Gauge Cluster Issues

[Troymclure]

So last night I began to have problems with gauge cluster randomly shutting down and coming back on. This has happened on and off for a few months, but last night it became a constant thing. To me it looks like a loose connection somewhere, but I dont know where to start. I checked the gauge cluster fuse and it looks ok, but I have yet to swap it out just in case. I did have the ECU and wiring harness replaced about a year ago and Im wondering if that has something to do with it. Also last night, everything in my truck switched over to km and celsius for about an hour and then went back to miles and ºF.

Any ideas what this could be? I do have another brand new ECU I could switch in, but Im not sure if Id have to get it programmed.

Heres a short video about what is happening.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BtQ-ule_Nac" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Thanks

EDIT: truck is 2004 v6 Sport

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Here is another post on this and I remember seeing others. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/159416-gagues-rattle-gas-gague-most-doesnt-work.html It looks like this is going to be a growing problem as the 4runners age. My speedometer died a while back and then started working again for a while but is permanently dead now. My fuel gauge and tach sometimes take several seconds to work but always come on. I just use a garmin gps for my speed suctioned cupped right over the original speedometer. I will just live with it. Between this problem, the transfer case actuator leak the need for new BFG all terrains soon and the fact that I only put on 3000 miles a year on the 4runner I will just wait till more bigger problems come along and then just buy a new 4runner or something. I hate spending more on a vehicle in repairs than what the vehicle is worth. My 4runner only has 72k miles.

 

[Troymclure]

Here is another post on this and I remember seeing others. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/159416-gagues-rattle-gas-gague-most-doesnt-work.html It looks like this is going to be a growing problem as the 4runners age. My speedometer died a while back and then started working again for a while but is permanently dead now. My fuel gauge and tach sometimes take several seconds to work but always come on. I just use a garmin gps for my speed suctioned cupped right over the original speedometer. I will just live with it. Between this problem, the transfer case actuator leak the need for new BFG all terrains soon and the fact that I only put on 3000 miles a year on the 4runner I will just wait till more bigger problems come along and then just buy a new 4runner or something. I hate spending more on a vehicle in repairs than what the vehicle is worth. My 4runner only has 72k miles.

Thanks, that looks like similar issue, and I didnt see that when I searched. And yeah ill most likely have to do something similar with the gps, although Im not sure how to live without a gas gauge. Today there were no issues though, so who knows whats going on.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Thanks, that looks like similar issue, and I didnt see that when I searched. And yeah ill most likely have to do something similar with the gps, although Im not sure how to live without a gas gauge. Today there were no issues though, so who knows whats going on.

You can use the miles to empty display below the radio for a fuel gauge. It still works. If you do change out the instrument cluster you would have to find someone to set the correct miles on the odometer. I imagine a dealer can do this but have not checked into it. My odometer still works fine even though the speedometer is dead.

 

[Troymclure]

You can use the miles to empty display below the radio for a fuel gauge. It still works. If you do change out the instrument cluster you would have to find someone to set the correct miles on the odometer. I imagine a dealer can do this but have not checked into it. My odometer still works fine even though the speedometer is dead.

Oh yeah I didnt think about that. Although thinking about it now, its a little odd that all my gauges, including the temp and range gauge switched over to metric units for awhile. That would seem to indicate its a ECU issue, not a gauge cluster issue. Hmm...

 

[ebg18t]

There was a thread over on the Tacoma side about a similar issue about 6-8 months ago. I will see if I can find it.

 

[TRDCal]

Oh yeah I didnt think about that. Although thinking about it now, its a little odd that all my gauges, including the temp and range gauge switched over to metric units for awhile. That would seem to indicate its a ECU issue, not a gauge cluster issue. Hmm...

The information for the gauge cluster is stored in the cluster itself, not in the ECU like some cars. You can get used clusters off ebay for less that 100 bucks so if your sure that all the connections going to the cluster are tight, then I would try a different cluster.

On a related note, I'm in the market for a cluster and would buy anyones malfunctioning one Has to be from an 03-05 Limited V8 without air suspension tho.

 

[Troymclure]

The information for the gauge cluster is stored in the cluster itself, not in the ECU like some cars. You can get used clusters off ebay for less that 100 bucks so if your sure that all the connections going to the cluster are tight, then I would try a different cluster.

On a related note, I'm in the market for a cluster and would buy anyones malfunctioning one Has to be from an 03-05 Limited V8 without air suspension tho.

Thats good to hear, I was under the impression the ECU stored everything. In that case, Ill probably pick up a new cluster on ebay. Theres a few that work on there for $75. And if I stumble upon a V8 limited cluster, ill post it up here for you.

 

[TRDCal]

And if I stumble upon a V8 limited cluster, ill post it up here for you.

