I recently acquired this 1995 Lexus Sc400.
the previous owner had replaced the Gauge cluster before and I’ve noticed the speedometer needle isn’t in line with the 0. Its definitely working but not giving the correct reading any help on this would be appreciated.

 

^^ With these cars idling at a stop that is not really out of the norm as far as I am aware. Have you run a GPS program on your cellphone which shows the current speed in miles per hour? A Garmin, TomTom or other standalone GPS navigation device can also provide you an accurate and current actual MPH reading with which to compare to your speedometer's reading.

A just a little variance is normal but if the reading is VERY far off and if you haven't otherwise changed your stock tire diameters or the final drive ratio then that might indicate an issue with the speedo motor or its original capacitors.

Even if the original owner replaced the gauge cluster before (hopefully the correct ODO reading was transferred over at that time as well) you won't know what service that new cluster has seen unless this was told to you or in the vehicle's service records.

If you do have some kind of issue with it we usually recommend sending problematic SC clusters to Tanin Auto Electronix for repairs. Same for the HVAC controller above the stereo if the LCD has gone bad. Same for any ECU issues (most if not all SC300/400 main ECUs need new OEM-spec capacitors put into them at this point given their age and old worn out and/or potentially leaking capacitors being a common issue with so much age on them).

Something very relevant to your main question that Tanin Auto does when repairing SC300/400 instrument clusters is to install a stopper just below the lowest marking on the speedometer and tachometer gauges to keep the very tip of the needles from going as low as they normally do as set up from the factory. This reduces stress on those two gauge motors and drastically prolongs their service life.

If you look at the fuel and engine temperature gauges closely with a flashlight you will notice that Lexus designed those two gauges with needle stoppers from the factory (at the inside most area of those needles close to the motor pivot area). Why they didn't also do this for the speedometer and tachometer gauges I cannot say.

If you are not noticing any inaccuracy, lazy operation or needle "sticking" condition that requires lightly slapping the dash in order to get the MPH and/or Tach gauges to respond again then you are probably noticing normal behavior.

 

That looks to me like someone pulled the needle off and put it back in the wrong position. Either that or the mechanism has somehow failed? Agreed with above test the accuracy with your phone. It is possible to pull the needle off and put it back in the correction position I've done this on a few cars but usually takes a few tries to get it right.

 

Thanks for the help, unfortunately no the odometer wasn’t transferred over and I have no prior service history of the car. The previous owner told me it was about 170k miles but I have no way of verifying this

 

thanks for the help will try

 

Hey @Stig400 we have seen this happen a lot. We offer a diagnostic service and can repair the cluster back to its glory days! Check out info about our services at the link below. https://www.taninautoelectronix.com/...gnosis-repair/ Let me know if you have any questions.