Tool Pants

I am supposed to have an unused 4 wire connector for the digital clock. I have a 1988 pickup. No a/c. Bought the clock from ebay and I cannot find this connector.

This is the square hole for the clock. Behind the hole there are 2 connectors back there - both are being used - and even if I were to disconnect them they would never plug into the back of the clock. I thought maybe over the past 19 years the connector had fallen down and below the radio - but I do not see any unused connector for a clock behind the radio.



So I removed the glove box. There are 2 unused connectors there. None of which would plug into the back of the clock, plus the wires are so short they would never reach the clock. Of these 2 unused connectors 1 has 3 wires and the other has 2, but neither connector has the right shape to plug into the clock and, as I said, the wires are so short they could not reach the clock area.



This is the back of the clock. I cannot find a connector that will plug into the back. So, where is it?

DudeBud

should be there, keep looking, maybe more tucked up in the dash above the heater controls.

Tool Pants

Thanks. Still looking, but still can't find it.

This is the heater controls.



Removed the 3 screws for the heater controls and lowered the unit. Nothing up there except the air ducts and dust.



The clock fits, but I cannot find anything to plug it into.



If there is a hidden 4 wire connector for this clock then I cannot find it.

javadoody

mine was really tucked in behind the radio, had to pull it out to find it. piece of cake after that.

Ron521

According to the Performance Products catalog "2WD 4 speed base model requires wiring harness #300239 at $22.95 each."

Tool Pants

So maybe I do not have the connector.

I looked up that part number and it is listed for 1989-1995 2 WD 4 speed base.

I have a 1988 2WD 5 speed. I guess I have the base because I just added the SR5 instrument cluster from a 4Runner, and I assume that if I did not have the base it would already have had the clock. But, it does not show that the 300239 harness is needed for 1984-1988 pickup.

I looked behind the radio and could not find it. I'll take one more look and then in a few hours I will have to put everyting back together, with or without a clock.

BigBluePile

iTrader: (3)

You could always make your own harness.

Tool Pants

You know, I never really wanted a clock. I have a watch and the radio has a clock.

When I bought the 1988 in 1989 as a used truck there was a hole next to the heater controls. Lived with it all these years like that. Figured the former owner removed the blanking plate or clock.

Last week, 18 years later, I put in the SR5 cluster. Then I thought it is time to get rid of that hole. I could not find a blanking plate on ebay, but I found a clock, lots of them.

And now I cannot find the connector all the ebay sellers said was there....

Tool Pants

Pulled the radio and still could not find the connector. Either I have the only 1988 in the world without it, or I just can't find it, or it was cut off.

I bought the truck when it was 1 year old. The original owner messed around with the wiring, I believe for the radio. The radio was gone when I bought it.

I looked for 4 wires that would have gone to the connector as I do have some cut wires. I found 4 wires together that were black/white, white/black, green/red, and solid gray. I am using 2 of those wires to charge a cell phone as they are constant hot and ground. These 4 wires are in the area of the clock location.

Per the shop manual the clock wires should be black/white, white/black, green, and red green. The colors don't exactly match the 4 cut wires I have, but maybe the clock connector was at the end before I owned it. I suspect the prior owner cut off the clock connector to use the wires for a radio. I do not think it had a clock because the screw hole that would hold a clock in place looked unused.

I put it back together without the clock. Then I tested the clock with 2 wires to the battery to see if it even worked as I may give the clock to a friend with a 1985, but I could not get the clock to work.... More about that in the next post.

Tool Pants

I know next to nothing about electrical stuff.

The back of the ebay clock has 4 pins waiting for my missing in action connector.



I removed the back of the clock to see if the pins were labeled (I have old eyes). They are. From left to right. L+, GND, D+, and C+.



I hooked up a wire from the GND pin to the negative post of a 12 volt battery. I assume GND is ground.

Then I hooked up a wire to the battery positive post and touched the other end of that wire to C+. Nothing. Then I touched the end of the positive wire to D+, then L+. Still nothing.

I figure this clock needs constant power for the memory. Switched power to see the display when you turn the key on. A way to adjust the night time illumination. And a ground.

Did I test the clock wrong or do I have an ebay dud?

Tool Pants

Anyone? Did I test the clock correctly before I tell the ebay seller it does not work.

misterzee

Ii installed a clock into an 88 4runner, the connector was hard to find, but when I had the dashpad off for replacement (another tricky job) I found it tucked in the harness, above the radio, i think i remember correctly.
From the 88 FSM
Pin 1-GND
Pin 2-LIGHTS
Pin 3-12v
Pin 4-IGN
One might assume you need to feed 12v to pins 3 and 4 to get the clock to show you something.
Hope this helps.

CanTheWhales

Just put the clock in the hole whether it works or not just to fill the gap...

Tool Pants

You are correct. I hooked up a ground wire to the GND. I ran a 12 volt wire to 2 pins at the same time, D+ and C+. The clock came on. I tried D+ and C+ at the same time only because my alligator clip would make contact with both pins.

I have the 1988 shop manual. Unfortunately the wiring diagram has the pins labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4. The pins on back of the clock itself are not numbered 1-4. As in the above pic, the pins on the back of the clock are labeled L+, GND, D+, and C+.

Does anyone know how they corolate?

CanTheWhales

If this is what you mean...

Pin 1(GND) = GND
Pin 2(LIGHTS) = L+
Pin 3(12v) = C+
Pin 4 (IGN) = D+

Ground is kinda obvious,
L is for lights (so you can dim it with the instrument panel control),
C means constant (kinda like a memory function),
D stands for display (if the key isn't in the ignition, the display won't show up)

Tool Pants

Thank you. That is what I meant.

One of the things that confused me is that Pin #2 which is shown on the wiring diagram as "From TAIL Fuse", which you say is the same as L+, did not go to directly the knob to adjust the brightness of the instrument cluster and, I would guess, to adjust the brightness of the clock.

I may give this clock another chance in my 1988, or donate it to my friend's 1985.

I called the 1985 owner today to see if he had the connector. He could not find it. So, the cycle repeats itself.

toyota_mdt_tech

Its there. Look down behind the radio. It will be taped up in a little loop. It might be down as far as under the pocket area. Now I suppose someone might have chopped it off hooking up an aftermarket stereo, as it has the same needed power inputs as a stereo. One wire will be white, a green one, red and not sure of the other wire.

misterzee

I'm thinking that the brightness just changes modes from day-bright to night-dim, with the presence of the L+ 12v.
the wiring diagram in your book actually tells you what the wire colors are to your connector.

CanTheWhales

That's what I meant... oops

Tool Pants

Thank you all.

Could not understand why a wire ran to the tail lights, and not to the knob to adjust the brightness of the instrument cluster. Looks like clock display brightness is therefore just 2 speeds. Bright and dim, if the headlights are on or off.

Before I gave up on the connector hunt 4 days ago and put the dash back together, I glued a square piece of scrap sheet plastic to the back of the display icon trim for the heater controls so that I would not have to see the hole.

Never really wanted a clock. Just got tired of looking at that hole.

Now that I know the clock works I think I will tell my 1985 pickup owner friend that he can have the clock if he can find his connector....