Is this fixable???

[andyk5]

It is not just the background bulb, which I am sure i can get a new bulb for. The LED screen is also acting up, not displaying the information properly.

 

[TRDCal]

I've seen this before on here so I'm sure a search will yield you some anwsers.

 

[andyk5]

I have seen those, but they show DIY's on how to change the bulbs in the back that do the back lighting. I have not seen one where the information leds were all mixed and messed up.

I've seen this before on here so I'm sure a search will yield you some anwsers.

 

[DC runner]

Yea. We have back lighted LCD panels. Cheap and "reliable". One of the oldest variants around. They type they still put in cheap calculators and old school watches.

Nothing to do what replace your front panel. My suggestion? A pick and pull. I highly doubt it is a serviceable part and a dealer would just slap a new one on.

 

[UteRunner]

Go here:

Center Console Lights

 

[andyk5]

Yea. We have back lighted LCD panels. Cheap and "reliable". One of the oldest variants around. They type they still put in cheap calculators and old school watches.

Nothing to do what replace your front panel. My suggestion? A pick and pull. I highly doubt it is a serviceable part and a dealer would just slap a new one on.

Pick and pull u mean a junk yard? I was thinking the same thing. People list them on ebay for $150 for very used ones, its madness...
I pulled the whole thing apart, including the circuit board and the LCD thats connected to it. It is more complex than the circuit board that controls the AC and fan buttons, also the LCD is integrated/soldered on to the circuit board, it is impossible to get it out without removing the solder off. If I could get my hands on a working LCD I can solder them in my self, or could purchase the circuit board with it, but as you said, I think I am gonna either need to find a junkyard with 03+ 4Runners in them or have a member here who is stripping his car sell it to me.

 

[Asmara]

It is not just the background bulb, which I am sure i can get a new bulb for. The LED screen is also acting up, not displaying the information properly.

Since you mention using a soldering iron, it should be fixable assuming it is not a component failure. You are right, this issue has little to do with the lighting although it is clear you need a bulb.

You are missing segments from the LCD display. This is almost always because the ribbon cable that connects to the LCD has become corroded. You need to take the thing apart and clean it with electrical contact cleaner (or very high percentage alcohol). There are other potential causes (bad driver chip, bad solder joint) but this is unlikely.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the screen disassembled or I could probably show you exactly. Just take it apart and far down as you can and clean every connector (and look for bad solder joints while you're there).

If you end up getting a new one, I'd love to have your old one to take apart. I'd like to see how the display is driven and gets its signals to see if we might be able to modify it.

 

[andyk5]

Since you mention using a soldering iron, it should be fixable assuming it is not a component failure. You are right, this issue has little to do with the lighting although it is clear you need a bulb.

You are missing segments from the LCD display. This is almost always because the ribbon cable that connects to the LCD has become corroded. You need to take the thing apart and clean it with electrical contact cleaner (or very high percentage alcohol). There are other potential causes (bad driver chip, bad solder joint) but this is unlikely.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the screen disassembled or I could probably show you exactly. Just take it apart and far down as you can and clean every connector (and look for bad solder joints while you're there).

If you end up getting a new one, I'd love to have your old one to take apart. I'd like to see how the display is driven and gets its signals to see if we might be able to modify it.

This makes a lot of sense, since sometimes when I am driving certain LED segments light up and other times they don't basically, it is not like point where contact is completely lost. It could very well be a contact issue.

I was wondering if the contact issue also could be caused by the main connector that connects to all the HVAC controls. When I slowly insert the connector, while the center console is powered up, the display lights up brighter than usual, but as I click it in place, it goes back to the usual dim and barely readable, segment missing situation.

Also, from certain angles the display is much much easier to read. It still needs some deciphering, but the worse angle is straight on. I did not think segments would be easier/harder to read with respect to the angle you look at them.

 

[Asmara]

This makes a lot of sense, since sometimes when I am driving certain LED segments light up and other times they don't basically, it is not like point where contact is completely lost. It could very well be a contact issue.

I was wondering if the contact issue also could be caused by the main connector that connects to all the HVAC controls. When I slowly insert the connector, while the center console is powered up, the display lights up brighter than usual, but as I click it in place, it goes back to the usual dim and barely readable, segment missing situation.

Also, from certain angles the display is much much easier to read. It still needs some deciphering, but the worse angle is straight on. I did not think segments would be easier/harder to read with respect to the angle you look at them.

Shouldn't be related to the connector. There aren't enough wires.

This is simplified a bit (and there are other possible control schemes) but basically every segment in the digit display needs to have an individual line run to it. There are 7 segments. When they are all lit, it looks like an 8. If you light the outer 6 and live the middle segment dark, you get a 0. Somewhere between the driver chip (the chip that gets a signal that says 'make an 8') and the actual display where the individual segments are lit up, you have what is probably a corrosion issue. Clean that up, and you should be fine.

Here's a link to an explanation on how segment displays work.

 

[andyk5]

Shouldn't be related to the connector. There aren't enough wires.

This is simplified a bit (and there are other possible control schemes) but basically every segment in the digit display needs to have an individual line run to it. There are 7 segments. When they are all lit, it looks like an 8. If you light the outer 6 and live the middle segment dark, you get a 0. Somewhere between the driver chip (the chip that gets a signal that says 'make an 8') and the actual display where the individual segments are lit up, you have what is probably a corrosion issue. Clean that up, and you should be fine.

Here's a link to an explanation on how segment displays work.

I am pretty familiar with 7 segment displays since we use them on simple circuits in school, I will try to do some cleaning to see if I can get some improvement, it's just I really do not want to separate the display from the board, but without it I can't get to the IC's so I guess I have to.

 

[rsteurer]

Thank you, thank you , thank you for this post!! Bought the bulb at the dealer for $6.50 (cheaper online but they charge an arm and a leg for shipping) and followed thes instructions and it couldn't be any easier. It literally took me 10 min. I was a little hesitant about pulling the entire display/ac head unit out but guys it's really simple.

Fixed for under $7 and 10 min of my time on a Sunday morning.

:thanks:

 

[stevec5000]

Go here:

Center Console Lights

The display on mine is dim and hard to see. Has anyone figured out how to make it brighter or do I just need to replace some of the bulbs? I removed the green caps from the lamps for the controls and made them a little easier to see but the ones for the display are already clear so what can you do about them, get brighter lamps maybe?

 

[rtuck1]

This is a simple fix. Buy the bulb at the toyota dealer for $5 dollars and spend another 10 minutes installing the bulb. I did it about 4 weeks ago when mine when out.