Taco HVAC control swap?

[JB40]

Hi all,

I've owned my 4R for a few weeks now, and I find the HVAC controls to be poorly designed and a slow-responding distraction to adjust while driving. I think the Toyota engineers were looking for something innovative, but came up with something that now looks dated, feels terrible, and has awful response.

Has anyone put the Taco and 4R HVAC switches side by side to see if they share a harness? Fit I'm not worried about, I'd custom make something if necessary. I think the OBC separates from the control itself also, to avoid security/airbag warnings.

I did some quick research, and it looks like the Hilux Surf shares the same crappy control, but the Taco is a million times better with it's more traditional cold-to-hot/fan speed layout.

Has this ever been done or attempted or even investigated? A search turned up nil.

Thanks in advance,

J

 

[BlackWorksInc]

You'd need to modify a lot to physically make it fit. The information display is part of the HVAC control assembly and you will find it difficult to separate it all. The parts diagrams show each dial assembly being able to be removed as a single unit, but the Tacoma one looks like one entire piece. Also wiring will more than likely be an issue, but the HVAC heads are typically the modules themselves so you should be able to wire something up if you study both the Tacoma and 4Runner FSMs.

As for the dials vs. the buttons? I don't mind mine, I kind of prefer them sometimes to the dials. I like how fast I can select features; though I wish the temperature setting wasn't so slow (then again I only use LO so its not like it matters to me really.) Also the Hilux Surf IS the 4Runner, its just a different badge (though the Hilux Truck is a different platform all together.)

 

[JB40]

Thanks BWI. The 05 is CANbus, right? Not sure what all would complicate that from a wiring standpoint.

I'd be OK with modifying it to fit otherwise.