Thanks, there's been a couple on ebay but all I really need is the back face for the rpm gauge so I rather buy a broken one that would be cheaper. I'm trying to get rid of the air suspension indicator since I got rid of the system.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Thats good to hear, I was under the impression the ECU stored everything. In that case, Ill probably pick up a new cluster on ebay. Theres a few that work on there for $75. And if I stumble upon a V8 limited cluster, ill post it up here for you.

From what I have heard you have to make sure you get the correct cluster as to 2wd, 4wd, Limited, SR5, air suspension, V6, V8 etc. Just hope the used one does not have the same problems you are having. On the plus side if you can find one with less miles than yours it could help resale value.

 

[Troymclure]

From what I have heard you have to make sure you get the correct cluster as to 2wd, 4wd, Limited, SR5, air suspension, V6, V8 etc. Just hope the used one does not have the same problems you are having. On the plus side if you can find one with less miles than yours it could help resale value.

Yeah Ive been looking at a few on ebay, and I thought one would work, but its a 2005 sr5 v6 4x4. I wonder if that will work with mine, as the only difference is mine is a 2004 sport. I dont think there is much difference between the two, but I might give toyota a call and see if they can match the part numbers.

As for the miles, if its lower Im pretty sure that you can get in trouble for mileage fraud or something. But thats only if I sell it, which I have no plans of doing ever.

 

[madiwright33]

Instrument Cluster Not Working Following Radio Install

Purchased an '03 Limited two days ago. Have been tuning it up before a cross-country trip back to school in two days.
Took apart the dash and installed my own radio. Radio works perfectly. Also painted dash with black truck bed liner. Looks awesome.

I put the dash all back together and turned on the car to find that the instrument cluster was not working. No lights, no odometer, no movement of the gauge hands.

Was there a wire cluster I did not connect again?

When I took the dash apart, I did not go past the instrument cluster.
All the lights work, the turn signals work, the radio works, etc. I checked fuses and spun the dash light. The problem is that the entire instrument cluster doesn't function.

I've attached an image. Let me know what y'all think!

 

[rumfoord]

Cluster dead

Having the same issue here, check engine light is on though but no speedo, tach, temp, etc. Anyone have any luck solving this? Is it the cluster itself? Any help would be appreciated... Just in the middle of troubleshooting and is a bit of a mystery. Fuses all good well.

Cheers

Purchased an '03 Limited two days ago. Have been tuning it up before a cross-country trip back to school in two days.
Took apart the dash and installed my own radio. Radio works perfectly. Also painted dash with black truck bed liner. Looks awesome.

I put the dash all back together and turned on the car to find that the instrument cluster was not working. No lights, no odometer, no movement of the gauge hands.

Was there a wire cluster I did not connect again?

When I took the dash apart, I did not go past the instrument cluster.
All the lights work, the turn signals work, the radio works, etc. I checked fuses and spun the dash light. The problem is that the entire instrument cluster doesn't function.

I've attached an image. Let me know what y'all think!

 

[riceandpho]

check the dimmer switch.

 

[blast7]

So has anyone found a solution for this problem? Meaning, do we know the root cause of the problem and what the correct fix is?

I recently bought an '04 4Runner and it just started having a similar problem this past weekend. I noticed both the tachometer and the gas gauge stopped working.... but it's intermittent. Usually if I turn the car to the on position and this problem is happening, I can simply turn the car off and on again a few times and they will start working again. I'm pretty sure they will eventually be completely dead. Yeah thats an annoying workaround.... but I really want to fix this rather than deal with anything annoying or kludgy.

I'm hesitant to buy a used cluster from eBay or from a junkyard since that cluster may also exhibit this problem at some point as well.

Also, since the links to the service manuals are no longer working (even using the way back machine) I am unable to use them to troubleshoot the problem. I'll most likely end up buying the service manuals if I can't find the pdfs online somewhere... but just don't want to lay out a few hundred bucks right now to pick them up (or even the $10 - $15 bucks on Toyota's site for a couple of days of use).

I noticed that there is a ad on eBay for someone who offers a service to fix your existing cluster... so it seems like the info to handle this is out there somewhere..... however they want $100 to "fix" the problem though they don't guarantee it will be fixed when they ship the cluster back to you. Not a great option.

 

[blast7]

So has anyone found a solution for this problem? Meaning, do we know the root cause of the problem and what the correct fix is?

I recently bought an '04 4Runner and it just started having a similar problem this past weekend. I noticed both the tachometer and the gas gauge stopped working.... but it's intermittent. Usually if I turn the car to the on position and this problem is happening, I can simply turn the car off and on again a few times and they will start working again. I'm pretty sure they will eventually be completely dead. Yeah thats an annoying workaround.... but I really want to fix this rather than deal with anything annoying or kludgy.

