stereo works guage cluster does not

[galacticgray]

Just installed gps head unit and managed i guess to short the illumination. The speedometer tach etc are all out. My transmission lights on the guages works but the lights down by the shifter are out. My multi center ac display illuminates but the reset and mode buttons do not. Checked the fuse inside the truck and it is fine. Are there fuses somewhere else for this or is some relay messed up. Funny thing is if i put my illumination wires back together behind the stereo my lights work until i turn on the lights then they turn off. Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[galacticgray]

Well i pulled the dimmer switch and light on gauges work. Still no light from multi info display buttons or the shifter lights. Maybe those bulbs burnt out because of the short. Any info would help.

 

[Ron Helmuth]

not trying to be stupid galactic-but any possibility the dimmer just got dimmed down all the way?

At times when other people have been in my truck they messed with the switches and stuff. More than once someone just dialed down the dimmer and next time it was dark I could not view my gauges until I figured it out what they had done.

Fuses all okay? All grounds still intact? Clock working?

You did not disconnect the negative battery cable before beginning work or you did do so?

When you say the gauges lit up when the dimmer switch was disconnected leads me to suspect you fried the dimmer but it's darn hard to diagnose via Internet like this. But I will help you to keep the discussion going in hopes someone a bit more knowledgeable will chime in.

You might also search or post up in YOTA TECH "General Electrical" section.

 

[galacticgray]

Yeah i did check to make sure i didnt turn down the lights. Now today when i started my truck with the dimmer removed my car is in limp mode. I tried plugging it back in and pulling the negative on the battery for about an hour but its still in limp. The radio is working fine though. I checked every fuse twice. There is a strange sound coming from the transmission now but i dont know if they may be because its in limp. I hope what ever is wrong is not because of a improper illumination wire connection. The truck ran all day yesterday fine after my radio install. Didnt know anything was wrong till at night when i turned my headlights on and the guages went dark.

 

[li_runner]

Sounds like you have a short somewhere in your stereo wiring. I suggest removing your "wiring" you accomplished with the stereo. Check the fuses and see if the problem persists. Did you use a harness or did you splice the factory wiring?

What wires did you tap into for the stereo? Parking, VSS, reverse, illumination?

 

[galacticgray]

It was a really simple install just out with the eclipse avn5435 and in with the new jvc unit. Used all the same wires as far as parking brake, speed sensor, ground. Used crutchfields wiring harness that has two orange illumination wires. I dont know what i was thinking but i connected those both to the jvc illumination. All worked perfect till i turned on my head lights then the jvc dimmed but the all the gauges went dark. Turn the lights off the gauges turned back on. So i disconnect illumination wires and then get no lights on the gauges at all. So last night i read to disconnect the dimmer which i did and had success sitting in my driveway. I then went in the morning to drive it started fine but when i gave it gas it did not go any faster the rpm didnt change and it clunked into gear. So i turned it off looked for fuses and tried hooking the dimmer switch back on. I have no idea what happened as i drove the car all day without any problems. The only difference would be i removed the dimmer switch and i checked all the fuses. I rechecked thinking maybe i put one back in the wrong spot. No. Now i have a working radio and dead 4runner.

 

[Ron Helmuth]

so there are 2 power sources right?

One is the main power source-for when the ignition is on. Then is there not also another supply for when the key is in the accessory mode?

Meaning the key is not turned to on position-therefore the vehicle is not running.

It is my guess you have those 2 supplies feeding one another.

Got to be frustrating as all get out. As li runner suggests take out the radio and start over to see what might be going wrong. Is Crutchfield of any help?

 

[galacticgray]

Well i found a fuse that was out of place so the car runs again. Third times the charm. So disaster averted and now all i need is a new rheostat aka dimmer. Live and learn I checked all my old wiring harnesses and they all came with just one orange wire, so I guess crutchfield is giving out more universal toyota style harnesses with there stereos. Would of been nice if it said connect illumination to positive illumination wire atleast. If you get one from them just dont hook up the orange and black illumination wire use the orange with white or dont hook it up at all. Wanted to thank you guys a lot for your help.

 

[Ron Helmuth]

glad to have helped but you of course figured it out.

Sometimes you have to deal with a bit of frustration to learn what not to do the next time.

Glad to hear your vehicle is back in operational mode.