VSC Off, ATRAC On Mod complete!

[robtmc]

After reading tons of posts on various Toyota websites, I finally did this mod on my 07 4WD V6. Not completed, yet to select a switching method I want. May do it with relays so it disconnects when the key is shut off to make it idiot proof.

Actually tried two things. Just for grins and out of curiousity, I tracked down pin 43 from the VSC ECU, where the 2008 and up have the VSC disable connected, and earlier 2WD have the "AUTO LSD" switch connected.

Of course, as I suspected, there is no connection in the cabin. Wire comes in from the engine compartment, but no mating pin at the junction connector.

Oh well, made a connection and grounded it like it would be in a 2WD or 2008 if selected. As expected, nothing. The firmware must "see" this as a 4WD vehicle and lock out the "AUTO LSD" and the VSC CUT has yet to be programmed into it.

Well, ya never know until you try it.

Meantime, good old pin 27 was tapped down in the left kick panel for a clean install. It works as advertised by the pioneers here.

What was fascinating when trying it in the garage, contrary to what most apparently have seen, grounding out pin 27 seems to disable VSC in 2WD just fine! No starting in 4WD and switching back to 2WD. Just sitting there running in 2WD and hitting it, VSC and the CDL light up. And it works the same in 4WD as expected. Did not try it when the CDL was selected, no reason to push my luck.

About 99.9% positive I did it all right, traced the wires for continuity from the kick panel to the VSC ECU and all to avoid tapping the wrong wire. Not that an old retired EE has ever picked the wrong wire before (cough, cough).

Just a data point for anyone yet to try this. I do not even really need it, no snow, just not having a VSC cut bothered me when even my Wife's Forester has it. And our old 2001 SR5 has a TRAC OFF switch. Sure, the CDL is there, but not so quick to deploy.

 

[DCGweez]

An FYI for those considering this mod: the 2006 V6 4WD model apparently only has the harness in the dash for the factory 115V power inverter on/off switch, not the "Trac Off" harness that SSt4r found in his 2005 V8 4WD. It is a black 6-pin plug, with 5 wires. J.A. has a picture of the factory switch (and the wire colors) here. Unfortunately this makes the mod a little less "plug and play." I still plan on making the factory "VSC Off" switch I bought work, but now it will require a little more labor.

Has anyone figured this out for the 06' V6 4wd? If so, is there a post i'm missing?

 

[NuclearN8]

#12 is the oem vsc off switch if anyone cares...

2008 Toyota 4Runner Parts - Conicelli Parts Center

 

[LOSTR4]

Can I use the factor VSC-Off switch with the modified On/Off function and change the wires to the designated spots to open/close the circuit accordingly on my 2005 v8? I too would like to use the factory switches and maintain this "mod" with a factory look...For those who have done this mod on their 2005 V8, what did you do to make this work? I hate wiring things and the more I know the more I can do...rhetorically speaking of course...

 

[JT4R]

VSC Switch

I wasn't quite sure on how the momentary switch works. If I didn't modify it to be and permanent on/off switch, at what point does it reactivate the VSC... when you let go such as okscott asked?

 

[lcbjr77]

If I attempt to do this mod with the VSC off switch (from the '08-'09 model)you mentioned what relay do you use in conjunction?

Thanks
Larry

#12 is the oem vsc off switch if anyone cares...

2008 Toyota 4Runner Parts - Conicelli Parts Center

 

[123GO]

Make you chit your draws!!

This mod for the pre-08 4wd's is probably the most helpful in snow driving. It allows you pull out in traffic with the assurance that the VSC won't cut the engine power when you need it most. The only other way to do it is to lock the center diff. Most of the time roads tend be mostly clear with patchy slick stuff so you don't want the center diff locked or it'll bind. Above 20-25mph simply flick the switch to normal mode and enjoy the protection provided by VSC.

Off-roading it's nice because it handles better, If you have anything better than super-slick conditions the center-diff being open just feels better, steers better etc. Without the mod the VSC would cut engine power at the slightest little slip. Off-road you could just leave the center diff locked and it works great, this just feels a little better IMHO.

Yep' just like you said light patchy snow...My 07 V8 4Runner done this too me yesterday pulling out on light snow. I thought my truck had died or went into limp mode as my stereo drowned out my warning beeps. It sucks!!

We only had a couple inches of snow with a bit of ice here this weekend and we went to fill the tank up taking advantage of cheap fuel. :zoom:
With most roads salted too, only a few slick spots here and there I didn't lock center in.
Now' honestly I was getting on it pretty good trying to slide. Spinning ain't easy if driving normally in a full time 4wd & Duratracs to boot but if you pull out in front of someone on ice by mistake this could very well be the end result for you and anyone else involved if you nail it when you realize you f'd up.. It is a very bad deal all around imo.

