Speedometer quit - any ideas?

[Cougar]

I will certainly check that first, thank you. After reading some of the discussions, it sounds like I have to take the trim off first to get to the screws. I will let you know what I find out. I'm actually getting ready to hit the road to Tulsa and probably won't have time to check it before I go. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Fishy1]

Sounds like a nightmare....many of you will think I'm nuts but I bought the Toyota extended warrenty for my 2007 Sport Edition V-8..7 years or 100,000 no deductable parts and labor for $800, just so I won't stress over this type of thing.

 

[4by4th]

Cougar:

It may be the connections to the back of your instrument cluster got loose. There are two screws in front of the instrument cluster that hold the connectors in the back of the cluster in place and these loosen easily and cause the gauges to operate erradically or not at all. These screws at first glance can be mistaken as mounting screws for the cluster but actually secure the connectors in back of the cluster. Before spending money for a replacement unit I would just check the connections.

As I recall those screws seemed to be made to slip before they'll get tight. I guess they pull the connectors together just enough before the screws pass the thread zone and slip. You could get frustraighted trying to tighten them not knowing that. Everything on the replacement cluster is still working, knock on wood.

Sounds like a nightmare....many of you will think I'm nuts but I bought the Toyota extended warrenty for my 2007 Sport Edition V-8..7 years or 100,000 no deductable parts and labor for $800, just so I won't stress over this type of thing.

I have a personal policy of never paying for extended warranties on anything. I've gotten so tired of places trying to sell them when I buy everything including ipods, computers, tires, cars and lawn mowers it's rediculous. You might cash in on one occassionally but I feel like I'm better off being self insured when it comes to paying extra for insurance on merchandise. The most frustrating thing with the instrument cluster was the time it took trying to get it fixed myself before letting my mechanic take care of it. At this point I don't trust the stealer with a lug nut. Remember from one of my earlier posts in this thread, the stealer was going to keep my car while they ordered the new cluster until it arrived and was installed so I didn't rack up any miles on the vehicle while the cluster was removed. One thing to check in your extended warranty policy - do they provide a loaner 4Runner at their cost while they work on your vehicle? When my 4Runner was at the stealer having the engine replaced their insurance company did provide us a loaner for our previously scheduled vacation road trip across the country, but it was a Trail Blazer. Yuck... I wanted my 4Runner for that vacation.

 

[Cougar]

Fishy,

I'm glad you don't stress about those things since you have an "extended warranty". I have 123,000 on my 03 Sport V8, and I was also covered on most things up to 100K. I didn't have a single problem with mine until this, so you may have wasted your $800.00 because the 4-Runner will easily give you 100K of service without batting an eye in most cases. You may want to comment after you go over 100K instead of sticking your tongue out and looking like a fool.

 

[RickyCRX]

:iagree:
I'm sitting just shy of 97k on my '03 V8 Sport with no problems as well... I thought about taking the gamble on purchasing an extended warranty as well when I bought it, but decided not to. I haven't really stressed about not having it, either.

Ricky

 

[sharp4runr]

$800 for 7 years of peace of mind is pretty cheap in my book. It's like normal insuarance for your car. You hope to never use it, but will you be glad that you had it if you needed it... I don't consider it a waste, like I don't consider insuarance a waste. It's all personal preference to get one, so let's not start calling each other fools.

 

[Fishy1]

$800 for 7 years of peace of mind is pretty cheap in my book. It's like normal insuarance for your car. You hope to never use it, but will you be glad that you had it if you needed it... I don't consider it a waste, like I don't consider insuarance a waste. It's all personal preference to get one, so let's not start calling each other fools.

Exactly right......

 

[Cougar]

Fishy,

I didn't mean anything by it, but it seemed like you were bragging a bit. I think it's your own right to buy the extended warranty if you wish, however your never going to get 7 years out of the warranty, unless you drive 14,285 miles a year. Most people drive on the average 25K a year, so you would get 4 years. They throw 7 years in because it sounds good. In my case it was a little over 3 years when I reached 100K. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the forum and have fun driving your 4-Runner. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[RickyCRX]

Actually, I still think the average is actually closer to 15k/yr... Regardless, on a 4Runner, I don't think the warranty will pay off. Major components like the engine and transmission are going to go WELL beyond the 100k without serious issues. The other little stuff, like some have had brake calipers, or various little things... Those are inexpensive to fix yourself. Both front calipers will set you back anywhere from $120-250 depending on which one you pick at the parts store.

I think the other major failures (gauge clusters, yaw sensors, sunroofs, etc) are actually a lot less common than we think. The folks on this site account for a VERY small percentage of the number of 4Runners that are manufactured and sold.

Ricky

 

[sharp4runr]

I actually don't drive my truck that often now that I got into motorcycles. My truck is a few ticks below 40k at the moment, and I purchased it 1/2004. Looks like I'm averaging 10-11k a year so I'm well below the average. I'll probably get that full 7yrs on mine. Some of us spend our money on synthetic fluids for our trucks. Some ditch the stock tires as soon as they drive off the lot for new rubber. We all end up spending money on our truck that probably isn't needed, but as long as it makes us feel good about owning it then does it really matter?

I've already had the sunroof fixed, but before the warranty expired so hopefully I'm good in that regard. In my mind, there is just too many electric doohickies on this truck to account for that if one thing breaks, it'll probably pay for the warranty.

 

[chester4Run]

Testing after changing VSS and/or speedometer

I was chasing this issue with my 94 4Runner recently, and thought this update might help someone later on. I started with a VSS swap (the one on the output shaft of the transfer case) and tested by driving the truck around my yard (it wasn't registered at that time). The speedometer still showed nothing, so I moved on to the gauge cluster. I have the electronic cluster with no mechanical speed sensor. I procured a used one via ebay, put that in, and drove around the yard some more. I still got nothing on the speedometer. After some tinkering I took a break and then decided to register the vehicle anyway so I could drive it around and see whether I really want to figure this out, or just make it an off-road only.

I get about a mile from home and the speedometer starts working. I turned the truck off and on and it continued to work. This made me curious so I swapped the old gauge cluster back in and went for a drive. Again, it started working after about a mile. Lesson learned.

If you swap your VSS or your gauge cluster, take it further than a mile for your test drive.

 

[jackrabbit66]

alternative

So this isn't a solution but rather an alternative.

before I bought my beautiful 4runner I had to drive an old 83 ford pickup from time to time when I needed a truck bed for hauling. The truck was a POS but it ran, most of the time. One of the problems it had was a bad speedometer. Instead of going through the hassle of fixing it I just used the Speedometer on my GPS unit. I believe it was a Garmin brand that you could set to go full screen speedometer. I live in Florida though, we don't have stupid inspection laws. This might not fix the problem but at least you won't get a ticket in the mean time. I bet now they probably have a speedometer app you can download on your phone that's just as accurate.