2004 Land Cruiser Gauge Cluster FIXED! How-To

[excessive]

my 2004 lx470 has the stepper motor issue. i bought a used cluster from a 2005 lx470, and plugged it in. all the gauges work perfectly on the "new" cluster. but the check engine and other wanring lights stay on, not matter what I do. Just FYI for anyone else, apparently the clusters are not interchangeable, and they are i guess coded to the vehicle - which I was not aware was a thing back in 2004

 

[imperium]

my 2004 lx470 has the stepper motor issue. i bought a used cluster from a 2005 lx470, and plugged it in. all the gauges work perfectly on the "new" cluster. but the check engine and other wanring lights stay on, not matter what I do. Just FYI for anyone else, apparently the clusters are not interchangeable, and they are i guess coded to the vehicle - which I was not aware was a thing back in 2004

I don't think they're coded to the vehicle. I got a refurbished unit off another cruiser and (after replacing the stepper motors again) it works great.

 

[SMLE]

Hi folks,

As shown in my post on page 13, my 2004 cluster had the different stepper motors (Lexus type). I can't afford to send my cluster to Tanin in the states, and in all honestly I'm not super confident in their work/support after reading a few previous posts on this thread regarding them.

Last week, I sent the cluster to a well regarded repairer in the UK, they have in general advised that stepper motor failure on them is very very rare in his experience, and that the issue actually relates to other problems (no further info shared). The issue after I attempted to replace the motors on mine last year (which were the wrong type) was that my calibration of the needles went badly and they've all been way off adding further confusion to the issue.

He has tested the cluster and has been unable to simulate any variance e.g. it doesn't vary in the speed/revs it shows on his test rig vs the speedo reading varying amounts over the actual speed when fitted to the car and driving. It's being returned to me this week with the needles re-calibrated, and I've been asked to record the issue next time it happens so I can provide him with more information on how it behaves so he can try and diagnose the issue better rather than going through the entire cluster without any clear cause.

I'm going to report back on this, as I'm very interested to see how this compares to the issues others have had, specifically with the clusters like mine fitted with the later LX470 type motor. Imagine the stepper motors on these later ones weren't actually the issue at all...

I'm still reserving judgement on the true cause/fix until I get an outcome either way, but it's an interesting twist!

Just an update - following the unsuccessful diagnosis previously, the Speedo and Rev counter started misbehaving again within a few days of it coming back as expected (given nothing was repaired etc).

One of the symptoms mine had was the needles sometimes not returning to zero after coming to a standstill/turning off when its been reading much higher than it should during the journey. In order to narrow down the issue, the repair shop asked me to disconnect the batteries to confirm if this was a voltage issue or a mechanical issue. I've not yet done this, but hopefully will be able to in the coming month or two when it does rear it's head again.

I'll report back on the issue as and when it's identified, but the repair shop said stepper motors are very unlikely to be at fault, however that doesn't agree with large amounts of other people, so lets wait and see

 

[Jblueskull]

Just an update - following the unsuccessful diagnosis previously, the Speedo and Rev counter started misbehaving again within a few days of it coming back as expected (given nothing was repaired etc).

One of the symptoms mine had was the needles sometimes not returning to zero after coming to a standstill/turning off when its been reading much higher than it should during the journey. In order to narrow down the issue, the repair shop asked me to disconnect the batteries to confirm if this was a voltage issue or a mechanical issue. I've not yet done this, but hopefully will be able to in the coming month or two when it does rear it's head again.

I'll report back on the issue as and when it's identified, but the repair shop said stepper motors are very unlikely to be at fault, however that doesn't agree with large amounts of other people, so lets wait and see

Any update on what the shop was saying. My 04 LX speedometer just crapped out and the rest are doing the dance.

 

[SMLE]

Any update on what the shop was saying. My 04 LX speedometer just crapped out and the rest are doing the dance.

So, it's still ongoing but the shop have stated it's an issue with voltage.

I mentioned before that the needles for Speedo/revs are the affected ones, and would sometimes be reading higher e.g. 15MPH/1300RPM when the car is stationary and parked, and would stay like that when I turned the car off.

I then noticed that it I got out the car or just let the car go to sleep for a minute or two and then opened the driver door the needles for Speedo and revs would flicker and wiggle themselves slowly down to zero resting positions.

I pulled the fuses for the cluster a few weeks back and they were pretty corroded so I replaced them, I expected this as the car had the usual windscreen leaking issues when I bought it in September 2024, issues caused by a previous bodged install prior to my ownership. Sadly it did not resolve the issue by sorting the fuses.

I'm currently on holiday and using it, it's continuing to exhibit sporadic issues with reading over the speed it should by 15-20MPH, also reading revs incorrectly too when the Speedo misbehaves.

