluster out, but to each is to his own. the descision is yours.
as far as the canisters go, i do not have a distributor for them. i will fool with mine until they work, or i give up and buy some. I did not disconnect the battery when i took the cluster out, but to each is to his own. the descision is yours.
Last edited by O. L. T.; 02-23-03 at 09:07 PM.
