hfsdude007

Good Afternoon everyone,
So the problem I am having consists of not know which bulb lights what portion of the cluster up. The only ones I have been able to isolate are the bulbs that light up the needles. Ive already looked up how to replace these bulbs (thanks again you guys, you rock), but now that I am at the bulbs, I dont know which ones to pull out, or how many to replace.

I would really appreciate the help. If you guys have a link on this website that I missed, it must have been the way I was searching for it. I did try though, so I hope that counts for something.

Have a good day,
Tom

rcchris7

iTrader: (1)

There are no bulbs that light up the needles, the bulbs are in the needles. if you unscrew all the phillips on the back once the white covers are off and the shield then carefully remove the faceplate (where it reads mph/tach/gas/temp) and you can easily locate the bulbs, pop them out through the back by turning the mounts and replace with type 74

Kalogerus

iTrader: (3)

I thought the needles are the hardest part since they are LED's and not bulbs which changes the whole game. As for the bulbs there are about 8 #37 bulbs for the backlighting and the rest are #74 bulbs for the indicators, warning lights, ...etc. You could replace the #37's with #24 bulbs which are brighter and look much better. Some choose to go with some kind of LED diy using LED strips and countless methods - which are all posted here somewhere - some look better than others, but lextech back lighting is one of a kind.

Anyhow, for anything cluster go to lextech.org forum and have most, if not all, of your questions answered. Its all been covered

Kalogerus

iTrader: (3)

Oh and to get those bulbs out of their bases (which will probably be stuck after 15+ years of usage) get mini needlenose pliers and try to wiggle the copper contacts out, that will pop your bulb out without breaking any glass and cutting yourself. Trust me that is NOT a pleasant experience.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

^ That.


This ain't a chevy. Speedo dissection can be found in the ice blue thread in search.

EDIT: also in the FAQ stuck up at the top of the forum.

Ah screw it here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...-clusters.html

hfsdude007

Thanks again. This forum is always helpful. As far as what to search for, I have never heard of ice blue so I never would have found that. lolglad to know it now though.

MikeDuffy

My recommendation for hfsdude007 is to replace all the bulbs at the same time. That is what the dealership would do, and means that he won't have to do it again soon.

My '95 SC 400 instrument cluster has 26 smaller bulbs, and 9 larger bulbs (in sockets of four distinct colors). The 9 larger bulbs surround the speedo and tach (backlights -- 4 each) and light the "low fuel" indicator. The smaller bulbs are located behind various symbols on the instrument cluster, e.g left/right turn indicators, high beams, etc.

It's important to get the correct bulb, otherwise you'll find that the lighting is not as bright as it should be (I learned my lesson the hard way).

If you go to the Sylvania web site and use their "Automotive Replacement Guide"
http://www.sylvania.com/en-us/applic...s/lrgmain.aspx
they will tell you that a 1995 SC400 uses #194 bulbs. Wrong.

O.L.T. (lighting God and forum moderator) has recommended Sylvania #24 bulbs, and he is absolutely right!

Here is a 10-pack for $7 bucks (which beats the $5 for two bulbs at O'Reilly):
http://www.allbatterysalesandservice...fm/4,1080.html

I plan to post a detailed write-up with pictures when I complete the replacement on my 1995 SC 400. I'd recommend pulling your instrument cluster, pulling a couple of bulbs, and going to your local auto parts store to compare.

This video was extremely helpful when it came to pulling my instrument cluster:

An important bit of information: do NOT remove the plastic cover on the steering column when removing the instrument cluster. You will be tempted to do so for additional maneuvering room, but it uncovers sharp bits which will inevitably scratch the clear plastic of the cluster face, which will make you say bad words...

Sometimes the information in forums can seem contradictory, because of differences between model years. So, take my specifics with a grain of salt if you don't have a '95.

Good luck! Club Lexus has been a huge help to me...

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

Anything other than 24 is dull, and incorrect both in voltage and heat discharge. Anything other than Sylvania is wrong as well. Nothing really more to it. Ten years and counting since the best bulb was chose with literally perfect specs in every way, nothing has been produced by anyone yet to change that. There are so many reasons 74 is wrong I literally would run out of space typing, but aside of poor dispersion (which is really hard for a bulb to accomplish) in relation to the cluster design, low light output from being too small and not having proper amount of filament, incorrect voltage - as 14 is too high, high death rate from overheating due to lack of size/strength in the bulb tower design, the base is wrong and too small to seat properly ...............there is no end. It will plug in and light........ that's it's only positive.

hfsdude007

MikeDuffy, that was a very helpful reply. I actually went to pick n pull today and pull all the bulbs out of an instrument cluster out of a junk car. yes i know the risk involved in this, but the bulbs were free. I did disassemble it and pull the needles, so the odds of my problem being solved is good. I really appriciate the help guys, and Ill let you know how it goes in a few days. Sorry if I come off as cheap. I am poor.

hfsdude007

Bump. I replaced bulbs and the exact same spots are still not working leading me to believe that bulbs are not the problem. :/ Any ideas?

Kalogerus

iTrader: (3)

Did you check the bulbs if there were burned? Sometimes when you turn those twist caps to pull an old bulb out or put a used bulb in, one of the thin wires inside it breaks, thats a no good bulb.

Another thing worth checking is did you re-assemble the cluster correctly? Those long screws that holds the board that covers the board with the bulbs are necessary and need to be in their correct positions (there are 2 types IRC).

Check your fuses, there are a couple of fuses responsible for the cluster lighting.

Orrrr it could be as simple as turning the dimmer up.

hfsdude007

Ok, so what I did was replace ALL of the bulbs. Now what are the odds that the exact same spots just so happen to replaced with another bad bulb? It's possible, but I think it is pretty unlikely. The dimmer switch can't be it because I see lights, and can tell some of them clearly aren't working. I also replaced all the needle lights, and none of those came on either. I suppose I can check some fuses, but why would part of the speedometer back light be controlled by one fuse, and the other half controlled by another?

This is frustrating. the cluster is such a pain in the neck to remove without damaging the dash, and I also lost a precision screwdriver inside the dash that I was using to push the clip in for the rear wiring harnesses.

LOL THIS SUCKS!!

Kalogerus

iTrader: (3)

Wait... did you say half? Show a picture. If it's anything like this then its a resistor gone bad on the board.

2jznosht

I forget the term for the bulbs, but if you twist em in the wrong way they wont light up

Kalogerus

iTrader: (3)

^ Polarity has nothing to do with bulbs. LED's will have polarity issues because it is a diode (electrical component) with negative and positive sides. A bulb is just a wire with electricity running through it.