Sorry to bring up an old thread but,

Today I went to the junkyard and picked up an instrument cluster from a 2wd 95 4runner.
Is it as simple as switching clusters or will one from a 2wd be different due to the type of speed sensor?

 

I don't know the answer to your question.

But I assume the cluster you picked up has a place for a speedo cable to go to the speedometer. So I am 98% sure it has the VSS1 in that panel (I believe there are only two types of VSS1; the electronic one you don't have, and the reed switch in the panel). And VSS1 in the panel is what you need.

Now whether the connectors are all the same between your truck and the junkyard panel, I don't know. But if they are the same, it will "probably" work.

 

I put the "new" junkyard cluster in and everything worked except for the speedometer and odometer, just like my original cluster. So that did not solve my problem.

The trip odometer on the junkyard one was at 0 though so I thought there could be a chance that the same thing is messed up on that one as mine? I know it could just be set to zero but mines stuck at zero too.
So is the VSS not actually in the cluster or could've the junkyard cluster also have a broken VSS?

 

bump, I really want to get this fixed but I still cant find the VSS.
Is it behind the gauge cluster? Because I dont think its in it.

 

IF your new cluster has a place for the speedometer cable, then the speedometer is fully mechanical. The speedometer will work (or not) whether or not the VSS1 reed switch is working (the reed switch supports things like cruise control).

So if the speedometer is not working, it is not a matter of "the new cluster doesn't fit my truck." Assuming that the cluster is not at fault (it came from a junkyard, so it must be perfect, right?), the first thing I would look at is the cable. I would pull the cluster (so I could see the cluster end of the cable), and roll the truck along the ground to see if the core of the cable is turning. (If you work on a slope, you can jack up one rear wheel and spin it instead).

If the core of the cable isn't turning, you could have a broken cable, or a broken drive gear (I'm pretty sure the drivegear is plastic) inside the transfer case.

You could also test the cable (and the cluster, while you're at it) by pulling the cable at the transfer case end, and using a cordless drill slowly spin the core of the cable. Someone sitting in the cab can tell you whether the speedo indicates anything. Be careful at first; you need to spin it in the correct direction, and I can't tell you CW/CCW.

 

Both clusters, new and old, have a place for the speedo cable. So i guess its mechanical but some other people in this thread said the 95 is electronic. Ill try and see if it rotates when I get my truck back. Thanks scope, I think that should help me narrow down my options to what is wrong.

But the weird thing is cruise control isnt working either so I thought that the VSS controlled cruise and the speedo/odo. Or could that be a whole different problem?

 

VSS1 is what drives cruise control (and a bunch of other things). And it is "electronic."

The difference is in whether you have a speedo cable. You do. thook and I do not. thook and I have a hall-effect sensor mounted into the transfer case (probably the same hole as your cable mounts). The hall effect sensor is powered with 12v, and "switches on and off" (on two of the three terminals) as the drive gear is spun by the transfer case. That on/off square wave drives the cruise control, etc.

And in our case, the VSS1 signal DRIVES the speedometer (which is just a stepping motor that rotates based on the frequency of the VSS1 signal.)

In your case, the drive gear spins the cable, which runs up to the cluster. The cable spins the speedometer (in the cluster) which mechanically displays the speed and the odo. Potentially, it can work while the VSS1 does not.

But you still have a VSS1, it's just in a different place, and it's a different kind of switch. Somewhere in the cluster (I've never seen one, as I don't have it) there is a reed switch. A magnet attached to the cable spins past the reed switch, open and closing it. Same square wave signal, different source.

Since your wholly mechanical speedometer is not displaying, it may not be getting spun by the cable. And if that's the case, the magnet and reed switch will not get spun, and no VSS1 signal. (Note that if your cruise control worked, it means you're getting a VSS1. If your speedo still didn't work, it would mean the problem was not in the cable.)

Good luck!

 

Thanks again, I still dont have my truck back but when I do ill see if the cable spins. If it doesnt I guess ill go to the junkyard and pull one off the 95 runner that is there.

Ill update when something happens