Re: Question For RayO

Ray,

> > My daughters 94 GS300's instrument panel's needles (I know a common > problem), is dying out. I got a complete gauge replacement off of > ebay that's supposed to be completely operational. > > Question: Can I do a complete gauge cluster swap out and not have to > worry about any odometer adjustments? I'm thinking that the odometer > display on the gauges are only reflecting what the onboard computer > is putting out anyway so a complete swapout would not affect the > reading? > > It's a LOT easier than pulling needles and swapping just them out. > > tks. > max

My experience with instrument cluster swapping pre-dates digital display odometers by Toyota and Lexus, but I am pretty sure that the display on digital odometers comes from a module in the odometer itself and not from the engine's electronic control module (ECM). If the odometer is the rolling dial type, that is definitely in the odometer and not in the ECM. You may be able to detach the old odometer and use it in the replacement cluster.

You can physically swap the instrument clusters but the odometer will display whatever mileage is in the replacement cluster. I believe dealers have a way to order odometers from the factory with the correct mileage displayed. Check with the laws in your state. Some states allow a sticker to be placed on the cluster that shows the correction, for example, "display

  • 40,000 miles." When you sell the vehicle, you may also be able to note that the true mileage is unknown ("TMU") but that notation is likely to make the car almost worthless in the minds of most buyers.
Reply to
Ray O
Loading thread data ...

On Fri, 9 Feb 2007 17:25:17 -0600, "Ray O" graced this newsgroup with:

thanks Ray. I think what I'll do is pull the cluster out and plug the new cluster in and see if the odo reads the same. If not, I'll put the old one back in and just (carefully) swap out the needles. The last time I pulled the cluster (to change one of about a thousand instrument bulbs), it *looked* like the odo cable was just a plug in behind the odo gauge however IIRC, the LED unit looked too small to have anything beside the LCD panel there. But, it was a while ago so I'm pretty fuzzy on the details.

What I might do is go over to clublexus.com and see if folks in the

1st gen GS group might know.

thanks! max

Reply to
Max

You're welcome! By the way, I'm pretty sure that the speedometer and odometer are electronic, which means that there is no rotating cable attached to the back, just wires.

Reply to
Ray O

On Fri, 9 Feb 2007 21:04:06 -0600, "Ray O" graced this newsgroup with:

you are correct. There's only electrical wires (IIRC, about three separate harnesses going into the cluster).

Also, I asked over at Clublexus and ironically, everyone else has the same question. In fact one person has the same problem and was hoping for an answer.

Guess I'll have to be the guinea pig LOL. :-)

I'll post what I find out once the part arrives (hopefully today).

cheers, max

Reply to
Max

If we're placing bets, I'd bet that the odometer is in a housing by itself on the instrument gauge.

Reply to
Ray O

On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 09:51:24 -0600, "Ray O" graced this newsgroup with:

If it is, and it's removable, I'll just swap that to the new cluster (hopefully).

Reply to
Max

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.