I actually looked into doing this mod last winter for more fun time but hadn't ran across this issue as a safety concern myself yet and most mentioned it being more prone to the 6cyl part time 4x4 & less problematic on full time V8 4runners. I would have done it had it done it to me even once and I suggest it to all 4runner owners with a heavy foot or bad eyes. In my case both..lol
Not many places around me to play offroad like we done on weekends back in the day so actually we only need 4x4 because my wife's job as a grocery store manager means her being there regardless of weather.
Needless to say its the next mod on my list. Supposed to be 60 deg this weekend so I'll be on it then. Crazy weather this yr for sure.

Thanks for all the help here guys, its greatly appreciated by me, just like all the other help offered here. Just can't say enough good things about this websites members ..Big thank you to all involved in it!! :bravo:
Peace


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[123GO]

Any ideas?

I just want to add this link from Tundra site to this site just so people with electronic skills can mull it over? It may add as much info to this subject as me posting the price of tea in china I have no idea, but since it does have a few similarities I figured wth? Maybe it will spark something and maybe not but here it is fwiw.


VSC Bypass Mod on 2007 ... - TundraTalk.net - Toyota Tundra Discussion Forum

UPDATE:
Well' I ordered this nice looking on/off switch in (white ) to install when weather permits...lol I picked switch model M08180-T-RLFW sold by Mictuning but they have several models to choose from. I would wire it with a relay as expressed fwiw. I'll wire it to my master cylinder sensor as a cut off until I find a factory VSC button cheap at my local junk yard, then I'll change it to a more oem look. Hopefully I'll locate a VSC plug on mine while installing this?
My 4Runner is a 2007 SR5 V8 but was ordered with other options including the 115v power inverter so I may or may not have that plug there? I never knew the inverter only worked with ignition/engine on but it makes since so the battery won't run down. In 2007 the side curtain airbags were an option but mine don't have them so that switch is not there.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-Push-Sw...ash=item1a0520baa2:g:ulwAAOSwu4BV3qbZ&vxp=mtr



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[calvinv8sr5]

So basically my light is always on showing vsc off, if I do this mod will it come back on afterwards?

 

[WOLVERINE]

First off, thanks for all the great information in this thread. I've been running the basic version of this mod which was detailed in the original post on my '04 Limited V8 for a few months now, and it works great.

I'm now looking to ditch my radioshack toggle switch and utilize the blue connector behind the dash for a stock look, like SSt4r detailed in his post. I already bought the VSC Off and modified it to work as an on/off using Gaterose's instructions and then realized that my '04 doesn't have the skid control ecu in that easily accessible place under the hood...

I'm not really familiar with the location of the skid control on my year, so I was thinking about trying the following instead of going digging for it.

- Cut red/white wire at the empty blue connector in dash
- Disconnect my original toggle switch
- Take my wire from toggle switch (which is tapped into red/purple at 4x4ecu under glovebox) and splice it with red/white one for the blue connector
(essentially accomplishing this... hopefully)

Hope that made sense. Do you guys know if this would work? Or am I missing something?

If anyone else has this question for a 2003/2004 V8 Sport Full Time 4x4, and wants to use the blank blue connector with a factory momentary switch (or factory switch converted to on off), the VSC/Trac module is under the driver's side dash above the parking brake pedal, and both wires are there in the same connector - it's the 2nd connector towards the firewall.

I ordered the factory button for a 2004 4runner - "Trac Off" #84988-AE010 - and it came with "Auto LSD" printed on it and a different part # from Toyota (84988-35050) - but it works perfect with the constant on off mod converting it from a momentary. Push in and VSC off and Diff Lock light come on - push in again and the lights turn off.

I did the mod for driving in heavy snow - where I live this will be maybe 1 time every 4 years.

# VSC Off VSC Mod Trac Off

 

[smurray711]

In your second picture, do you mean that you need to splice and connect the red/white with the red/violet?

 

[green_manalishi]

Ok, reading through this and I'm a little turned around. As I understand it, my '04 V8 has 4 different traction/stability functions.

1) ABS - self explanatory
2) A-TRAC - uses brakes to transfer power across open diff
3) VSC - brakes individual wheels to keep vehicle traveling in intended direction
4) TRAC (sometimes called VSC-TRAC?) - cuts throttle to control wheel spin

Now, 3 and 4 seem to be confused and combined by some people. As I understand it, the [MENTION=22558]CJ3Flyr[/MENTION] / [MENTION=28616]SSt4r[/MENTION] mod will cut VSC, but leave ABS, A-TRAC, and TRAC all active - correct? Some posts here seem to indicate that this mod will also cut TRAC along with VSC.

Ultimately, I'd like a switch to kill VSC and TRAC while keeping ABS and A-TRAC active. So does this require wiring the switch to the pressure sensor of the brake master cylinder? Won't this kill ABS and A-TRAC too?

 

[SSt4r]

Ok, reading through this and I'm a little turned around. As I understand it, my '04 V8 has 4 different traction/stability functions.

