yotaBeatr

I have a 1994 3.0 5-speed 4x4 pickup i bought yesterday. They guy said the cluster keeps blowing fuses and he just didnt replace the fuse teh last time but now i go to check the fuse and its all intact. All fuses are good but my horn and cluster dont work.

Is there a way to check the cluster with simple tools to see if its working properly? My truck has the electronic speedometer and no tachometer.

Im contemplating calling the guy and wanting my money back but if theres a way to just test the cluster and see if its that or not, od rather just buy the $29 cluster from the truck and use that.

any help would be greatly appreciated trying to narrow down the problem by tonight so i can either return the truck tomorrow or buy a new cluster

Thanks!!

Hadmatt54

The horn circuit has nothing to do with the gauge circuit, unless the two circuits are shorted together in the steering column. Test the horn, make sure that it has a good ground, remove the harness connection, run a 12vdc source directly from the battery to the + terminal of the horn. If it's a good unit the horn will blow.
For the cluster, are you sure the fuse is intact? I've seen bad fuses in which the fuse link looked ok! The only to tell for sure is to check for continuity across the fuse with an ohmmeter. The problem might not be the cluster at all! Power from the 10 A gauge fuse feeds the integration relay before it feeds the cluster. Relay block JB1 is located under the left kick panel. The integration relay is on the under side of the relay block. A co worker of mine had to replace the relay in his Toyota awhile ago, but I'm not sure if he was having the same problem as you. One way to check is to unplug the three connectors from the back of your cluster, put a new gauge fuse in and turn on the key. If the fuse blows then the problem is your integration relay and not the cluster. If its the cluster then you will have to start checking each circuit with an ohmmeter to determine where the short is.

yotaBeatr

ok great info!

One thing to add. The blinker lights work on the cluster, as do the battery light when the engine is off with the key on. if it was the relay, would the whole cluster not work?

i noticed a good amount of corrosion inside of the cluster, noticeably around the CEL bulb in the cluster. A new one from the junk yard is only $29. I can also snatch the relay to probably for close to nothing. Would these be the most likely culprits? 1 being the relay, then the cluster itself?

Hadmatt54

If nothing in the cluster is working then there can't be any voltage at the cluster, because if there was 12vdc then the brake light or something would be working. The various circuits are fed from a common buss, but each individual circuit goes to ground through a different path. The signal lights, the charge light are seperate circuits from the rest of the cluster. If you can get another cluster for only $29, then go for it, but most people do the upgrade to a SR5 cluster that has full instrumentation and those are more expensive. The pre 89 pickups had all of the wiring in the harness and all you had to do was change the oil switch on the block to an oil sender, but apparently from what I've read trucks like yours don't have the Tach wire and that generally has to be added.
Just some more info for you.

yotaBeatr

im not trying to upgrade really i just want it to work.

So your saying it could be the wiring not the gauge cluster? The guy told me today after talking to him he said the cluster came on and off not necessarily always blowing the fuse. I dont know if he is lieing or not but im not sure where to go with this. guessing gets very expensive lol


what are the symptoms of a malfunctioning resister?

I remember reading somewhere about these trucks having bad wiring in the dash to the cluster. is this true? if so what would be a good place to start?

This will be my first attempt to fix an electrical problem. just looking for the best hints and tips to get started with this

yotaBeatr

SO looking at the owners manual, it looks like the fuse for the gauge cluster is a 10A #15 spot on the fuse block, under the dash. I had taken the fuse out earlier but didnt realize. when i re-installed it the only difference is now more lights come up on the cluster and the blower motor works? it doesnt say anything in the manual about that being a part of the fuse #15. Also, the oil light and brake light stay on when the trucks off. if i pull the e-brake more than the light gets alittle brighter but it stays on, only when th trucks off? if the truck is running those lights are off, unless the e-brake is actually engaged

Hadmatt54

Automotive Electrical wiring is not as complicated as most guys think it is. If you can think logically and are able to break problems down into "What should I expect to see happen" as compared to "What is actually happening and the possible causes", then you are on your way to troubleshooting a problem.
First about relays: A relay consists of an electromagnet (coil)and a contact. The contact can be either normally open or normally closed and sometimes more complicated relays (also known as contactors) may have a combination of both n/o and n/c contacts.
Power flows through the electromagnet (coil) and draws a plunger down into the coil, attached to the plunger is the moveable side of the contact, so when the relay operates the contact either opens or closes. The coil circuit draws very little load (Amps), while the contact circuit will switch high loads.
The coil side of your heater relay gets its power from the 10a. gauge fuse, that's why your heater now works.
At the top of this board you will see a link to down load the FSM for a 90-94
4Runner, I think you need a torrent program such as Bit Torrent to download it, but I would suggest that you do this. I've got it on my Computer and that is the Wiring Diagrams that I'm refering to. I know you have a pickup and your diagrams especially color codes may not be exactly the same as this, but the info you gain from this will pay off. This will become your best friend, especially if you are troubleshooting wiring problems.
Lights staying on in your dash, with the key off is a sign of a short to ground or a bad ground on the cluster. In the back there is three connectors A,B & C.
C connector has 12 wires in it , if you are looking at the connector pins the lock is on the top and should be left of center. The farthest right wire should be brown, that's the ground. First thing you need to do is check this wire to ground with an ohmmeter. The other end is fastened to the body under the left kick panel. You need to verify that this wire is making a good ground connection and is intact, if it is then the reading should be very close to zero ohms.
Next I need you to list in detail what lights are on in the dash and under what circumstances. With that info we'll try and narrow down your problem.
I'll wait for your next post.

Ron Helmuth

I believe I have read on this fine forum before that everything routes through the dash dimmer switch-so if those connections are sketchy or the dimmer is malfunctioning that might be somewhat related.

Just food for thought but my experience with the 3slow is none and I had a 95 4Runner for 5 years only-ending 4 years ago.

HadMatt54 seems to have this well under control and I am eager to hear what the final outcome will be.

Good luck and congrats on your new to you ride.

Jacquesmcl

Have you found the issue?

StageRulz

Here is my 94 I've had for 25 years.
It now has the same problem as listed above.
I can't figure it out!!
HELP!!! email me @ StageRulz@StageRulz.com