Bouncy fuel and tach gauges
08-20-18, 12:32 PM
#16
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Did anyone ever come to some conclusion about this?!?
So.. Was this bouncy needles issue ever concluded? Im looking at this very issue, but its gas, tach and Speedo doing it.. Any ideas?
08-20-18, 07:11 PM
#17
I am post #13. That was 4 years ago. My fuel has been bouncing since and the entire 8-9 years of my ownership. It’s probably a cluster issue and I don’t think about it much. Too many other minor issues that I would repair first but understand I have a 16 year old car.
08-20-18, 07:37 PM
#18
Instructor
Bouncy gauge needles are caused by the stepper motors in the cluster. The tach on my '01 bounces after a shift. When the motors really start to fail they will bounce constantly and start reading incorrectly. I had to replace the cluster in my Toyota pickup when the speedo would bounce at 45 mph even if I was going faster.
08-20-18, 09:51 PM
#19
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Hey Boca.. Thanks for responding, I hear you, this car I just bought does have some issues.. I hope I didn't a problem.. Ive been looking for a good LS400 for the last 3 months, but no luck. So when I saw this 430 l, i just went for it. I feel they are bit more complicated than i wanted.
08-21-18, 08:09 AM
#20
Hey Boca.. Thanks for responding, I hear you, this car I just bought does have some issues.. I hope I didn't a problem.. Ive been looking for a good LS400 for the last 3 months, but no luck. So when I saw this 430 l, i just went for it. I feel they are bit more complicated than i wanted.
08-22-18, 09:19 AM
#22
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If the tank is full, my gas gauge on my 02 also bounces around but settles after a second or too. It has ever since I bought it with 81k on the clock and still does now with 232k. I've always just called it off as normal.
08-22-18, 02:57 PM
#25
Here's a thought, apologies if this is buried in the thread.
How old is your battery. Would you be willing to install a fresh battery and test? You battery may test as 'ok' but if a cell is acting funny that may trigger the dash current at weird currents.
Anyway we all need battery's every so often so its not a waste if yours is already a few years old. I had weird electrical gremlins when our battery had a few years on it.
How old is your battery. Would you be willing to install a fresh battery and test? You battery may test as 'ok' but if a cell is acting funny that may trigger the dash current at weird currents.
Anyway we all need battery's every so often so its not a waste if yours is already a few years old. I had weird electrical gremlins when our battery had a few years on it.
08-28-18, 02:29 PM
#26
Instructor
Have never seen a bouncy or inaccurate tach, fuel gauge, or speedometer in my 2002 UL, 156000kms - not at startup, not when the fuel tank is empty or full, not when acceleration is max or minimal. Maybe my gauges settle so quickly that I don't notice anything unusual. This seems to be one of the rarer issues with the LS430.
A few people on these forums over the years have reported that having a dead cell in the battery, which continues to charge and discharge normally and still reports normal voltages, can cause strange electrical system issues. You need an advanced battery tester to identify a dead cell. I recommend Costco batteries because they come with a great no-hassle exchange warranty within the first 36 months (where you pay the difference from current price for same battery, and you can even get money back if the current price is lower). Past 36 months, remainder of warranty is pro-rated as a credit on a new battery.
A few people on these forums over the years have reported that having a dead cell in the battery, which continues to charge and discharge normally and still reports normal voltages, can cause strange electrical system issues. You need an advanced battery tester to identify a dead cell. I recommend Costco batteries because they come with a great no-hassle exchange warranty within the first 36 months (where you pay the difference from current price for same battery, and you can even get money back if the current price is lower). Past 36 months, remainder of warranty is pro-rated as a credit on a new battery.
08-28-18, 03:18 PM
#27
Not a battery issue...It's most likely in the cluster and too involved to take apart. If the cluster goes dark or fails completely it's time for the replacement. Yes, just for the fuel gauge. Mine has been acting this way for 9 years and as I've been told may continue for the life of the time or fail tomorrow. So far so good.
08-29-18, 07:38 AM
#29
Probably the servo gears inside of the cluster. VDO gauges are bad about that and GM clusters as well. Never seen that problem out of a Jap car unless its over 20 years old. That is understandable.
09-01-18, 07:52 PM
#30
Pole Position
My 00 does it and the 02 I worked on did it as well. I don't have a dead cell in my battery as its a known good Optima red top battery. The fuel gauge just has a small bounce on start up, and the tach bounces every time I give it a good shoeful of gas. I just figured it to be an LS430 thing
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