My speedometer just completely failed. I can go 100 mph and the speedometer would still show me as not moving. My local non-dealer mechanic told me that he doesn't know how to fix it, and he recommended that I take it to the dealer, but I don't want to pay $400+ to find out what the flow of the traffic is. For now I would rather keep driving with the dead speedometer. What sucks is that the odometer still runs--damn!

 

That means that the signal from the ECU is coming in.
Now you need to distinguish it . Only the sticking of the needle or the completely dead speedometer?

 

well until you fix your speedo (which can also be messed up due to failing ECU caps) here is an Android app that will project your current speed into the windshield while you drive and it's FREE!

 

A wonderful Android app that has a speedometer and compass and allows you to create short cuts to apps like Pandora and Slacker is iBolt Dock n Drive. I use it every time I'm in any of our cars. It can be started manually or starts automatically when used with a charging cradle like I have. Here is my thread about it: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/lex...k-n-drive.html

And - AGAIN - In 23 years of driving and helping people with LS400's, I've never heard of bad ECU caps causing speedometer issues.

 

And - AGAIN - In 23 years of driving and helping people with LS400's, I've never heard of bad ECU caps causing speedometer issues.[/QUOTE]

===================================================================

What solution(s) do you recommend to fix a sticking speedometer that is not related to a faulty ecu?
I.e., what did you find as the most common cause and how would you rectify it?

Could one use a high grade electrical solvent/lubricator to clean out any potential buildup
of material that might be causing the needle sticking or is this too risky?

 

Most of the companies I know about that fix them replace the instrument cluster circuit board with a refurbished one. One company in Florida repairs the specific problem and they are the least expensive I have found - but I do not know if they are good.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SC93

And - AGAIN - In 23 years of driving and helping people with LS400's, I've never heard of bad ECU caps causing speedometer issues.

===================================================================

What solution(s) do you recommend to fix a sticking speedometer that is not related to a faulty ecu?
I.e., what did you find as the most common cause and how would you rectify it?

Could one use a high grade electrical solvent/lubricator to clean out any potential buildup
of material that might be causing the needle sticking or is this too risky?[/QUOTE]

I like the fix that Och has done in post #30 in this thread; https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...ot-work-2.html but the pics are gone. I've heard good things with that fix.
Post #88 in the same thread describes what causes the sticky needles. (and another fix)

 

This sucks. I just took my car in to the dealer and even showed them a video from my smartphone showing that the speedometer is dead. However, the speedo started working this morning before my appointment and the service manager at the dealer told me that they cannot diagnose the problem if the speedometer is working. I just got a call from him and he told me that the computer shows nothing is wrong, so they can only diagnose the problem if I bring in the car with the speedometer dead. What sucks is that the speedometer does not always die on me, the intervals are irregular, and I cannot drive into the dealership impromptu. To top it off, the dealer will charge me $140 for looking at the car today, and the least they could offer is to wash it. Still, I am out $140. The dealer sucks.

 

I really must shine some clarity on all of this!

A few short years ago, most all speedo issues on LS400 were sticking needles, the lubricant originally used gets gummy with age and causes intermittent sticking.

More recently, as our ECU and cluster circuit board capacitors have gotten old, this capacitor plague is becoming the culprit in a higher percentage of intermittent speedo issues.

So when your speedo is intermittent these days, there is no clear cut 100% answer, you have to kind of try one thing and then the next, although on 98 and newer models, ECU is less likely to have issues than 97 and earlier models.

There is also Yamae's ripple test for those of you with some electrical prowess, which will give a pretty good insight into the state of the ECU capacitor's health!

 

I'm willing to bet that this morning, when it started working, it was cooler and/or less humid. The lubrication which gets gunked up in there is temperature sensitive. (It gets more sticky when it's hot) Best bet would be to take it apart and clean it.
The dealer needs to charge you for the time they put into your car, even though they didn't find anything wrong. You're the one that wanted them to diagnose it. Dont get me wrong, I do think they charge too much sometimes but, it's just business. That's why it's good to find an independant mechanic that knows Toyota/Lexus.

 

you might be on to a good key test on how to differentiate the source of speedo issues, because I have noticed that when capacitors are the culprit, the speedo will stick intermittently year-round, with no regard to weather!

 

The occasional speedo needle sticking in my 2000 LS400 is entirely related to temperature - it has to be over 90 degrees and is more likely to stick after the car has sat outside all day. A mild rap (per forum member Billy Powell) on the top of the dashboard just above the speedometer always gets the needle working and it continues to work as the interior cools down.

I had planned to have to have it fixed but it is now too cool to verify that a repair has been successful. The needle may not stick again until next summer by which time the LS will likely have been replaced.

 

Is this the same cause/effect/remedy for a 1994 es300?

 

ES300 is much less susceptible (but not immune) to capacitor issues than LS or SC, making a mechanical/sticking cause much more likely

 

I'm having the stuck speedo and tach problem on my 1994 ES 300...do the 400 solutions work for my 300?
please give me a bit more how to do it.
Thanks,
MR.ED