I'm hesitant to buy a used cluster from eBay or from a junkyard since that cluster may also exhibit this problem at some point as well.

Also, since the links to the service manuals are no longer working (even using the way back machine) I am unable to use them to troubleshoot the problem. I'll most likely end up buying the service manuals if I can't find the pdfs online somewhere... but just don't want to lay out a few hundred bucks right now to pick them up (or even the $10 - $15 bucks on Toyota's site for a couple of days of use).

I noticed that there is a ad on eBay for someone who offers a service to fix your existing cluster... so it seems like the info to handle this is out there somewhere..... however they want $100 to "fix" the problem though they don't guarantee it will be fixed when they ship the cluster back to you. Not a great option.

Just wanted to add that I went this route and spent the $109 + shipping to send my gauge cluster out to Tanin Auto Electronix and I've had it back and installed for a few weeks now and it works perfectly.

 

[JazzTrmpter]

My gauge cluster on my 2005 v8 Sport Edition started glitching last week. The issue has become progressively worse. The speedo/tach needles would first twitch and get stuck after starting the engine. Now, The needles are just stuck where they are and the odometer doesn't show anything either. All the icons (like e-brake, check engine, traction control, etc) still light up when first turning the car on like normal. It's just all the gauges that don't work. I've been having to go off the miles until empty display on the AC controller under the radio as my gas gauge.

I reset the ECU last night by disconnecting the negative post on the battery for a few hours, but the cluster is still stuck. I couldn't find any fuses dedicated for the instrument panel when I first looked at them, so I'm going to check all the fuses with my ohm meter this afternoon. My local third party Toyota-exclusive auto shop didn't have any suggestions on things to check at home... instead they said they would need to see it in person. They're usually pretty helpful over the phone, so that was kind of a disappointment.

I will probably end up bringing it in for them to diagnose and repair in a couple of weeks from now. If I find anything in the meantime, I'll report back.

 

[JazzTrmpter]

So I'm starting to look into fixing this. I read somewhere on this forum that you should be able to take a used cluster from ebay and your existing broken cluster to the dealership and they would be able to reprogram it... That is not the case at my local dealership.

They told me the new part would be $540 and it would have to be ordered (and pre-programmed) from the factory. During the whole process, my 4Runner could not move an inch at the dealership to avoid falsifying the odometer reading. Basically, all the local dealership would be doing is the labor to replace the odometer, which I could easily do myself. I won't be taking it to them - I was just curious on their input.

I have found some instructables online for DIY mileage correction. It involves lots of soldering which I would be comfortable doing. I will still see what my third party maintenance shop wants to charge before going that route, though.

 

[Troymclure]

I posted a video of it happening on youtube, and one suggestion is to clean your wheel speed sensors in the front knuckles. I havent had the issue for about a year or two now, and realized when I added my spindle gussets, that those sensors were very dirty. Im not sure if it was just a coincidence that it got fixed or it was the solution, but it might be worth a try. If not, also check the tail light fuse in the driver compartment, especially if you just installed a new radio, as that fuse can blow if you hook up the orange illumination wire on the new headunit, which can also take out the dimmer switch or all your dash lights. Hope that helps

 

[JazzTrmpter]

I posted a video of it happening on youtube, and one suggestion is to clean your wheel speed sensors in the front knuckles. I havent had the issue for about a year or two now, and realized when I added my spindle gussets, that those sensors were very dirty. Im not sure if it was just a coincidence that it got fixed or it was the solution, but it might be worth a try. If not, also check the tail light fuse in the driver compartment, especially if you just installed a new radio, as that fuse can blow if you hook up the orange illumination wire on the new headunit, which can also take out the dimmer switch or all your dash lights. Hope that helps

Thanks Troymclure. I still haven't taken it into the 3rd party shop yet as it hasn't been a huge priority of mine to get fixed. My vehicle registration is due in about 2 weeks and I'm hoping that this won't affect the smog check. The wheel speed sensors is a good suggestion - but I'm not having a problem with just the speedo. I'll take it in soon but I want to get everything I've done and everything I've seen documented here because all the other threads about this issue here on T4R seem inconclusive. Here's how my cluster looks:

I put in an aftermarket stereo a few years ago and recently swapped it out for a newer stereo in the last 6-8 months or so. I haven't had any issues with the dash illumination or the dimmer dial, and I've checked many of the related fuses under the hood and the kneeboard with an ohm-meter to make sure they're good.

One thing I found very odd was that my bluetooth OBDII reader hasn't worked since this issue started, so something must be wrong with the OBDII interface. I took my 4Runner to an AutoZone just to see if they could connect to the interface and they didn't have any issues. Perhaps the bluetooth adapter uses different pins or it went bad.

Anyways, I'll post back up when I find a resolution.