Lexucan

Just wondering if you got your fuel gauge to read properly again. Let us know.

Walnut

Ok, so I got some used needles but the orginals won't come off. I pulled as hard as I could with just thumb and forefinger, even wedging underneath to lever up. Has anyone else had to pull harder than this

Lexucan

I had a heck of time removing one of my needles. It seemed as though it was glued on or something but it did eventually let go. Gentle persuasion and persistence is the key.

And hey, where in BC are you located??

Walnut

Hey Lexucan, I am in Victoria. Picked up another white '92 ES with 168K which I am fixing up for sale. I should post a pic with these two girls in my driveway, they make such a pretty pair

Lexucan

Yeah, you should post a pic of the twins! It'll probably be difficult to split them up when the time comes!

88Legend

Why isn't this stickied yet?

Lexucan

It was stickied...a long time ago. But more recently all the stickies were incorporated into one thread at the top of ES300 and ES350 forum. Just makes it a little harder to find.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es3...me-inside.html

Avidstarr

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for this write up Lexucan, my experience with soldering is little to non but your steps kept things in order. Now i can see how fast im going at night! haha.

Oyi... becareful when taking out the needles since i think mine wont read as accurate as it should >_>

kado92

i may have missed it somewhere in the 9 pages ... but is it possible to light up the whole needle rather than just the tip?? Also would anyone consider doing this for me for a reasonable price(Lexucan)?

Walnut

There is a guy in Quebec I believe who is rebuilding needles end-to-end for a nice price. Seems that people are liking his service so far.

http://myworld.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aliensim/

1uzDreamSC

iTrader: (9)

nice write up
thanks for taking the time

avspecguy

I was googling around for a solution for this problem when I ran accross your post. Now I'm in the process of completing this project for myself. I own a 93 Lexus ES300 that was my son's college car. It served him well but now it's a bit of a fixer upper. It's such a nice car still that I think I'll go ahead and keep it for a spare driver.

I'm amazed at how well your instructions are written! They're nicely detailed with some extra know-how tips for us neophites. Where did you learn to do this kind of stuff?

FYI, I was able to order the LED's using the part # and supplier you listed in your original write up. I think I read where someone said you couldn't get the same part # anymore... Apparently this is not the case.

I was thinking about trying to position one of the resistors on the opposite side of the post to help them balance better. Sounds like it may not be neccessary though. Furhtermore there may not be enough clearance between the "balance end" and the face of the needle. Any thoughts on that?

Thank you very much for an awsome and inexpensive fix!

CamH

Hey, guys, I'm new here - Actually, I just bought a 1993 Lexus SC300 yesterday, and it has the notorious needle problems as well. Anyways, it is my understanding that Toyota used electroluminescent wires to light these needles originally.

Knowing this, wouldn't it be possible to order some electroluminescent wire (such as http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/st...oducts_id=1038) and solder it on to the original needles (following instructions similar to http://www.instructables.com/id/how-...ire-junctions/) to give the needles the original factory look?

It seems feasible. I'm thinking about ordering some and giving it a shot. Maybe this is what some of the companies who do gauge cluster repairs are doing?

Lexucan

Actually, Toyota/Lexus started using EL wire in 1997 after the burn-out problems were discovered with the LED needles of the 2nd generation ES and the SC300/400, but due to the fact that the needles need to be balanced to function properly, I have my doubts that trying to incorporate ELW into the earlier model ES or SC needles would be very successful. Nothing to stop you from attempting it though, and I wish you success!
However, if it doesn't work out for you, I do have a ready-to-go set of red-tipped SC needles, if you are interested.

Good luck.

CamH

Thanks for the information, Lexucan. I apologize if I haven't searched enough, but what was the lighting scheme on the earlier needles? Were they simply a very tight array of LEDs? Is there some type of comparable strip available online?

I really like the simple solution in this thread, but I'd like to take it a step further to get the "factory" look. I'm looking at the red-tipped needles as a secondary solution if there's no way I can get the needles fully lit without spending lots of money and being without a gauge cluster for weeks.