This is very strange and i would like to hear if anyone else had experinced it before.
The problem is that when it is dark and i have the car running (with headlights ON or OFF doesn't make difference) i see and VERY pale "Service Engine Soon" light on my dashboard. It is very faint, barely noticeable but i can see it in the dark. Looks like it is illuminted by another bulb close it but unfortuatelly there is no other illumination on the dashboard around it. Why do i see this light and why is it so dimmed?? If it's during the day, this light is totally invisible - it's that faint.

When i start the car the same light illumintes normally and it is very bright(as it should be) but then as expected on a fine running car, light goes off. You can now see but its very very pale ghost of a light on the dash. So, the bulb is fine.

Tonight, when i drove the car in the dark, i didn't see the light at all. It was all dark.
Anyone has any explanation for all this?? Should i be worried or its just some weird light reflection from somewhere behind my dashboard? My car runs fine, mileage is normal i think and i haven't noticed anything else weird on the car.

Anyone had simular problem with his "SES" light?
Thanks in advance!

 

I have the same issue. To fix the problem the instrument "board" needs to be replaced. Took it to the dealer once to have it looked at, but they gave me the "cannot duplicate" BS. In their defense it is hard to see (impossible) in anything but complete darkness, and it comes and goes. Nothing wrong with the car itself, just the instrument cluster. When the SES light comes on for real, it is much brighter than what you are experiencing. Thought they would have fixed the problem with the 2K3s.

 

yeh i have the exact same prob i posted a thread a while back but never got an answer back and i have a 2003 with that prob

 

Check your gas cap and give it a twist or two. This problem is descriped in the user's manual .

Upon inspection, I found that I had not tightened the cap enough.
make sure you hear it click.

Hope this helps...

 

I also have the dimly lit SES light.... It lights brightly when the car is first started, so I'm pretty sure it's working correctly. I'll just living with it. The fewer times I have to let some 20 year old Nissan tech screw with my car, the better off my car will be.

 

I noticed the dimmed SES light also. I figured it was being illuminated by another bulb b/c when i start the car, the SES light is really bright. I haven't noticed anything weird w/ my car so I wasn't going to say anything about it.

 

Try turning up the LED brightness (all the way to the right)........Long shot but worth a try.

 

This is normal on the 2K2-2K3's. It's a short in one of the diodes in the instrument cluster. The only way to fix it is to replace the entire cluster. Most Nissan dealers really don't want to mess with it. Don't worry about it, if something was wrong it would be brightly lit if you had a problem.

 

I had this same problem with my 2K2. I brought it to the dealer and they knew exactly what I was talking about and ordered a replacement gauge cluster. A few days later the gauges were in and no more dim SES light. If the dealer won't fix it I would definitely complain because that is something that annoyed the #$%@ out of me for a while. Good luck guys.