Finally did this fix.
Tried it with the pins all the way deep in the board, and it wouldnt work unless i squeezed the plug. So i pulled them out 1/32" and tried again, no bueno. Theni tired one more time, 1/16" orso, the thing barely fit back together, and now it works like new.
I believe the issue on min is the springs were not pushing the pins far enough into the connector (they had lost their strength).
I alsoused a tiny screwdriver to bend the pins in the harness slightly to make them grab tighter.
I also resoldered the board for good measure. But that wasnt the problem.
I took some pics



Thanks for the writeup OP!

So I did this repair and it worked!....For a minute. It would intermittently flash off and on so i figured i didnt have all the solder joints perfect. So when I took it back apart one of the pins stuck in the plastic housing and ripped the copper wire off the board! Am I totally boned now?

Your dash is more like mine.

You have to pull the knobs, then gently pry off the heater/ac control panel first. There's something like 4 catches holding it in place and they are plastic, so be careful. The a/c button will come out with it though you may have to pry on that a little to get it unplugged. I used a flat blade screw driver in both cases.
Under it is two screws that hold the trim to the dash. There are actually 4 screws total, 2 each on either side of the controls, you are looking for the ones with plastic immediately behind them. IIRC, the one on the left is the upper screw and the one on the right is the lower screw. Unscrew those, pull the trim piece off. You can get the clock out from behind, it should make sense when you get back there.

Just to reiterate, F that clock and it's pins. The cup holders, too for good measure. Rather deal with the rust hole in my frame than that damn thing-

Huge props to @CO_FlyFisher for this write up. I just did this to mine and it works like a champ!

Had my mechanic while replacing cup holder tray follow this Post on how to fix the in dash clock of my 4-Runner 1997. He just stretched the springs and it works before solder the pins. How crazy Toyota wants $300 to replace this simple dumb clock. Thanks for the Post

Thanks for all your pictures and instructions!!! This worked for me....clock now working like it should....without the help and high cost of a Toyota service department!!

I don't have the tools or time to do this on my clock. I've looked in the classifieds for someone to do this for me, but I haven't found anything. If any of you are willing to do this service for me (I'll gladly pay you), please send me a PM.

Check ebay--there are a few places that do it

I just did this clock fix but soldered in 4 tiny cables I ripped from an old network cable. I didn't want to try and re-align the pins and this way the pins were still held by the plastic and kept nice and straight. You have to re-flow all the solder points as well as some of the points probably have cracked and would explain the intermittent clock due to the shrinking and expansion of the solder.

Save yourself some money and do this fix yourself. Re-flowing all the joints in my electronic climate control has fixed it as well.

Took me 30 minutes, including ripping out the clock and re-installing it again.

99' 4runner limited.

Glad to hear this guide is still helping some people. If you're in my area and need it done, I can do a few of them here and there for you guys. Life with three little kids is crazy, so I don't have too much free time these days (thus my lack of posting), but I'm still here cruising around in my '99 (that just turned 200k!!!). Drop me a PM and I'll see if I can help.

Later.

Thanks for the write up. I just fixed the clock in my 2001. I pulled it apart and stretched the springs and put it back together and it works like new. Less than a 10 minute job for me! Thanks!

Mine has failed twice, I now have 3 extras from junkyard cars, always grab one when I see it. I solder all day at work, dont want to do it more at home. LOL.

Took me less than 20 min to fix my clock! Thank you so much for the guide...

I put a little solder bead at the thinnest part of the pins before assembling, this made it easy to maintain the height and attaching it to the board really quick (not to mention it looks good too).

I just sent my clock off to the ebay guy, $16 dollars and that included the return shipping. I think a paid a couple of dollars for shipping USPS. it came back in a week , works great