I'm now down to two routes left to explore:

Auto electrician: see if this issue is a wiring/earth/general electrical fault potentially caused by previous water ingress on the fuse boxes etc.

Replacement cluster: buy a used one to see if this issue can be ruled out or not with a cluster replacement.

Both options are quite expensive, but I'm committed to solving this now, I've recently contacted an auto electrician and I'm also looking out for a cluster.

I do trust the cluster repair shop, however for my own sanity I need to rule out the cluster as it's very easy to say it's something else if you don't want to have to deal with a difficult repair.

It may be worth removing and refitting your LX cluster to ensure good connection.

I wouldn't condemn it to being a stepper motor issue just yet, especially as my cluster repair shop here said (rightly or wrongly) the stepper motors aren't an issue on these clusters.

 

[SMLE]

As a coincidence, a cluster came up on eBay today in Europe and I've bought it for £200, so let's see!

Assuming the actual cluster works as described, it will help me rule out the issues I'm having with the original, and if it behaves the same then I know it's the wiring.

I will report back

 

[Patron100LC]

At least 1, if not 2, of my replaced stepper motors are acting up lately.

China crap doesn’t have a place in my cruiser.

Since OEM isn’t an option, I’m relying on my scan gauge 2 and don’t even look at the dash anymore, only for speed while crossing school zones.

If the scan gauge is made in china then I guess I’m screwed!

When the gas needle goes bad I’ll go by mileage and keep above half tank..

 

[Live to Ski]

related: in the speedo boat myself.

I may have asked this already, but can the cruiser run w/o guage cluster. considering sending mine out for new stepper motors. 3 week turn around and this is my daily.

 

[imperium]

related: in the speedo boat myself.

I may have asked this already, but can the cruiser run w/o guage cluster. considering sending mine out for new stepper motors. 3 week turn around and this is my daily.

Yep I can confirm that it can. You'll have a CEL for a speed sensor or something when you plug it back in after having driven it without the cluster, but it won't come back after you clear it.

 

[SMLE]

Well folks, my new (used) £200 replacement cluster (with 97K miles on it vs my 251K on the car) is running PERFECTLY so far, tracking 3-4MPH higher than GPS which aligns with the small difference in tyre size I have over stock - most importantly it's very consistent in it's reading too, so I'm very happy with that!

So we've established that the issue with mine is 100% in the original cluster, so the repair place I took it was incorrect about the cause being the car wiring.

I'm going to get the mileage updated on the new cluster, to reflect the original cluster and then can cruise with a confident speedo/rev readout for the first time since I bought it in September 2024.

I bought a Scangauge before finding this replacement cluster (it was actually a clone scangauge) but unfortunately I didn't realise that my version of the 100 series (1HD FTE Diesel Engine) is MOBD and doesn't support OBD like the 1UZ configuration does. As a result, my scangauge will remain unused, except maybe to read fault codes on our other car.

I realise I've sort of circumvented this issue everyone else is having with their LX type stepper motors, and the ongoing issues with Tanin refurbed units, but hopefully by the time mine starts misbehaving you'll all have figured these bits out

 

[Live to Ski]

Yep I can confirm that it can. You'll have a CEL for a speed sensor or something when you plug it back in after having driven it without the cluster, but it won't come back after you clear it.

that's great. while cluster is off getting a 3 week refresh (stepper motors) I will run w/o cluster. I will use old cell phone w. torque to monitor speed during errands needing a vehicle.

Is there anything I haven't asked or need to be aware of (wires shorting, or????) for this mode of operation?

 

[imperium]

that's great. while cluster is off getting a 3 week refresh (stepper motors) I will run w/o cluster. I will use old cell phone w. torque to monitor speed during errands needing a vehicle.

Is there anything I haven't asked or need to be aware of (wires shorting, or????) for this mode of operation?

I had zero issues driving around without the cluster. Everything worked except for the cruise control, which I'm assuming reads the speed from the cluster so that makes sense.

Just be aware of how much fuel you have and you should be good to go.

 

[Live to Ski]

glad you shook my foggy brain w/r gas

 

[Miloslavich]

I had zero issues driving around without the cluster. Everything worked except for the cruise control, which I'm assuming reads the speed from the cluster so that makes sense.

Just be aware of how much fuel you have and you should be good to go.

Will the ODO then show correct mileage after driving without a cluster for 3 weeks? is that value stored in the cluster or the ECU? thx

 

[imperium]

Will the ODO then show correct mileage after driving without a cluster for 3 weeks? is that value stored in the cluster or the ECU? thx

No the mileage is stored in the cluster, so when you plug it back in it will show the mileage it had when you took it out.