Instrument Cluster light Issue (2 Viewers)

[jmn93065]

Hello: Had my landcruiser for 11 months but only took it out at night the other day. When I turned on the head lights, the lights in the dash went out along with the shift selector lights. I also discovered that when the panel lights are on, the dimmer switch does not dim or increase their brightness. I tried searching the internet for anybody with this issue but wasn't successful. I haven't downloaded a wiring schematic yet, but may have to. Has anyone encountered this before?

 

[Super77]

So which lights exactly work? What is “panel” to you? When you say “the lights in the dash went out…” do you mean that they never lit up, or that that they did light up, and then you observed them fail?

Easier to help if you can clarify above. May be a simple a blown fuse or possibly low-quality LED replacements in the instrument panel.

 

[jmn93065]

When I start the vehicle in park at night, all the lights in the cluster(panel) are lit. The moment I turn the lever on the column to turn on the headlights, all the lights in the cluster and my shift console go out. When I deactivate the headlights, the instrument cluster lights come back on.

The fact that the dimmer switch does not do anything seems to be a place to start. Working on or under the dash is not my cup of tea due to a bad back.

I'll see if I can find a wiring schematic.

Thx
John

 

[ndg]

The cluster is designed to be at full brightness when the headlights are off and dim when they are on, adjustable with the rheostat. The back lighting on the rest of the dash switches should also come on with the lights.

It could be an issue in either the rheostat or the cluster. When you switch the lights on does the backlighting on the switch gear come on? Check mirror controls, rear qtr vent switches, cigar lighter in case one of the bulbs has failed. If yes, it suggests a cluster issue. If no, it suggests a rheostat issue. It could also be wiring either way.

Wiring diagrams can be found with the factory manuals in the FAQ section or they can be found here: LC100 Factory Service Manual - https://lc100e.github.io/index.html

 

[jmn93065]

The cluster is designed to be at full brightness when the headlights are off and dim when they are on, adjustable with the rheostat. The back lighting on the rest of the dash switches should also come on with the lights.

It could be an issue in either the rheostat or the cluster. When you switch the lights on does the backlighting on the switch gear come on? Check mirror controls, rear qtr vent switches, cigar lighter in case one of the bulbs has failed. If yes, it suggests a cluster issue. If no, it suggests a rheostat issue. It could also be wiring either way.

Wiring diagrams can be found with the factory manuals in the FAQ section or they can be found here: LC100 Factory Service Manual - https://lc100e.github.io/index.html

Thanks for replying, sounds like an issue beyond my fixing. Getting that cluster out is not an easy task as I watched a guy replace the led bulb on the Drive indicator.
You asked about the switch gear, not sure what that is unless you are talking about the shifter lights. They go off as well.

Thanks for your response.

 

[ndg]

Thanks for replying, sounds like an issue beyond my fixing. Getting that cluster out is not an easy task as I watched a guy replace the led bulb on the Drive indicator.
You asked about the switch gear, not sure what that is unless you are talking about the shifter lights. They go off as well.

Thanks for your response.

Switchgear includes:
Mirror controls, rear qtr vent switches, cigar lighter etc

 

[jmn93065]

Thanks for replying, sounds like an issue beyond my fixing. Getting that cluster out is not an easy task as I watched a guy replace the led bulb on the Drive indicator.
You asked about the switch gear, not sure what that is unless you are talking about the shifter lights. They go off as well.

Thanks for your response.

I decided to start by replacing the dimmer switch(rheostat). That turned out to be much harder than one would have thought. I tried finding a new Rheostat, but it turns out there are none in stock anywhere in the world. Hmm, sounds like this is a part that has been a problem for awhile. I got lucky and found a used one in Canada on eBay. Got the rheostat a few days ago, and when I tried it, i had dash lights. I tried my old switch and it was definitely bad. So this morning, decided to put the new switch in, had dash lights but instantly I smelled smoke. Felt the switch and it was warm to the touch, so something inside got smoked. Took the switch apart and found a Mosfet in there that was cracked and darkened from heat. So now I have two bad rheostats. Did some research and found this part discontinued, but there was a substitute part so I ordered two, as I suspect the original switch has a bad Mosfet as well. This part is 25 years old, and I think it just died from old age, and I suspect it was not robust enough to last the life of the cruiser. I think the new part will be a better one. If I get both of them working, I'll do another follow up.