Help! '90 4Runner stereo problems

[theking11863]

So over the past few months I've been hunting for an original radio/cassette player for my 90' 4Runner because it didn't have any kind of sound system and I have a tape deck so I thought why not. The other day I finally got the last few things I needed and wired it up and all hell broke loose.

The stereo was admittedly salvaged from a junkyard nut works great with no problems... in a '94 Camry. In the 4Runner however I get nothing but static. But then when I take the exact same stereo out of the Camry and connect it to the 4Runner it sounds pretty good, better than it did in the Camry, which is strange in itself considering the junkyard stereo sounded better in the Camry then the one from the Camry did.

Then there's the added problem that if the driver door is closed even slightly the fuse blows instantly. I did some poking around and figured out the door sensor (the button that turns on dome lights and makes noises when the keys in the ignition and the door is open) has NOTHING to do with it. I tested it multiple times pushing it in and the fuse didn't blow. I even disabled it so the car thinks the door is closed and nothing, but the moment I actually closed the door, the fuses blows! Then later on I had the stereo playing and I closed the door a tiny bit so I could get around it (my driveway is very cramped) and the fuse blew again. The door wasn't even technically closed as it was still a foot/foot and a half open! This has me completely baffled. I checked the doorway for pinched wires and there was nothing. There are no explanations that I can come up with behind this.

If anyone has any ideas regarding these problems and possible solutions please let me know. Any help is greatly appreciated! Also If anyone knows whether all 1990 4Runners came with back speakers or not please let me know. It looks like I have might some (it's hard to tell and I don't know if they came standard or as a bonus option back then) but I can't find any trace of the wires for them and I really don't want to tear apart my car looking for them unless I really think they are there. Once again thanks for the help and sorry for the lengthy post!

 

[77'911]

You've probably got a broken wire in the door harness. Your going to need to open it up. Usually, the break is in the jam area where the movement is.
regards

 

[theking11863]

You've probably got a broken wire in the door harness. Your going to need to open it up. Usually, the break is in the jam area where the movement is.
regards

I'll check but why would there be a stereo wire in the door? There aren't any speakers in the door.

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

Okay, which fuse is actually blowing? Is it in th fuse block in the driver's kick panel? Or another fuse somewhere near the deck?

Its probably just a coincidence that the stereo fuse is the one that's blowing, but I'd try to isolate the problem first before jumping to that conclusion.

Try grabbing the wire harness in the door jamb and yank on it a bit, see if that causes the fuse to blow again. If it does, you have a short in that harness, you'll have to figure out where though, as it could be in the door or the jamb, or anywhere along the harness.

If it does NOT blow, then pull the pin on the door's rod that keeps it from flinging open (it usually has grease and lots of dirt/crap on it). Move that in and out by hand to see if it blows the fuse. If it does, that rod is probably shorting a wire behind it somewhere, you'll have to go through the kick panel area to see what its touching.

If neither of these help, my next suggestion is to find a priest! :loco:

Okay, seriously, I don't know what else it would be other than those two areas, maybe someone else will have other options for you though...

 

[theking11863]

If it does NOT blow, then pull the pin on the door's rod that keeps it from flinging open (it usually has grease and lots of dirt/crap on it). Move that in and out by hand to see if it blows the fuse. If it does, that rod is probably shorting a wire behind it somewhere, you'll have to go through the kick panel area to see what its touching.

It is the stereo fuse in the driver's kick panel. Admittedly I haven't checked any of my other fuses but I will do that when I get the chance.

Now as far as the thing you mentioned in the above quote, I have no idea what your talking about, but that might be because I've been up all night with no sleep so its possible its obvious and I'm just stupid tired haha. Thanks for the tips though. I will try that and return with an update that hopefully has good news

 

[77'911]

I'll check but why would there be a stereo wire in the door? There aren't any speakers in the door.

When they wired these trucks, it was pretty old school. Many of the systems can be inter-connected, when they should not. Some person might have also done a "hack fix" in there. Volume 3 of the factory manual set, which has the electricals, is massive. It's a good reference.
regards

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

The 198X vehicles had this thing in the door to keep it from swinging out and whacking another vehicle, as well as creating a "detent" so the door could be left partially opened:

I don't remember whether the next gen had the same exact part or something slightly different, but it should be similar to this one above.

EDIT:

Now that I think about it, the part is called a door stop, and the rod actually slides into the door, not the jamb, so if that is the issue, then you'll need to check the wiring in the door, not behind the kick panel.

 

[theking11863]

I reached in a grab the wire harness that connects to the door and gave it a tiny jiggle and the fuse burst so the short is im there. Problem now is I have no idea how to get in there and find it without messing something up

 

[theking11863]

So I finally got the time to really work on it today and found where the short was. I pulled the door paneling off and realized the fuse wasn't blowing anymore. So, I theorized it had to have something to do with the door switches. Sure enough, after some testing I figures out that the fuse would only blow when the mirror adjusters were connected. I decided to just leave that part of the switches disconnected because the adjusters never worked anyways, though I'm sure those issues are related I don't care enough to try to diagnose and fix the problem right now.

Unfortunately though my good luck didn't continue after this. I went to the local mechanic to get my A/C recharged because I had just replaced a line that had a huge gash in it and this was going to be the first time I had working A/C in the car, or so I thought. Long story short we found out that the compressor had been missing a hose for who knows how long and the WHOLE A/C system including the compressor was absolutely filled with water. Mechanic told me the whole system is probably destroyed and filled with rust and that I'll have to replace the whole system. Parts combined with labor could cost anywhere from $1200-$1800 according to them...

 

[BigRyan1986]

So I finally got the time to really work on it today and found where the short was. I pulled the door paneling off and realized the fuse wasn't blowing anymore. So, I theorized it had to have something to do with the door switches. Sure enough, after some testing I figures out that the fuse would only blow when the mirror adjusters were connected. I decided to just leave that part of the switches disconnected because the adjusters never worked anyways, though I'm sure those issues are related I don't care enough to try to diagnose and fix the problem right now.

Unfortunately though my good luck didn't continue after this. I went to the local mechanic to get my A/C recharged because I had just replaced a line that had a huge gash in it and this was going to be the first time I had working A/C in the car, or so I thought. Long story short we found out that the compressor had been missing a hose for who knows how long and the WHOLE A/C system including the compressor was absolutely filled with water. Mechanic told me the whole system is probably destroyed and filled with rust and that I'll have to replace the whole system. Parts combined with labor could cost anywhere from $1200-$1800 according to them...

Hey if your interested im parting out a 90 4runner. Sure you are in cali and im in WA but if your interested im sure we could come up with an arrangement for you to buy and get the parts shipped to you. My system was full and pressurized when i pulled the engine. so the only thing i dont have is the compressor and electric fan that goes on the front. PM me if your interested.