1) ABS - self explanatory
2) A-TRAC - uses brakes to transfer power across open diff
3) VSC - brakes individual wheels to keep vehicle traveling in intended direction
4) TRAC (sometimes called VSC-TRAC?) - cuts throttle to control wheel spin

Now, 3 and 4 seem to be confused and combined by some people. As I understand it, the [MENTION=22558]CJ3Flyr[/MENTION] / [MENTION=28616]SSt4r[/MENTION] mod will cut VSC, but leave ABS, A-TRAC, and TRAC all active - correct? Some posts here seem to indicate that this mod will also cut TRAC along with VSC.

Ultimately, I'd like a switch to kill VSC and TRAC while keeping ABS and A-TRAC active. So does this require wiring the switch to the pressure sensor of the brake master cylinder? Won't this kill ABS and A-TRAC too?

So this will do what you want; it disables the VSC & TRAC (throttle cut) but leave ABS and A-TRAC functional. I wouldn't tap into the pressure sensor as that will disable all ABS functions AND require a re-start to re-enable them. I would like to find a way to momentarily disable ABS separately but haven't found a way to do that (again without turning off & re-starting).

 

[green_manalishi]

So this will do what you want; it disables the VSC & TRAC (throttle cut) but leave ABS and A-TRAC functional. I wouldn't tap into the pressure sensor as that will disable all ABS functions AND require a re-start to re-enable them. I would like to find a way to momentarily disable ABS separately but haven't found a way to do that (again without turning off & re-starting).

Cool! Thanks for the clarification.

 

[WOLVERINE]

In your second picture, do you mean that you need to splice and connect the red/white with the red/violet?

Yes, you do exactly what SSt4r did in post #42 of pg. 3 of this thread - his module was in the engine bay (05' V8) but ours is under the dash - (03/04).

Brian at Camelback Toyota sent me the Trac Off button so I replaced it with the Auto LSD button - it does work exactly the same - you just have to convert from momentary push button to on/off.

 

[smurray711]

Alright. So I had some time today to work on the wiring. ***I have an 03 v8***

I cut #26 (Red and White) and stripped it back. I then cut part of the insulation on #3 (Red with Blue stripe) back and spliced 26 into 3.

Here is what happened.
When I turn the engine on and am in park, all is well. When I press my VSC switch the VSC Off light turns on (center diff light does not come on like others have mentioned). {pic 1}

Then when I put my car in drive or reverse and move my wheels more or less one rotation, my VSC Off and VSC Trac lights come on (whether or not I have engaged my VSC switch) and stay on and do not go off until I turn my car off and restart the ECU. {pic 2}

Am I dumb and tapped a wrong wire? Am I shorting something? Do I need a Trac off switch vs the oem "swerve" VSC off switch?

Thank you in advance for any insight! Please let me know if there are any questions to ask that would help shed some light!


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[SSt4r]

smurry711, so to confirm all your connections: you used wires #26 & 3 from the "S8" connector at the skid control ECU (this is a 3 row connector with 9, 10, 9 possible connections) and this is from the skid control ECU behind the left side of your dash?
Of the 2 ends of the red/white wire you cut, you used the end that would run to the trac off switch NOT back into the S8 connector?
And is the red/white wire you used connected through a switch to GROUND not 12Vdc?

It shouldn't matter which switch you use. You can use a toggle switch as long it is ON / OFF not (ON) / OFF which is a momentary switch like the center diff. lock (CDL) switch.

 

[smurray711]

SSt4r, thank you for the response.

So I bought a VSC 6 pin switch and converted it to ON/OFF and plugged it into the blue connector that was stashed behind my dash.

I then cut red/white and used the length that runs from the blue connector and wrapped it around a piece of the red/blue.

I tested continuity. I touched the red/white wire at the end of the blue connector along with the end of the red/blue wire at the end of the 4x4 connector under the passenger kick panel, it was continuous. So, the wires are tapped correctly?

I guess my question now is about the red/white connected to GROUND as opposed to 12Vdc. If I am using the oem blue connector with a VSC "swerve" button, do I need to alter anything else other than making it ON/OFF?

I hope that I am just being obtuse and that there is something obvious that I am missing because as far as I can tell, I have the wires and the switch correctly set up.

Thank you again very much for your insight and help.


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[flipflopnfly]

Bought the '07 today, first thing I did after getting home was Google 'VSC off 2007 4runner'. Lo and behold, here I am. Thanks for the writeup!!!

I had a chance at two '08 4.7 Limiteds, but the '07 was the better buy and I figured somebody would have a mod to prevent the engine from cutting power, thanks again Chris!

 

[green_manalishi]

Thanks to Bulldog, CJ3Flyr, SSt4r, and WOLVERINE for the legwork on this. Finally wired a factory VSC OFF switch this afternoon and all seems well.

However, I'd like to point out that WOLVERINE's Red/ Blue wire is located incorrectly on his second image. The wire indicated by his arrow is solid red and the location of the correct wire is as indicated in the edited image below. It's hard to see in this particular image, but it's there. This was confirmed by SSt4r's identification of the 2003 location at position #3.

Again, thanks to all the pioneers for identifying and testing this mod. Now, LET IT SNOW!